Verba
Verbs: (verbum; word) shows the action or state of being of the
subject.
PERSONA: [1st, 2nd, 3rd] Person denotes who the subject
of the verb is.
- 1st Person: gives the perspective of a single person.
- 2nd Person: used for one person to refer/speak directly to another
about themselves (the second person.)
- 3rd Person: used for one person (the first person) to tell to another
(the second person) about a third person.
NUMERUS: [singularis, pluralis] Number denotes whether the subject
is one person or thing (singular) or more than one (plural).
- --->Nota Bene: The persona and numerus of a verb MUST agree
with its subject. A verb which can be translated with a given one of the
following personal pronouns MUST have the same persona et numerus.
| Persona / Numerus |
Singularis |
Pluralis |
| 1st |
I |
We |
| 2nd |
You (singular) |
You (plural) |
| 3rd |
He, She, It (name of 1 person) |
They (2+ names, or plural names) |
TEMPUS: [plusperfectum, perfectum, imperfectum, praesens, futurum,
futurum exactum] The tense tells when the action takes place.
- FUTURE: [marker: will do, shall do]
- PRESENT: [marker: am doing, do]
- IMPERFECT: [marker: was doing]
- PERFECT: [marker: did, have done]
- PLUPERFECT: [marker: had done]
- FUTURE-PERFECT: [marker: shall have done]
VOX: [Activa, Passiva] The voice denotes whether the subject is
doing the action (active) or having the action happen to "him"
(passive). A few verbs have passive endings but are active in meaning, i.e.
Deponent.
- TRANSITIVE ACTIVE VERBS: demonstrate the action of the subject by takeing
an object in the accusative or occassionally other cases. e.g. Marcus Quintum
pulsat. The verb "pulsat" transfers its action onto the object
"Quintum."
- INTRANSITIVE ACTIVE VERBS: (state of being verbs) take no object, but
rather allow the subject to be described in the predicate. e.g. Marcus
stultus est. "Stultus" is predicate nominative to "Marcus."
- PASSIVE VERBS: relate what the subject endures (patior, pati, passum
esse)
--->Nota Bene: No forms with active endings exist for deponent verbs,
nor do forms passive in meaning.
MODUS: [indicativus, imperativus, subiunctivus] The mood denotes
what the function of the verb is.
- Indicativus: (in + dicere; to say about) Indicates real events
and facts, a "normal" verb.
- Imperativus: (imperare) Gives a direct command to a person.
All imperative verbs are in the 2nd person.
- Subiunctivus: (sub + iungere; to join under) Found in certain
subordinated clauses and used when speaking of potential, conditional,
ideal, or "unreal" events.
Conjugations: (cum + iungere; to join together)
There are four ways that verbs can be joined together with the endings which
signify their person, number, tense, voice, and mood. Verbs from all four
conjugations function grammatically in precisely the same manner with respect
to these five factors. The only differences between the conjugations are
morphological; i.e. differences in precise spelling. Entries in a lexicon
give the 1st person , singular, present, active, indicative and the present,
active, infinitive forms thus (note the form of the infinitive):
| 1st Conjugation |
amo |
amare |
| 2nd Conjugation |
habeo |
habere |
| 3rd Conjugation |
veho |
vehere |
| 4th Conjugation |
audio |
audire |
Verbs are conjugated according to the following two categories: