How to...

Translate a Latin Verb

First. Look at the ENDING...

if the ending is o or m the subject is I amo, sedebam, manebo, capiam, duxeram, monuero

if the ending is s the subject is you amas, sedebas, manebis, capies, duxeras, monueris

if the ending is t the subject is he, she, or it (usually a noun in the nominative singular) amat, sedebat, manebit, capiet, punivit, duxerat, monuerit

if the ending is mus the subject is we amamus, sedebamus, manebimus, capiemus, punivimus, duxeramus, monuerimus

if the ending is tis the subject is you (plural) amatis, sedebatis, manebitis, capietis, punivistis, duxeratis, monueritis

if the ending is nt the subject is they (usually a noun in the nominative plural) amant, sedebant, manebunt, capient, puniverunt, duxerant, monuerint

Next. Look at TENSE CLUES

an a, i, or u before the ending usually means present tense amat, dicit, ducunt, capiunt

an e before the ending can be present tense for 2nd conjugation or future tense for 3rd conjugation sedemus= present ducemus= future

a -ba- before the ending means inmperfect tense amabat, ducebamus, puniebatis

a -b-, -bi-, or -bubefore the ending means future tense amabo, sedebis, monebunt

an -ie- before the ending means future tense capiet, dormiemus

an -a- before -m means I will verb capiam, ducam

an i, isti, istis, erunt ending means perfect tense duxi, dormivisti, monuistis, puniverunt

the endings -it and -imus are either present (if the stem is present) or perfect (if the stem is perfect) perfect stems often end in u, s, x, or v ducit, ducimus= present duxit, duximus= perfect

the endings -eram, -eras, -erat, -eramus, -eratis, -erant mean pluperfect tense duxeramus

the endings -ero, -eris, -erit, -erimus, -eritis, -erint mean future perfect tense duxerimus

a -te ending means plural imperative amate!, sedete!, capite! an a or e ending means singular imperative ama!, sede!, cape! a noli or nolite + infinitive means negative imperative noli punire!, nolite punite!

How to... Translate the Tenses

Present Tense: dance/dances am/is/are dancing

Imperfect Tense: was/were dancing, danced

Future Tense: will dance

Perfect Tense: danced, have/has danced

Pluperfect Tense: had danced

Future Perfect Tense: will have danced