Latin Principal Parts

• Most of our verbs have three principal parts

• 1st principal part- "I verb"

• 2nd principal part- "to verb"

• 2nd principal part- the infinitive

• 2nd principal part- used to form present and imperfect

• 3rd principal part- "I have verbed"

• 3rd principal part- used to form perfect and pluperfect tenses

Present Tense

• Actions happening now

• "I verb, I am verbing, I do verb"

• Formed off the present stem (2nd pp-re)

• Add the endings (*o, s, t, mus, tis, nt)

• 3rd, 3rd io, and 4th conjugation- watch out for vowel changes!

Imperfect Tense

• Ongoing past action

• "I was verbing, I began to verb, I used to verb"

• Formed off present stem (2nd pp-re)

• add bam, bās, bat, bāmus, bātis, bant

• 3rd io/4th conjugations- add "iē" before "bam, bas, bat, etc"

Perfect Tense

• Completed past action

• Translated "I verbed, I did verb, I have verbed"

• Formed off the perfect stem (3rd principal part - ī)

• Add perfect endings (ī, istī, it, imus, istis, ērunt)

• No vowel changes or exceptions

• Must know 3rd principal part (VSUX)

Pluperfect Tense

• Past action completed BEFORE another past action

• Translated "I had verbed"

• Formed off perfect stem (3rd principal part - ī)

• Add "eram, erās, erat, erāmus, erātis, erant)

• No vowel changes or exceptions

• Must know 3rd principal part (remember VSUX)