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Latin reference
Latin Conjugations Chart
A paradigm reference for the four verb families: principal parts, present active endings, and the conjugation cues students use to build forms.
Verb map
Conjugation families
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd -io, and 4th
Present active endings
the shared person-number pattern
Principal parts
the source for every verb form
Paradigm chart, not tense theory
This page focuses on how Latin verb families form their paradigms: conjugation labels, principal parts, stems, and present active endings. For what each tense means in English and when to translate it as present, was doing, will do, did, had done, or will have done, use the guide below.
Latin Verb Tenses guidePrincipal Parts — your starting point
Every Latin verb has four principal parts. Memorizing them gives you every other form of the verb. Example: amo, amare, amavi, amatum.
- 1st: Present active indicative 1st person singular (“I love”) — shows the conjugation vowel pattern.
- 2nd: Present active infinitive (“to love”) — tells you which conjugation the verb belongs to.
- 3rd: Perfect active indicative 1st person singular (“I loved”) — gives you the perfect stem for all perfect-system forms.
- 4th: Perfect passive participle (“having been loved”) — gives you the supine stem for passive-system and participle forms.
First Conjugation — Infinitive -are
Principal parts: amo, amare, amavi, amatum (to love)
Present stem: am-
Key patterns
- By far the largest conjugation. Most Latin verbs are first conjugation.
- Characteristic vowel: long A. You'll see it in forms like amamus (we love) and amabamus (we were loving).
- Very regular — if you know the pattern for one first-conjugation verb, you know it for all of them.
- Common examples: amare (to love), laudare (to praise), portare (to carry), vocare (to call), stare (to stand).
Second Conjugation — Infinitive -ere (long e)
Principal parts: moneo, monere, monui, monitum (to warn)
Present stem: mon-
Key patterns
- Characteristic vowel: long E. The infinitive ends in -ere with a LONG e (distinguishing it from third conjugation's short e).
- Most second-conjugation verbs deal with states or ideas: monere (to warn), videre (to see), habere (to have), timere (to fear), manere (to remain).
- The present stem ends in -e which stays through most forms. You'll see it as monemus (we warn), not monaimus.
- Generally regular but perfect forms can vary (monui, vidi, habui).
Third Conjugation — Infinitive -ere (short e)
Principal parts: rego, regere, rexi, rectum (to rule)
Present stem: reg-
Key patterns
- Characteristic: the short stem vowel shifts between -e-, -i-, and -u- depending on the form.
- The infinitive looks like second conjugation but the short e is the tell — and the present 'I' form ends in -o not -eo.
- Third conjugation is where verbs get irregular. Perfect stems are often quite different from present stems.
- Examples: regere (to rule), ducere (to lead), mittere (to send), scribere (to write), dicere (to say).
Third Conjugation -io Verbs
Principal parts: capio, capere, cepi, captum (to take, seize)
Present stem: cap-
Key patterns
- A small hybrid group. They look like 3rd-conjugation verbs by the infinitive (-ere short e) but behave like 4th conjugation in some forms.
- First person singular present ends in -io (capio), and 3rd person plural present ends in -iunt (capiunt).
- Henle Latin and Memoria Press both treat this as a special case you memorize.
- Examples: capere (to take), facere (to make/do), fugere (to flee), iacere (to throw), rapere (to seize).
Fourth Conjugation — Infinitive -ire
Principal parts: audio, audire, audivi, auditum (to hear)
Present stem: aud-
Key patterns
- Characteristic vowel: long I. You'll see it everywhere — audimus (we hear), audiebamus (we were hearing).
- The first person singular present ends in -io (audio) because of the connecting i.
- Very regular once you understand the vowel pattern.
- Examples: audire (to hear), venire (to come), scire (to know), dormire (to sleep), sentire (to feel).
Present Tense Endings by Conjugation
The same 6 person-number slots across all 4 conjugations. Notice how 1st uses -a-, 2nd uses -e-, and 3rd/4th use mixed short vowels.
| Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd -io | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg (I) | -o | -eo | -o | -io | -io |
| 2nd sg (you) | -as | -es | -is | -is | -is |
| 3rd sg (he/she/it) | -at | -et | -it | -it | -it |
| 1st pl (we) | -amus | -emus | -imus | -imus | -imus |
| 2nd pl (you all) | -atis | -etis | -itis | -itis | -itis |
| 3rd pl (they) | -ant | -ent | -unt | -iunt | -iunt |
Practice these conjugations
Use the chart as the map, then practice recalling the forms before the answer is visible. That is where the endings start to stick.
Want to see these verbs in action? Walk into the Hall of Echoes →