Present, Imperfect, and Perfect Tenses

English has a present tense

and a past tense.

Present Tense

She praises her mother.She is praising her mother.She does praise her mother.

Past Tense

She praised her mother.She was praising her mother.She did praise her mother.

Latin is better.

Latin has a present tense and TWO past tenses

Present Tensepuella matrem laudat.

The girl praises her mother.

The girl is praising her mother.

The girl does praise her mother.

Imperfect Tensepuella matrem laudābat.

The girl was praising her mother.

The girl used to praise her mother.

Perfect Tensepuella matrem laudāvit.

The girl praised her mother.

The girl did praise her mother.

The girl has praised her mother.

puella matrem laudābat. – Imperfect Tense

The girl was praising her mother.

puella matrem laudāvit. – Perfect Tense

The girl praised her mother.

What’s going on here?

laudābat means “she was praising”?

laudāvit means “she praised”?

So they both happened in the past?

NON INTELLEGO.

The imperfect tense is used for continuing or repeated action in the past.

The perfect tense is for single events completed in the past.

See the difference?

Oh, I get it now!puella matrem laudābat cotidie.

The girl was praising her mother daily.

puella matrem laudāvit heri. The girl praised her mother yesterday.

Cicero librum scribēbat.Cicero librum scripsit.

Cicero was writing a book.

Cicero wrote a book.

BENE!

OPTIME!

bonus discipulus es.

Present Tense

present stempersonal ending

Personal Endings of Verbs

• the last part of a verb form identifies the subject

• three persons• two numbers

Personal Endings of Verbs for the present tense

1st2nd3rd

1st2nd3rd

sing.sing.sing

pluralpluralplural

Iyouhe, she, it

weyou allthey

-ō/m-s-t

-mus-tis-nt

Present Tense

1st2nd3rd

1st2nd3rd

sing.sing.sing

pluralpluralplural

laudlaudālaudā

laudālaudālaudā

ōst

mustisnt

Imperfect Tense

present stemtense sign -BĀ- personal ending

Imperfect Tense

1st2nd3rd

1st2nd3rd

sing.sing.sing

pluralpluralplural

laudālaudālaudā

laudālaudālaudā

mst

mustisnt

babāba

bābāba

Perfect Tense

perfect stemperfect personal ending

How can I find the Perfect Stem?

from the 3rd principal part

1st principal part

laudōThis is the 1st singular

present tense.“I praise”

2nd principal part

laudāreThis is the present infinitive.

“to praise”present stem + re

3rd principal part

laudāvīThis is the perfect tense.

“I praised”perfect stem + perfect personal

ending

Perfect Tense Personal Endings

1st2nd3rd

1st2nd3rd

sing.sing.sing

pluralpluralplural

Iyouhe, she, it

weyou allthey

-ī-istī-it

-imus-istis-ērunt

Perfect Tense

1st2nd3rd

1st2nd3rd

sing.sing.sing

pluralpluralplural

laudāvlaudāvlaudāv

laudāvlaudāvlaudāv

īistīit

imusistisērunt

portō, portāre, portāvī

present

imperfect

perfect

portat

portābat

portāvit

ambulō, ambulāre, ambulāvī

present

imperfect

perfect

ambulat

ambulābat

ambulāvit

dicō, dicere, dixī

present

imperfect

perfect

dicit

dicēbat

dixit

regō, regere, rexī (rule)

present

imperfect

perfect

regit

regēbat

rexit

mittō, mittere, misī (send)

present

imperfect

perfect

mittit

mittēbat

misit

scribō, scribere, scripsī

present

imperfect

perfect

scribit

scribēbat

scripsit

moneō, monēre, monuī (warn)

present

imperfect

perfect

monet

monēbat

monuit

FINIS