806. (2.) Many verbs have only the present system; such are:
807. (a.) sum, am (745); ferō, carry (780); fīō, grow, become (788).
808. (b.) Some verbs in -ere: angō, throttle, bītō, go, clangō, sound, claudō or claudeō, hobble, fatīscō, gape, glīscō, wax, glūbō, peel, hīscō, gape, temnō, scorn, vādō, go, vergō, slope. Also many inceptives (834): as, dītēscō, get rich, dulcēscō, get sweet, &c., &c.
809. (c.) Some verbs in -ēre: albeō, am white, aveō, long, calveō, am bald, cāneō, am gray, clueō, am called, hight, flāveō, am yellow, hebeō, am blunt, immineō, threaten, lacteō, suck, līveō, look dark, maereō, mourn, polleō, am strong, renīdeō, am radiant, squāleō, am scaly, ūmeō, am wet.
810. (d.) Some verbs in -īre: balbūtiō, sputter, feriō, strike, ganniō, yelp, ineptiō, am a fool, superbiō, am stuck up, tussiō, cough. Also most desideratives (375).
811. Many verbs are not attended by a perfect participle, and lack in consequence the perfect passive system, or, if deponent, the perfect active system.
812. (3.) Some verbs have only the perfect system: so particularly coepī, have begun, began (120); and with a present meaning, ōdī, have come to hate, hate; and meminī, have called to mind, remember. The following is a synopsis of these three verbs:
| INDICATIVE MOOD. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active. | Passive. | Active. | Active. | |
| Perf. | coepī | coeptus sum | ōdī |
meminī |
| Plup. | coeperam | coeptus eram | ōderam | memineram |
| F. P. | coeperō | coeptus erō | ōderō | meminerō |
| SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. | ||||
| Perf. | coeperim | coeptus sim | ōderim | meminerim |
| Plup. | coepissem | coeptus essem | ōdissem | meminissem |
| IMPERATIVE MOOD. | ||||
| Perf. | —— | —— | —— | mementō, mementōte |
| INFINITIVE. | ||||
| Perf. | coepisse | coeptus esse | ōdisse | meminisse |
| PARTICIPLES. | ||||
| Perf. | coeptus | —— | —— | |
| Fut. | coeptūrus | ōsūrus | —— | |
813. A few forms of the present system of coepī occur in old writers: as, coepiō (Plaut.), coepiam (Caec., Cato), coepiat (Plaut.), coeperet (Ter.), and coepere (Plaut.); perfect once coēpit (Lucr.). ōsus sum or fuī (Plaut., C. Gracch., Gell.), exōsus sum (Verg., Sen., Curt., Gell.), and perōsus sum (Suet., Col., Quint.), are sometimes used as deponents. meminī is the only verb which has a perfect imperative active. ōdī and meminī have no passive.
814. coeptūrus is rather rare and late (Liv. 2, Plin., Suet.), once as future infinitive (Quint.); and ōsūrus is very rare (Cic., Gell.). exōsus and perōsus, as active participles, hating bitterly, are not uncommon in writers of the empire; the simple ōsus is not used as a participle.
815. (4.) Impersonal verbs have usually only the third person singular, and the infinitive present and perfect: as,
(a.) pluit, it rains, tonat, it thunders, and other verbs denoting the operations of nature. (b.) Also a few verbs in -ēre denoting feeling: as, miseret (or miserētur, miserēscit), it distresses, miseritum est; paenitet, it repents, paenituit; piget, it grieves, piguit or pigitum est; pudet, it shames, puduit or puditum est; taedet, it is a bore, taesum est.
816. Some other verbs, less correctly called impersonal, with an infinitive or a sentence as subject, are likewise defective: as,
lubet or libet, it suits, lubitum or libitum est, lubuit or libuit; licet, it is allowed, licuit or licitum est; oportet, it is proper, oportuit; rē fert or rēfert, it concerns, rē ferre or rēferre, rē tulit or rētulit. For the impersonal use of the third person singular passive, as pugnātur, there is fighting, pugnandum est, there must be fighting, see 724.
817. Of the impersonals in -ēre, some have other forms besides the third person singular and the infinitives: as,
paenitēns, repenting, paenitendus, to be regretted, late; pigendus, irksome; pudēns, modest, pudendus, shameful, puditūrum, going to shame; lubēns or libēns, with willing mind, gladly, very common indeed; imperative LICETO, be it allowed (inscrr. 133-111 B.C.), licēns, unrestrained, licitus, allowable; gerunds pudendum, pudendō, pigendum.
818. (1.) Some verbs have more than one form of the present stem: thus,
819. (a.) Verbs in -ere have rarely forms of verbs in -ēre in the present system: as, abnueō, nod no, abnuēbunt (Enn.), for abnuō, abnuent; congruēre, to agree (Ter.), for congruere. For verbs in -iō, -ere (or -ior, -ī), with forms of verbs in -īre (or -īrī), see 791. Once pīnsībant (Enn.).
820. (b.) Some verbs in -āre have occasionally a present stem like verbs in -ere: as, lavis, washest, lavit, &c., for lavās, lavat, &c.; sonit, sounds, sonunt, for sonat, sonant. Others have occasionally a present stem like verbs in -ēre: as, dēnseō, thicken, dēnsērī, for dēnsō, dēnsārī.
821. (c.) Some verbs in -ēre have occasionally a present stem like verbs in -ere: as, fervit, boils, fervont, for fervet, fervent. See also fulgeō, oleō, scateō, strīdeō, tergeō, tueor in the dictionary. cieō, set a going, sometimes has a present stem in -īre, particularly in compounds: as, cīmus, ciunt, for ciēmus, cient.
822. (d.) Some verbs in -īre have occasionally a present stem like verbs in -ere: as, ēvenunt, turn out, for ēveniunt; ēvenat, ēvenant, for ēveniat, ēveniant, and advenat, pervenat, for adveniat, perveniat (Plaut.).
823. (2.) Some verbs have more than one form of the perfect stem: as,
eō, go, old īī (765), common iī, rarely īvī (767); pluit, it rains, pluit, sometimes plūvit. See also pangō, parcō, clepō, vollō or vellō, intellegō, pōnō, nectō, and adnectō, saliō and īnsiliō, applicō, explicō and implicō, dīmicō and necō in the dictionary. Some compound verbs have a form of the perfect which is different from that of the simple verb: as, canō, make music, cecinī, concinuī, occinuī; pungō, punch, pupugī, compunxī, expunxī; legō, pick up, lēgī, dīlēxī, intellēxī, neglēxī; emō, take, buy, ēmī (adēmī, exēmī), cōmpsī, dēmpsī, prōmpsī, sūmpsī.
824. The final vowel of a tense stem is said to be variable when it is -o- in some of the forms, and -u-, -e-, or -i- in others.
825. The sign for the variable vowel is -o|e-: thus, rego|e-, which may be read ‘rego- or rege-,’ represents rego- or regu-, rege- or regi-, as seen in rego-r or regu-nt, rege-re or regi-t.
826. The variable vowel occurs in the present of verbs in -ere, except in the subjunctive, in the future in -bō or -bor, and in the future perfect, as may be seen in the paradigms. It is usually short; but in the active, o is long: as, regō, laudābō, laudāverō; and poets rarely lengthen i in the second and third person singular of the present. For the future perfect, see 882.
827. In old Latin, the stem vowel of the third person plural of the present was o: as, COSENTIONT; o was long retained after v, u, or qu (107, c): as, vīvont, ruont, sequontur; or, if o was not retained, qu became c: as, secuntur.
I. Primitives.
(A.) ROOT VERBS.
828. A root without addition is used as the present stem, in the present tense or parts of the present tense, in root verbs (744-781): as,
es-t, is; da-t, gives; inqui-t, quoth he; i-t, goes; nequi-t, can’t; ēs-t, eats; vol-t, will; fer-t, carries. With reduplicated root (189): bibi-t, drinks; seri-t, sows; sisti-t, sets.
(B.) VERBS IN -ere.
