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Latin Verb Conjugation Study Guide (NLE Level II)

1. Verb Basics

• Latin verbs change based on:

  • Tense (time)

  • Mood (purpose)

  • Voice (active/passive)

  • Person

  • Number

Principal Parts of a Verb

• Most verbs follow this pattern:

  • porto, portare, portavi, portatus (to carry)

  • Each part gives you different forms:

    1. porto – 1st person singular, present active

    2. portare – present infinitive ("to carry")

    3. portavi – 1st person perfect ("I carried")

    4. portatus – perfect passive participle ("carried")

2. Indicative Mood (Regular Conjugations)

Present Tense

• (happening now)

  • porto – I carry

  • portas – you carry

  • portat – he/she/it carries

  • portamus – we carry

  • portatis – you (all) carry

  • portant – they carry

Imperfect Tense

• (was happening, used to happen)

  • portabam – I was carrying

  • portabas – you were carrying

  • portabat – he/she/it was carrying

  • portabamus – we were carrying

  • portabatis – you (all) were carrying

  • portabant – they were carrying

Future Tense

• (will happen)

  • portabo – I will carry

  • portabis – you will carry

  • portabit – he/she/it will carry

  • portabimus – we will carry

  • portabitis – you (all) will carry

  • portabunt – they will carry

Perfect Tense

• (completed action, past tense)

  • portavi – I carried

  • portavisti – you carried

  • portavit – he/she/it carried

  • portavimus – we carried

  • portavistis – you (all) carried

  • portaverunt – they carried

Pluperfect Tense

• (had happened before something else)

  • portaveram – I had carried

  • portaveras – you had carried

  • portaverat – he/she/it had carried

  • portaveramus – we had carried

  • portaveratis – you (all) had carried

  • portaverant – they had carried

Future Perfect Tense

• (will have happened)

  • portavero – I will have carried

  • portaveris – you will have carried

  • portaverit – he/she/it will have carried

  • portaverimus – we will have carried

  • portaveritis – you (all) will have carried

  • portaverint – they will have carried

3. Subjunctive Mood (Hypotheticals, Doubt, Wishes)

• Common clue words: cum (when), ut (so that), ne (lest, so that not)

Imperfect Subjunctive

• (might, would, could happen)

  • Take infinitive + endings

  • portarem, portares, portaret, portaremus, portaretis, portarent

  • Examples: "I might carry, you might carry…"

Pluperfect Subjunctive

• (might have happened, hypothetical past)

  • Take perfect stem + isse + endings

  • portavissem, portavisses, portavisset, portavissemus, portavissetis, portavissent

  • Examples: "I might have carried, you might have carried…"

4. Imperative Mood (Commands)

• Used to give direct orders

Singular Command (one person)

• porta! – Carry!

Plural Command (more than one person)

• portate! – Carry (you all)!

5. Participles (Verbal Adjectives)

• Participles are verb forms used as adjectives.

  • Present Active: portans – carrying

6. Infinitives (To + Verb Forms)

• Infinitives are verb forms that act as nouns.

7. Passive Voice (When Subject Receives the Action)

• For passive, change endings!

Present Passive

• (I am carried, you are carried...)

  • portor, portaris, portatur, portamur, portamini, portantur

Imperfect Passive

• (I was being carried...)

  • portabar, portabaris, portabatur, portabamur, portabamini, portabantur

Future Passive

• (I will be carried...)

  • portabor, portaberis, portabitur, portabimur, portabimini, portabuntur

Perfect Passive

• (I was carried, you were carried...)

  • Participle: portatus (having been carried)

Future Active

• (about to carry)

  • portaturus

Pluperfect Passive

• (I had been carried...)

  • portatus eram, portatus eras, portatus erat, portati eramus, portati eratis, portati erant

Future Perfect Passive

• (I will have been carried...)

  • portatus ero, portatus eris, portatus erit, portati erimus, portati eritis, portati erunt

Study Tips for Fastest Learning

• Step 1: Master Present, Imperfect, Perfect first. They are the most common on the NLE!

• Step 2: Use patterns. Notice how endings repeat across tenses.

• Step 3: Practice with common verbs. Start with porto, amo, mitto, duco, audio for all conjugations.

• Step 4: Say it aloud! Speaking and writing reinforce memory.

• Step 5: Use mnemonic tricks! "BA = Imperfect, V = Perfect, BO/BI = Future!"

💡 Now you're ready to ace Latin verb conjugations for the NLE! Need extra help on a specific section? 😊