The Latin tenses at a glance
In short
Latin has six tenses. Present, imperfect and future are formed from the present stem, perfect, pluperfect and future perfect active from the perfect stem. Most tenses have a marker, for example -ba- in the imperfect (laudabam) or -era- in the pluperfect (laudaveram); the present and the perfect have none. In translation, the narrative perfect usually becomes the English simple past.
The six tenses of one verb
| Tense | Stem and marker | laudare (to praise), 3rd sg. | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | present stem | laudat | he praises |
| Imperfect | present stem + -ba- (3rd, 3rd -io, 4th conj.: -eba-) | laudabat | he was praising / he praised |
| Future | present stem + -b- (1st/2nd conj.) or -e- (3rd, 3rd -io, 4th) | laudabit | he will praise |
| Perfect | perfect stem | laudavit | he has praised / he praised |
| Pluperfect | perfect stem + -era- | laudaverat | he had praised |
| Future perfect | perfect stem + -eri- (1st sg. -ero) | laudaverit | he will have praised |
In the future the conjugations differ: laudabo, monebo, but audiam, ducam, capiam – with -a- in the 1st person singular and -e- in the others (duces, ducet).
Passive
In the tenses of the present system the passive has its own endings (laudatur – he is praised). In the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect it is formed from the perfect passive participle and a form of esse:
- Perfect: laudatus est – he has been praised
- Pluperfect: laudatus erat – he had been praised
- Future perfect: laudatus erit – he will have been praised
When to use which tense
- Imperfect: duration, repetition, the background of a story – “he used to praise”.
- Perfect: a completed action; the main tense of narrative, in English usually the simple past.
- Pluperfect: something that happened before a point in the past.
- Future perfect: something that will already be completed in the future; English often uses the present or present perfect instead: Si veneris, gaudebo. – If you come, I will be glad.
In subordinate clauses the subjunctives (present, imperfect, perfect, pluperfect) follow the sequence of tenses, the consecutio temporum. The app shows all forms of every verb in its grammar section (“Grammatik”). The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.
Try it
A real exercise from Disce ludens:
Disce ludens I · Lesson 17 · Conjugation exercises, card 2
venire (4th conjugation) – to come: form “they come”.
Error points: 0
© Disce ludensWhat Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t
What Disce ludens does
- Practises all tenses in active and passive, in the indicative and subjunctive.
- Shows the forms of every verb from Disce ludens in tables.
- Identifies forms you type in, such as audiverat.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not practise spoken Latin.
- Does not explain things in conversation.
- Does not cover rare special forms completely.
Frequently asked questions
How many tenses are there in Latin?
Six: present, imperfect, future, perfect, pluperfect and future perfect.
How do I recognise the imperfect?
By the marker -ba- before the ending, -eba- in the 3rd, 3rd -io and 4th conjugations: laudabam, monebas, audiebat.
How do you translate the Latin perfect?
In narrative usually with the English simple past (he praised), otherwise with the present perfect (he has praised).