829. (1.) The present stem of many verbs in -ere is formed by adding a variable vowel -o|e-, which appears in the first person singular active as -ō, to a root ending in a consonant or in two consonants: as,
| Present Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| rego|e- | regō, guide | reg- |
| verto|e- | vertō, turn | vert- |
Other examples are: tegō, cover, petō, make for; mergō, dip, serpō, creep; pendō, weigh; dīcō, say, fīdō, trust, scrībō, write, with long ī for ei (98); dūcō, lead, with long ū for eu, ou (100); lūdō, play, with long ū for oi, oe (99); laedō, hit, claudō, shut; rādō, scrape, cēdō, move along, fīgō, fix, rōdō, gnaw, glūbō, peel. *furō, rave; agō, drive, alō, nurture. gignō, beget, (gen-, gn-), has reduplication, and sīdō, settle, light (sed-, sd-), is also the result of an ancient reduplication (189).
830. In some present stems an original consonant has been modified: as, gerō, carry (ges-), ūrō, burn (154); trahō, draw (tragh-), vehō, cart (152); or has disappeared: as, fluō, flow (flūgu-).
831. Some roots in a mute have a nasal before the mute in the present stem: as, frangō, break (frag-). Other examples are: iungō, join, linquō, leave, pangō, fix, pingō, paint; findō, cleave, fundō, pour; -cumbō, lie, lambō, lick, rumpō, break (164, 3). The nasal sometimes runs over into the perfect or perfect participle, or both.
832. (2.) The present stem of many verbs in -ere is formed by adding a suffix ending in a variable vowel -o|e-, which appears in the first person singular active as -ō, to a root: thus, -nō, -scō, -tō, -iō: as,
| Present Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| lino|e- | linō, besmear | li- |
| crēsco|e- | crēscō, grow | crē- |
| pecto|e- | pectō, comb | pec- |
| capio|e- | capiō, take | cap- |
833. (a.) -nō is added to roots in a vowel, or in a continuous sound, -m-, -r-, or -l-.
So regularly linō, besmear, sinō, let; temnō, scorn, cernō, sift, spernō, spurn, only. The third persons plural danunt (Naev., Plaut.) for dant, prōdīnunt, redīnunt (Enn.) for prōdeunt, redeunt hardly belong here; their formation is obscure. In a few verbs, -n is assimilated (166, 6): as, tollō, lift. Sometimes the doubled l runs into the perfect (855): as, vellī, fefellī. minuō, lessen, and sternuō, sneeze, have a longer suffix -nuo|e-.
834. (b.) -scō, usually meaning ‘begin to,’ forms presents called Inceptives or Inchoatives.
-scō is attached: first, to roots: as, nāscor, am born, nōscō, learn, pāscō, feed, scīscō, resolve; consonant roots have ī, less commonly ē, before the suffix: as, tremīscō or tremēscō, fall a-trembling, nancīscor, get (831); but discō, learn (170, 1), and poscō, demand (170, 10), are shortened; see 168. Secondly, to a form of the present stem of denominative verbs, especially of those in -ēre: as, clārēscō, brighten; the stem is often assumed only, as in inveterāscō, grow old, mātūrēscō, get ripe. Many inceptives are used only in composition: as, extimēscō, get scared, obdormīscō, drop asleep.
835. (c.) -tō occurs in the following presents from guttural roots: flectō, turn, nectō, string, pectō, comb, plector, am struck, amplector, hug, complector, clasp. From a lingual root vid-, comes vīsō, go to see, call on (153). From vowel roots: bētō or bītō, go, and metō, mow.
836. (d.) -iō is usually added to consonant roots with a short vowel; the following have presents formed by this suffix:
capiō, take, cupiō, want, faciō, make, fodiō, dig, fugiō, run away, iaciō, throw, pariō, bring forth, quatiō, shake, rapiō, seize, sapiō, have sense, and their compounds; the compounds of *laciō, lure, and speciō or spiciō, spy, and the deponents gradior, step, morior, die, and patior, suffer, and their compounds. For occasional forms like those of verbs in -īre (or -īrī), see 791. For aiō, see 786; for fīō, 788.
