Perfect Tense
We’ve already learned the present and the future tenses.
The present tense refers to what is happening CURRENTLY, and uses the first principal part for the first person singular and the second principal part to form the stem for the rest.
The future tense refers to something that WILL happen, and uses the second principal part to form its stem.
e.g. “We are fighting” or “pugnamus” is present tense. “We will fight” or “pugnabimus” is future tense.
Perfect Tense
The PERFECT TENSE refers to a single event that happened in the PAST.
exempli gratia
We have looked at the road.The teacher taught the girls.Did the Romans fight in Gaul?
Perfect Tense
In Latin, the PERFECT TENSE uses the THIRD PRINCIPAL PART to form its stem.
exempli gratia
The perfect stem for specto, spectare, spectavi, spectatus is spectav-.
The –i is the first person singular ending in the perfect tense and is removed to create the stem.
Perfect Tense
The PERFECT TENSE also has its own set of ENDINGS.
Singular Plural1st Person -i -imus2nd Person -isti -istis3rd Person -it -erunt
Perfect Stem
To CONJUGATE a word in the perfect tense, use the perfect stem (from the third principal part), take off the –i, and add the endings.
exempli gratiaConjugate augeo, augere, auxi, auctus in the perfect tense:
Singular Plural1st Person aux-i aux-imus2nd Person aux-isti aux-istis3rd Person aux-it aux-erunt
Perfect Stem
There are three possible ways to translate the perfect tense.
Singular Plural
1st Person
portav-i = I carried, I have carried, I did carry
portav-imus = we carried, we have carried, we did carry
2nd Person
portav-isti = you carried, you have carried, you did carry
portav-istis = y’all carried, y’all have carried, y’all did carry
3rd Person
portav-it = he carried, she has carried, it did carry
portav-erunt = they carried, they have carried, they did carry
Perfect Tense
Conjugate the following verbs in the perfect tense on a separate sheet of paper.
laboro, laborare, laboravi, laboratusmereo, merere, merui, meritushabeo, habere, habui, habitus
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