Latin Verb Conjugation
Conjugate Latin verbs in the present, imperfect, and future.
Stem: reg- · present-system active indicative
| Person | Present | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| ego | regō | regēbam | regam |
| tū | regis | regēbās | regēs |
| is/ea/id | regit | regēbat | reget |
| nōs | regimus | regēbāmus | regēmus |
| vōs | regitis | regēbātis | regētis |
| eī/eae/ea | regunt | regēbant | regent |
Covers the present system (present, imperfect, future) in the active indicative. The perfect system uses a separate stem and is not generated here.
To conjugate a Latin verb in the present system, take the present stem from the infinitive, then add the personal ending for the tense and person. For amāre (1st conjugation), the stem am- plus the present ego ending gives amō (I love); the imperfect adds -bā-.
How conjugation works
Latin verbs fall into five conjugation patterns, set by the present infinitive: -āre (1st), -ēre (2nd), -ere (3rd and 3rd -iō), and -īre (4th). Drop the infinitive’s final three letters to get the bare stem, then add the personal ending for the tense and person. The present, imperfect, and future all build on this one present stem.
Present-tense endings by conjugation
For ego, tū, is/ea/id, nōs, vōs, eī. Endings attach to the bare stem (infinitive minus -re plus its vowel).
| Conjugation | Present endings |
|---|---|
| 1st (-āre) | ō · ās · at · āmus · ātis · ant |
| 2nd (-ēre) | eō · ēs · et · ēmus · ētis · ent |
| 3rd (-ere) | ō · is · it · imus · itis · unt |
| 3rd -iō | iō · is · it · imus · itis · iunt |
| 4th (-īre) | iō · īs · it · īmus · ītis · iunt |
Imperfect and future markers
The imperfect adds -bā-; the future uses -bi- (1st/2nd) or shifts to -am, -ēs (3rd/4th).
| Conjugation | Imperfect (1sg) | Future (1sg / 2sg) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -ābam | -ābō / -ābis |
| 2nd | -ēbam | -ēbō / -ēbis |
| 3rd | -ēbam | -am / -ēs |
| 3rd -iō | -iēbam | -iam / -iēs |
| 4th | -iēbam | -iam / -iēs |
Worked example: amāre (to love, 1st conjugation)
Drop -āre and re-add the stem vowel: the bare stem the endings attach to is am-.
- 1 Present. am + ō/ās/at/āmus/ātis/ant → amō, amās, amat, amāmus, amātis, amant.
- 2 Imperfect. am + ābam/ābās/ābat/ābāmus/ābātis/ābant → amābam, amābās, amābat, amābāmus, amābātis, amābant.
- 3 Future. am + ābō/ābis/ābit/ābimus/ābitis/ābunt → amābō, amābis, amābit, amābimus, amābitis, amābunt.
Where the rules break down
The -ere ambiguity. The infinitive ending -ere is shared by the 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd -iō patterns, which take different endings (monēre vs regere vs capere). That is why you select the conjugation explicitly — the ending alone cannot disambiguate them.
The 3rd-conjugation future. Unlike 1st and 2nd, the 3rd and 4th conjugations drop the -bi- future and instead shift to -am, -ēs, -et (regam, regēs, reg-et), which is easy to mistake for a present subjunctive.
What is not covered. The perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect use a separate perfect stem (the third principal part) that cannot be derived from the infinitive. Passive and subjunctive forms use different endings and are not shown.
Latin nouns carry their grammar in the ending too — work through them with the Latin declension tool, or review the Greek alphabet alongside your reading.