837. A few present stems are formed by adding a variable vowel -o|e-, for an older -io|e-, to a vowel root: as,
ruō, tumble down, rui-s, rui-t, rui-mus, rui-tis, ruu-nt (114). Vowel roots in -ā-, -ē-, or -ī- have a present stem like that of denominatives: as, stō, stand, stā-s, sta-t, stā-mus, stā-tis, sta-nt; fleō, weep, flē-s, fle-t, flē-mus, flē-tis, fle-nt; neō, spin, has once neu-nt for ne-nt (Tib.); sciō, know, scī-s, sci-t, scī-mus, scī-tis, sciu-nt.
838. Most present stems formed by adding the suffix -iō to a root ending in -l-, -r-, or -n-, and all formed by adding -iō to a long syllable, have the form of denominatives in -īre in the present system: as, saliō, leap, salīre, aperiō, open, aperīre, veniō, come, venīre; farciō, cram, farcīre.
II. Denominatives.
839. The present stem of denominatives is formed by attaching a variable vowel -o|e-, for an older -io|e-, to a theme consisting of a noun stem: as,
| Uncontracted Present Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| cēnao|e- | cēnō, dine | cēnā- |
| flōreo|e- | flōreō, blossom | flōre- |
| vestio|e- | vestiō, dress | vesti- |
| acuo|e- | acuō, point | acu- |
The noun stem ending is often slightly modified in forming the theme: thus, laud- becomes laudā- in laudō for *laudā-ō, and flōr- becomes flōre- in flōre-ō.
840. In many of the forms, the final vowel of the theme is contracted with the variable vowel: as,
plantō, plantās (118, 3) for *plantāi̭ō, *plantāi̭es (153, 2); monēs for *monēi̭es (118, 1), audīs for *audīi̭es (118, 3). The long ā, ē, or ī, is regularly shortened in some of the forms: as, scit, arat, habet, for Plautine scīt, arāt, habēt. In a few forms no contraction occurs: as, moneō, audiō, audiu-nt, audie-ntis, &c., audie-ndus, &c. (114). Denominatives from stems in -u-, as acuō, are not contracted, and so have the forms of verbs in -ere (367).
841. The suffix of the present subjunctive of sum, am, is -ī-, which becomes -i- before -m, -t, and -nt: si-m, sī-s, si-t, sī-mus, sī-tis, si-nt (35, 2, 3). So also in the singular and in the third person plural, dui-m, &c. (756), and edi-m, &c. (769), and in all the persons, veli-m, &c. (nōli-m, &c., māli-m, &c.). An old suffix is -iē- (-ie-), in sie-m, siē-s, sie-t, and sie-nt.
842. (1.) The present subjunctive stem of verbs in -ere, -ēre, and -īre, ends in -ā-, which becomes -a- in some of the persons; this suffix replaces the variable vowel of the indicative: as,
rega-m, regā-s, rega-t, regā-mus, regā-tis, rega-nt; capia-m, capiā-s, &c.; monea-m, moneā-s, &c.; audia-m, audiā-s, &c. ea-m, quea-m, fera-m, and the old fua-m (750), also have the formative subjunctive vowel.
843. (2.) The present subjunctive stem of verbs in -āre ends in -ē-, which becomes -e- in some of the persons: as,
laude-m, laudē-s, laude-t, laudē-mus, laudē-tis, laude-nt. dō, give, also has de-m, dē-s, &c.
844. Root verbs have a root as imperative stem (745-780): as, es, &c., fer, &c. But the imperative of nōlō has a stem in -ī-, like verbs in -īre: thus, nōlī, nōlī-tō, nōlī-te, nōlī-tōte.
845. The imperative stem of verbs in -ere, and of verbs in -āre, -ēre, and -īre, is the same as that of the indicative: as,
rege, regi-tō, regu-ntō, rege-re; cape, capi-tō, capiu-ntō; fī; laudā, &c.; monē, &c.; audī, &c.
846. The second person singular imperative active of dīcō, dūcō, and faciō, is usually dīc, dūc, and fac, respectively, though the full forms, dīce, &c., are also used, and are commoner in old Latin. Compounds of dūcō may have the short form: as, ēdūc. ingerō has once inger (Catull.). sciō has regularly the singular scī-tō, plural scī-tōte, rarely scī-te.
