Latin Tutorial: Tenses

Six tenses exist in Latin, similar to those in English: present, imperfect, future, perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect. Each tense has characteristic signs that distinguish it from the other tenses. The tenses in the present system (present, imperfect, and future) are formed from the present stem (found in the second principal part of the verb), while the tenses of the perfect system (perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect) are formed from the perfect stem (found in the third principal part of the verb). The perfect tense is also called "present perfect" and the pluperfect tense is also called "past perfect."

The Tenses

Present Tense
Imperfect Tense
Future Tense
Perfect Tense
Pluperfect Tense
Future Perfect Tense

Present Tense

o The present tense is formed by adding the personal endings (active: -m, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt; passive: -r, -ris, -tur, -mur, -mini, -ntur) directly onto the stem. The first person singular of the present tense is irregular in the active voice and ends in -o, but the first principal part of the verb gives this form. See the conjugations page for all the forms of each conjugation.

o Amo, amare, amavi, amatus, to love:

Indicative		Subjunctive
amo, I love	amor, I am loved	amem, may I love	amer, may I be loved
amas, you love	amaris, you are loved	ames, may you love	ameris, may you be loved
amat, s/he, it loves	amatur, s/he, it is loved	amet, may s/he, it love	ametur, may s/he, it be loved
amamus, we love	amamur, we are loved	amemus, may we love	amemur, may we be loved
amatis, you (pl.) love	amamini, you (pl.) are loved	ametis, may you (pl.) love	amemini, may you (pl.) be loved
amant, they love	amantur, they are loved	ament, may they love	amentur, may they be loved

o When used as the verb of a main clause, the present tense can signify either the specific present (right now) or the universal present (a general time span more or less coinciding with the present). Unlike English, Latin does not distinguish in form between the universal present (I do) and the specific present (I am doing, called "progressive" in English).

o Nunc curro. I am running now (specific/progressive present).

o Cotidie curro. I run every day (universal present).

o When used as the verb of a dependent clause, the present tense signifies time cotemporaneous with the verb of the main clause (happening at the same time).

o Dicebat nos mentiri. He said that we were lying.

o Dicit nos mentiri. He says that we are lying.

Imperfect Tense

o The imperfect tense is formed by taking the present stem and adding -ba- and the personal endings. See the conjugations page for all the forms of each conjugation.

o Amo, amare, amavi, amatus, to love:

Indicative		Subjunctive
amabam, I was loving	amabar, I was being loved	amarem, I was loving	amarer, I was being loved
amabas, you were loving	amabaris, you were being loved	amares, you were loving	amareris, you were being loved
amabat, s/he, it was loving	amabatur, s/he, it was being loved	amaret, s/he, it was loving	amaretur, s/he, it was being loved
amabamus, we were loving	amabamur, we were being loved	amaremus, we were loving	amaremur, we were being loved
amabatis, you (pl.) were loving	amabamini, you (pl.) were being loved	amaretis, you (pl.) were loving	amaremini, you (pl.) were being loved
amabant, they were loving	amabantur, they were being loved	amarent, they were loving	amarentur, they were being loved

o The imperfect is similar to the English past progressive (I was doing). It expresses an action that occurred at some time in the past and was of repetitive or indefinite length. It is an action that either did not or could not occur at one specific moment but rather stretches out across an expanse of time. The imperfect is the past tense equivalent of the universal present.

Future Tense

o In the first and second conjugations, the future is formed by adding -bi- and the personal endings. 1st singular is irregular (-bo) and 3rd plural is irregular (-bunt). In the third and fourth conjugations, the future is formed by adding -a- to the first singular or -e- to the other forms and then the personal endings. 3rd i-stem and 4th conjugations also add their usual -i-. See the conjugations page for all the forms of each conjugation.
N.B.: In the second person singular passive of all conjugations EXCEPT 4th, the -biris ending changes to -beris.

o Amo, amare, amavi, amatus, to love:

Indicative
amabo, I shall love	amabor, I shall be loved
amabis, you will love	amaberis, you will be loved
amabit, s/he, it will love	amabitur, s/he, it will be loved
amabimus, we shall love	amabimur, we shall be loved
amabitis, you (pl.) will love	amabimini, you (pl.) will be loved
amabunt, they will love	amabuntur, they are loved

o When used as the verb of a main clause, the future tense signifies either the specific/progessive future (I shall be doing) or the universal future (I shall do):
Curram eo tempore. I shall be running at that moment (specific/progressive).
Curram cotidie. I shall run every day (universal).

o When used as the verb of a dependent clause, the future tense signifies time subsequent to the main verb (time after):
Dicit porcum empturum esse. He says that he will buy the pig.
Dixit porcum empturum esse. He said that he would buy the pig.

