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Verbs
A verb is the most complex element in a sentence.

In Latin, a verb alone is sufficient to make a sentence, while English standardly includes the subject noun ("I go," but cf. "Go!"). A Latin verb is marked by its subject noun: the two must reflect the same number (i.e., singular vs. plural) and person (e.g., I, you, they). A verb also reflects whether the subject noun is actively doing the action or passively suffering it (voice). A verb's tense is its most complex characteristic, and reflects not only when the action occurred, but also how (e.g., Was it finished? Is it ongoing?). A verb's fifth and final characteristic points to the attitude of the speaker: Is the speaker stating a fact or asking a question? Is the speaker making a wish or giving a command? Latin answers these questions with a verb's mood or "mode".

Person, Number, Tense, Voice, and Mood - - These are the five elements of a verb:

1. Person

Indicates subject noun, from the speaker's point of view. If the speaker is referring to himself or herself (pronouns "I", "we"), the verb will show first person endings; if the speaker is referring to someone spoken to ("you"), the verb will show second person endings; if the speaker is referring to someone or something spoken about ("he/she/it", "they"), the verb will show third person endings.

2. Number

Indicates whether the subject noun is a single person or thing (singular) or multiple (plural)

Verb charts graph person and number. English pronouns fill in this chart:

Singular                         Plural

1st Person___________________I_____________________________We____________________

2nd Person_________________You________________________You (Y'all)____________________

3rd Person_______________He/She/It _______________________They____________________

A separate verb chart like the one above can be used to display the unique endings that characterize any combination of these final three verb qualities:

3. Tense

Combines time relative to the speaker (Past, Present, Future) and aspect (Simple Aorist, Ongoing/Repeated Imperfect, Completed Perfect). This would naturally yield nine tenses (i.e. a Past Aorist, Present Aorist, Future Aorist; Past Imperfect, Present Imperfect, Future Imperfect; Past Perfect, Present Perfect, Future Perfect), but Latin in fact has only six. The Present, Future, and Perfect Tenses are ambiguous, and can each be translated with two combinations of time and aspect, as shown in the following chart:

Past                         Present                           Future

Aorist          ___________________Perfect Tense______________Present Tense_________________Future Tense

Imperfect  _______________Imperfect Tense_____________Present Tense_________________Future Tense

Perfect     ________________Pluperfect Tense_____________Perfect Tense_______________Future Perfect Tense

As you can see from the chart above, Latin makes no distinction between the Present and Future Aorists and Imperfects. It also generally makes no distinction between the Present Perfect and the Past Aorist. You may also notice that of the six tenses, only the "Future Perfect" has a helpfully descriptive name. The Imperfect tense, for example, would more properly be called the "Past Imperfect", since it is always a Past tense.

The following chart gives sample English translations to reflect the combinations of time and aspect:

Past                         Present                           Future

Aorist          ______________________I walked_____________________I walk______________________I shall walk

Imperfect  __________________I was walking_______________I am walking________________I shall be walking

Perfect     ___________________I had walked________________I have walked_______________I shall have walked

4. Voice

Intransitive verbs that show a state of being (e.g., "I am") are Active in voice. Transitive verbs that show the subject performing an action on a direct object (e.g., "I see you") are also Active in voice. Transitive verbs that show the subject receiving the action from an agent (e.g., "You are seen by me") are Passive in voice. 5. Mood

Mood can be thought of as reflecting the speaker's attitude to the reality of the action:

The Indicative mood is used for statements or questions of fact (reality). The Imperative mood is used for issuing commands (soon to be reality). The Subjunctive mood is used for wishes, unreal "if, then" clauses, potential, etc. (removed from reality).