Principal Part Patterns

For your vocabulary quizzes, you need to know principal parts for verbs. They arent as random as you think.

First Conjugation (-re) These verbs typically have the pattern -o, -re, -v, -tus, e.g., amo, amre, amv, amtus.

Watch out for words like do, dre, ded, dtus or sto, stre, stet, status, where the perfect is a repeated sound rather than the typical v.

Second Conjugation (-re) These verbs are less regular. Common patterns are:

1. -eo, -re, -u, -itus, e.g., moneo, monere, monui, monitus 2. -eo, -re, -s, -sus, e.g., maneo, manere, mansi, mansus (dont confuse these two words!) 3. -eo, -re, -ev, -etus, e.g., deleo, delere, delevi, deletus

Third Conjugation (-ere) These are the least regular verbs. Lets look at the different possibilities.

1. Verbs whose perfect is an -s-, or -x-: -o, -ere, -x/-s, -tus/-sus, e.g., duco, ducere, duxi, ductus or scribo, scribere, scripsi, scriptus

2. Verbs whose perfect is a long vowel: -o, -ere, -, -tus, e.g., emo, emere, mi, em(p)tus

3. Verbs whose perfect does not change from the present: -o, -ere, -, -tus, e.g., contendo, contendere, contendi, contentus

4. Third -io verbs -io, -ere, -, -tus, e.g., capio, capere, cpi, captus or facio, facere, fci, factus

Fourth Conjugation (-re) These verbs are also semi regular, with the pattern like -io, -re, -v, -itus, e.g., audio, audre, audv, auditus.

Irregulars 1. Compounds of eo, which often relate to going (eo, re, i (iv), itus, to go)

-eo, -re, -i (-iv), -itus 2. Compounds of fero, which often relate to carrying or bearing (fero, ferre, tul, latus, to carry)

-fero, -ferre, -tul, -latus 3. Compounds of sum, which often relate to being (sum, esse, fui, futurus, to be)

-sum, -esse, -fu, -futurus