(Present) Perfect Tense

o The perfect is formed from the perfect stem by adding -i, -isti, -it, -imus, -istis, -erunt. The personal endings are evident in the perfect endings. See the conjugations page for all the forms of each conjugation.

o Amo, amare, amavi, amatus, to love:

Indicative		Subjunctive
amavi, I have loved	amatus sum, I have been loved	amaverim, I have loved	amatus sim, I have been loved
amavisti, you have loved	amatus es, you have been loved	amaveris, you have loved	amatus sis, you have been loved
amavit, s/he, it has loved	amatus est, s/he, it has been loved	amaverit, s/he, it has loved	amatus sit, s/he, it has been loved
amavimus, we have loved	amati sumus, we have been loved	amaverimus, we have loved	amati simus, we have been loved
amavistis, you (pl.) have loved	amati estis, you (pl.) have been loved	amaveritis, you (pl.) have loved	amati sitis, you (pl.) have been loved
amaverunt, they have loved	amati sunt, they have been loved	amaverint, they have loved	amati sint, they have been loved

o When used as the verb of a main clause, the perfect tense signifies an act which began at some time in the past and now, at present, is finished. In this way, the perfect can have either a present (pure perfect) or a past (historical perfect) significance:
Epistulam scripsi. I have written the letter (pure perfect/present significance).
Epistulam scripsi. I wrote the letter (historical perfect/ past significance).

o The perfect can have a gnomic (opinion) sense in which it expresses something that has always been true and therefore always will be true:
Nemo repente fuit turpissimus. No one is suddenly ultra-depraved (no one was [ever] suddenly most depraved).

o When used as the main verb of a dependent clause, the perfect tense signifies time prior to the main verb:
Dico eum fugisse. I say that he fled.
Dixi eum fugisse. I said that he had fled.

Pluperfect Tense (Past Perfect)

o The pluperfect is formed by taking the perfect stem, adding -era- and the personal endings. See the conjugations page for all the forms of each conjugation.

o Amo, amare, amavi, amatus, to love:

Indicative		Subjunctive
amaveram, I had loved	amatus eram, I had been loved	amavissem, I had loved	amatus essem, I had been loved
amaveras, you had loved	amatus eras, you had been loved	amavisses, you had loved	amatus esses, you had been loved
amaverat, s/he, it had loved	amatus erat, s/he, it had been loved	amavisset, s/he, it had loved	amatus esset, s/he, it had been loved
amaveramus, we had loved	amati eramus, we had been loved	amavissemus, we had loved	amati essemus we had been loved
amaveratis, you (pl.) had loved	amati eratis, you (pl.) had been loved	amavissetis, you (pl.) had loved	amati essetis, you (pl.) had been loved
amaverant, they had loved	amati erant, they had been loved	amavissent, they had loved	amati essent, they had been loved

o The Latin pluperfect is identical to the English. It signifies an action that was begun and completed in the past.

o It can be an action just completed in the past:
Modo videramus Caesarem. We had just now seen Caesar.

o It can be an action long ago completed:
Mortuus erat decem annos ante. He had died ten years before.

o It can be a result in the past:
Caesar oppidum oppugnavit, atque cives portas clauserant. Caesar attacked the town, so the citizens had shut the gates.

Future Perfect

o The future perfect tense is formed by taking the perfect stem and adding -eri- and the personal endings. The 1st singular active is irregular and adds -ero instead. The future perfect tense is very similar to the perfect subjunctive, because they both indicate a completed action which has not yet come to pass and conveys a sense of uncertainty. See the conjugations page for all the forms of each conjugation.

o Amo, amare, amavi, amatus, to love:

Indicative
amavero, I shall have loved	amatus ero, I shall have been loved
amaveris, you will have loved	amatus eris, you will have been loved
amaverit, s/he, it will have loved	amatus erit, s/he, it will have been loved
amaverimus, we shall have loved	amati erimus, we shall have been loved
amaveritis, you (pl.) will have loved	amati eritis, you (pl.) will have been loved
amaverint, they will have loved	amati erunt, they will have been loved

o The future perfect has the same uses as the perfect, but moved into the future. The pure future perfect indicates an act that will be completed in the future. "I shall have done it." The historical future perfect expresses attainment. "I shall do it (once and for all)."