L2: Verbs & Conjugations
Understanding Latin verb conjugations, tenses, voices (active and passive), and the personal endings that indicate person and number.
Verbs & Conjugations
Understanding Latin verb conjugations, tenses, voices (active and passive), and the personal endings that indicate person and number.
Key Fact: Latin verbs are conjugated (change form) to show person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular, plural), tense (when), voice (active/passive), and mood (indicative/subjunctive).
Key Fact: There are four conjugations, identified by the characteristic vowel in the present stem: 1st (-a-), 2nd (-e-), 3rd (short -e- or consonant), 4th (-i-).
Key Fact: Every Latin verb has four principal parts that must be memorised: e.g. laudo, laudare, laudavi, laudatus (I praise, to praise, I praised, praised).
Key Fact: Present tense personal endings: -o/m (I), -s (you), -t (he/she/it), -mus (we), -tis (you pl.), -nt (they).
Key Fact: Imperfect tense is formed by adding -ba- plus personal endings to the present stem: e.g. laudabam (I was praising).
Key Fact: Perfect tense uses the third principal part stem with -v- or -u- endings: e.g. laudavi (I praised), laudavisti (you praised).
Key Fact: The passive voice reverses the action: the subject receives the verb’s action (e.g. laudor — I am praised; laudatus sum — I was praised).
Key Fact: Present passive endings: -r (I), -ris (you), -tur (he/she/it), -mur (we), -mini (you pl.), -ntur (they).
Key Fact: Irregular verbs must be learned individually: sum (to be), possum (to be able), eo (to go), volo (to want), nolo (not to want), malo (to prefer).
Key Fact: The infinitive (e.g. laudare — to praise) is the second principal part and is used to identify the conjugation.
📋 Key Vocabulary and Concepts
For Verbs & Conjugations, you must know:
- Conjugation
- Principal parts
- Present tense
- Imperfect tense
- Perfect tense
- Pluperfect tense
- Future tense
- Active voice
- Passive voice
- Personal endings
- Infinitive
- Stem vowel
❓ Practice Questions
Q: What are the four principal parts of a Latin verb?
Q: How do you identify which conjugation a verb belongs to?
Q: What are the present tense personal endings?
Q: How is the imperfect tense formed?
Q: What is the difference between active and passive voice?
Q: How is the perfect tense formed?
Q: Name three irregular Latin verbs and their meanings.
Q: What are the present passive personal endings?
✅ Answers
- First person singular present active indicative, present infinitive, first person singular perfect active indicative, and perfect passive participle. Example: laudo, laudare, laudavi, laudatus.
- By the characteristic vowel in the present infinitive (second principal part): 1st -are (a), 2nd -ere (e), 3rd -ere (short e/consonant), 4th -ire (i).
- -o/m (1st singular), -s (2nd singular), -t (3rd singular), -mus (1st plural), -tis (2nd plural), -nt (3rd plural).
- Add -ba- plus personal endings to the present stem. Example: laudabam (I was praising), laudabas (you were praising).
- Active: the subject performs the action (puella laudat — the girl praises). Passive: the subject receives the action (puella laudatur — the girl is praised).
- Use the perfect stem (third principal part minus -i) plus perfect endings: -i, -isti, -it, -imus, -istis, -erunt. Example: laudavi (I praised).
- Sum (to be), possum (to be able), eo (to go). Also: volo (to want), nolo (not to want), malo (to prefer).
- -r (I), -ris (you), -tur (he/she/it), -mur (we), -mini (you plural), -ntur (they).
🎯 Exam Tips
- Always learn all four principal parts of every verb — you cannot form the perfect or passive without them.
- When translating, identify the verb first: find its person, number, tense, and voice to establish the sentence’s core meaning.
- Irregular verbs (especially sum and possum) appear frequently in set texts and exams — learn their forms thoroughly.
- For the perfect tense, learn the stem from the third principal part: drop -i to get the stem (laudavi → laudav-).
📝 Exam Technique
GCSE Latin Exam Tips — Verbs & Conjugations:
1. For Verbs & Conjugations, use a range of vocabulary and complex grammatical structures to access higher marks
2. Check verb tenses, agreements and word order carefully in your written work
3. In translation tasks, translate meaning rather than word-for-word
4. When writing about Verbs & Conjugations, include opinions and justifications, not just descriptions
5. For listening and reading, focus on key words and cognates to extract meaning
1. For Verbs & Conjugations, use a range of vocabulary and complex grammatical structures to access higher marks
2. Check verb tenses, agreements and word order carefully in your written work
3. In translation tasks, translate meaning rather than word-for-word
4. When writing about Verbs & Conjugations, include opinions and justifications, not just descriptions
5. For listening and reading, focus on key words and cognates to extract meaning
⚠️ Common Errors
✗ The present tense ending -t always means 'he'. ✓ The ending -t means 'he, she, or it' (third person singular). Latin does not distinguish gender in verb endings — context determines the subject.
✗ All verbs form the perfect tense by adding -v- to the stem. ✓ Some verbs add -v- (1st conjugation: laudavi), but others add -u- (2nd: habui), change the stem vowel (3rd: feci from facio), or use reduplication (tuli from fero). The third principal part must be memorised.
✗ The imperfect tense describes completed actions in the past. ✓ The imperfect describes ongoing, habitual, or incomplete actions in the past (I was praising, I used to praise). The perfect tense describes completed past actions (I praised).
✗ The infinitive is always formed by adding -re to the stem. ✓ While present active infinitives end in -re, the form varies by conjugation: 1st -are, 2nd -ere (long e), 3rd -ere (short e), 4th -ire. Perfect infinitives use -isse and passive infinitives use -i.
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
Explain how Latin verbs are conjugated, comparing the formation of the present, imperfect, and perfect tenses in the active voice. Use the verb laudo as your example. (6 marks)
Latin verbs change their endings (conjugate) to show person, number, tense, and voice. The verb laudo, laudare, laudavi, laudatus (I praise) belongs to the first conjugation, identified by the -are infinitive. The present tense is formed from the present stem (lauda-) plus personal endings: laudo (I praise), laudas (you praise), laudat (he/she/it praises), laudamus (we praise), laudatis (you pl. praise), laudant (they praise). It describes actions happening now or general truths. The imperfect tense is formed by inserting -ba- between the stem and personal endings: laudabam (I was praising), laudabas, laudabat, laudabamus, laudabatis, laudabant. It describes ongoing, habitual, or incomplete past actions (I was praising, I used to praise). The perfect tense uses the perfect stem (from the third principal part laudavi, stem laudav-) with special perfect endings: laudavi (I praised), laudavisti, laudavit, laudavimus, laudavistis, laudaverunt. It describes single completed actions in the past. The key difference is that present and imperfect share personal endings (except 1st singular), while the perfect has entirely different endings. The imperfect signals duration or habit, while the perfect signals completion.
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Analysis
AO1 (Knowledge & Understanding): Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of verbs & conjugations, including Latin language forms, literary techniques, and Roman cultural context.
AO2 (Analysis & Evaluation): Analyse and evaluate verbs & conjugations, identifying how language and style create meaning, and assessing the significance of themes, characterisation, and historical context.
AO3 (Application): Apply knowledge and understanding of verbs & conjugations to translate Latin texts accurately, analyse set text passages, and construct well-supported arguments using Latin evidence.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
- Edexcel Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Edexcel
- OCR Past Papers - Topic Questions -- OCR
- Eduqas Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Eduqas
🎬 Video Resources
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