Color Coded Latin: A Teaching Method
by Kathleen Canning
© 2011
Download "Color Coded" Latin Teaching Method
- Preface
- Color Chart
- First Declension
- Second Declension
- Third Declension
- Fourth Declension
- Fifth Declension
- First Conjugation
- Second Conjugation
- Third Conjugation
- Fourth Conjugation
- Irregular Verbs
- Latin Sentences Using Declensions and Conjugations
- The Genitive Case
- The Dative Case
- Prepositional Phrases
- Pronouns
- Interrogative Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Subjunctive ARE Verbs
- Subjunctive Long ERE 2nd Conjugation Verbs
- Subjunctive ERE 3rd Conjugation Verbs
- Subjunctive I-Stem 3rd Conjugation Verbs
- Subjunctive IRE 4th Conjugation Verbs
Verbs
Regular Latin verbs:
Much like Latin nouns fall into declensions, regular Latin verbs are classified by conjugation.
There are 4 standard conjugations. Just as we used the genitive singular of a noun to identify its declension, we use infinitive forms to identify the conjugations. Latin third declension nouns had a section of the third declension for I-Stem nouns and Latin verbs of the 3rd conjugation have a section for I -Stem verbs (IO). Like nouns you will look at the endings of verbs to determine person and number and sometimes tense. Like a noun has a base, a verb has a stem. New endings are added to stems. The stems for the present, imperfect and future will be different from the stems for the 3 perfect tenses but we will employ the same process of drop something and add something.
This verb section will use different colors for each conjugation. Within the conjugation the color of the stem will direct the reader to the correct tenses both in the active and the passive voice. We will not study Passive Voice until the Active Voice is completed.
Verb sharing: This will be set up so that you can use a verb like the verb to be in a few different ways. For example the verb SUM (to be) is irregular, but we can learn to use it to form the perfect passive tenses and again to master the verb POSSUM (to be able). The same will hold true for (tense) translations. We will recycle and reuse whenever possible to keep learning compact.
There are 4 principal parts to almost every verb: Memorize these.
| 1. The 1st person singular | = (pronoun I) | AMO |
| 2. The Infinitive | (to + a verb) (re) is the clue | AMARE |
| 3. Perfect Active Stem | Used to form the perfect active tenses | AMAVI |
| 4. Supine | Used to form the perfect passive tenses | AMATUS |
ARE VERBS signal the 1st conjugation. Drop RE to find the stem.
| 1. AMO | I LOVE | ||
| 2. AMARE | TO LOVE | (TENSES 1-2-3) Active & Passive | DROP (RE )AND ADD ENDINGS |
| 3. AMAVI | I HAVE LOVED | TENSES 4-5-6-)Active | DROP ( I )AND ADD ENDINGS |
| 4. AMATUS-SUM | I HAVE BEEN LOVED | (TENSES 4-5-6) P. | USE WITH THE 1ST THREE TENSES OF (TO BE) |
Note: ARE verbs are the easiest because most of the principal parts end with:
- O
- ARE
- AVI
- ATUS-A-UM
Verb Chart for 1st conjugation ARE and 2nd conjugation ERE verbs in tenses 1-6 Active:
| I | O | BAM | BO | I | ERAM | ERO | (AMA) |
| You | S | BAS | BIS | ISTI | ERAS | ERIS | |
| He, she, it | T | BAT | BIT | IT | ERAT | ERIT | |
| We | MUS | BAMUS | BIMUS | IMUS | ERAMUS | ERIMUS | (AMAV) |
| You | TIS | BATIS | BITIS | ISTIS | ERATIS | ERITIS | |
| They | NT | BANT | BUNT | ERUNT | ERANT | ERINT | |
| Tenses | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
1) = the present tense. Drop the (re) of the infinitive and add endings for tense (1). o-s-t-mus-tis-nt
2) I= the imperfect. Drop (re) of the infinitive and add endings for tense (2). bam-bas-bat-bamus-batis-bant
3) = the future. Drop (re) of the infinitive and add the endings for tense (3). bo-bis-bit-bimus-bitis-bunt
4) I =the perfect. Drop (i) of the 3rd principal part and add endings for tense (4). i-isti-it-ims-istis-ernt
5) = the pluperfect. (Drop (i) of the 3rd principal part and add endings for (5) eram-eras-erat-eramus-eratis-erant
6) = the future perfect. Drop (i) of the 3rd principal part and add endings for (6) ero-eris-erit-erimus-eritis-erint
| 1 | do /is-am-are + (ing) / | I love | I do love | I am loving |
| 2 | did/used to /did/ed | I loved | I did love | I used to love |
| 3 | shall/will | I shall/will love | ||
| 4 | have/has/did/ed | I loved | I did love | I have loved |
| 5 | had | I had loved | ||
| 6 | will have | I shall/will have loved | ||
Attributes of a Verb:
- Person
1 2 3 Singular = I you he, she, it 1 2 3 Plural = we you they Helpful Hints:
I + anything = we
You + anything (other than I ) = you pl.
3s. & 3pl. will be used if the subject is a noun or a third person pronoun. But remember even a noun + I = we, and a noun + you = you plural.
- Tense
Think of tense as TIME. When did the action occur?
Now = present
Future = future & Future perfect..
Everything else is one of the past tenses.
- Mood
Indicative (statements and questions) / Imperative (commands)!
Subjunctive (wishful thinking, doubt etc) I wish I may, I wish I might.....
- Voice
Active or Passive In active voice the subject is the doer of the action. In passive voice the subject receives the action. Passive Shortcut: = verb to be, past participle, you can say (by).
Sample of each Voice:
He called the policeman. ACTIVE Who called? He = (doer of the action) / subject.
He was wanted by the police. PASSIVE
[ By the police] is a great shortcut for recognizing Passive Voice.
Plus there is the verb (to be) was - and there is past participle (wanted).
- Number
Singular or Plural = (one or more than one. ) Remember that many collective nouns take a singular verb. Populus Romanus
Some 1st conjugation verbs in tenses 1-3:
| He praises | laudat | They love | amant | We seize | occupamus |
| He praised | laudabat | They did love | amabant | We used to seize | occupabamus |
| He will praise | laudabit | They will loveamabunt | We will seize | occupabimus |
Shortcut: o to a add endings ! Rule: Drop the {re }of the 2nd principal partamare stem = ama + endings
| amo | amare | amavi | amatus-a-um |
| laudo | laudare | laudavi | laudatus-a-um |
| occupo | occupare | occupavi | occupatus-a-um |
Some 1st conjugation verbs in tenses 4-6:
| He has praised | laudavit | They have loved | amaverunt | We have seized | occupavimus |
| He had praised | laudaverat | They had loved | amaverant | We had seized | occupaveramus |
| He will have praised | laudaverit | They will have loved | amaverint | We will have seized | occupaverimus |
The Verb GIVE: Irregular principal part (but the same format)
- DO
- DARE
- DEDI*
- DATUS-A-UM
| DO | DAMUS | I give | we give |
| DABAM | DABAMUS | I gave | we gave |
| DABO | DABIMUS | I will give | we will give |
| DEDI | DEDIMUS | I have given | we have given |
| DEDERAM | DEDERAMUS | I had given | we had given |
| DEDERO | DEDERIMUS | I will have given | we will have given |
Good News !! The second conjugation will be almost the same and nearly as easy.
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