847. The imperfect indicative stem ends in -bā-, which becomes -ba- in some of the persons: as,
daba-m, dabā-s, daba-t, dabā-mus, dabā-tis, daba-nt; ība-m; quība-m. In verbs in -ere and -ēre, the suffix is preceded by a form ending in -ē-: as, regēba-m; monēba-m; so also volēba-m (nōlēba-m, mālēba-m), and ferēba-m; in verbs in -iō, -ere, and in -iō, -īre, by a form ending in -iē-: as, capiēba-m; audiēba-m; in verbs in -āre, by one ending in -ā-: as, laudāba-m. In verse, verbs in -īre sometimes have -ī- before the suffix (Plaut., Ter., Catull., Lucr., Verg., &c.): as, audība-t. āiō, say, has sometimes a͡iba-m, &c. (787).
848. The suffix of the imperfect indicative of sum, am, is -ā-, which becomes -a- before -m, -t, and -nt (35, 2, 3)the s becomes r between the vowels (154): era-m, erā-s, era-t, erā-mus, erā-tis, era-nt.
849. The imperfect subjunctive stem ends in -rē-, which becomes -re- in some of the persons: as,
dare-m, darē-s, dare-t, darē-mus, darē-tis, dare-nt; īre-m, fore-m, ferre-m. In verbs in -ere, the -rē- is preceded by a form ending in -e-: as, regere-m, capere-m; in verbs in -āre, -ēre, and -īre, by one ending in -ā-, -ē-, or -ī-, respectively: as, laudāre-m, monēre-m, audīre-m.
850. The suffix of the imperfect subjunctive of sum, am, is -sē-, which becomes -se- in some of the persons; esse-m, essē-s, esse-t, essē-mus, essē-tis, esse-nt; so also ēssē-s, &c. (769). volō, wish, nōlō, won’t, and mālō, prefer, have velle-m, nōlle-m, and mālle-m respectively (166, 8).
851. The future stem of sum, am, is ero|e-: erō, eri-s, eri-t, eri-mus, eri-tis, eru-nt. dō has dabō, eō has ībō, and queō has quībō.
852. (1.) The future stem of verbs in -ere and -īre ends in -a- in the first person singular, otherwise in -ē-, which becomes -e- in some of the persons: as,
rega-m, regē-s, rege-t, regē-mus, regē-tis, rege-nt; capia-m, capiē-s, &c.; audia-m, audiē-s, &c. The first person singular is not a future form, but the subjunctive present, used with a future meaning (842); forms in -em occur in manuscripts of Plautus: as, faciem, sinem. Verbs in -īre sometimes have -bo|e-, chiefly in the dramatists: as, scībō, opperībo-r (Plaut., Ter.), lēnību-nt (Prop.); rarely verbs in -ere (819): as, exsūgēbō (Plaut.). For reddibō, instead of the usual reddam, see 757.
853. (2.) The future stem of verbs in -āre and -ēre ends in -bo|e-, which is preceded by a form ending in long -ā- or -ē- respectively: as,
laudābō, laudābi-s, laudābi-t, laudābi-mus, laudābi-tis, laudābu-nt. monēbō, monēbi-s, &c.
854. There are two kinds of perfect stems: (A.) Some verbs have as perfect stem a root, generally with some modification, but without a suffix (858-866). (B.) Some perfects are formed with a suffix, -s-, or -v- or -u- (867-875).
855. Some perfects of primitives are formed not from a root, but from the present stem without the formative vowel, treated as a root: as, prehendī, seized, from prehend- (866); poposcī, asked, fefellī, deceived (858); iūnxī, joined (867).
856. The first person of the perfect ends in -ī, sometimes written ei (29, 2). -t, -stī, sometimes written -stei (29, 2), -stis, and -mus are preceded by short i; -re is always, and -runt is usually, preceded by long ē: as,
rēxī, rēxi-stī, rēxi-t, rēxi-mus, rēxi-stis, rēxē-runt (rēxe-runt), or rēxē-re.
857. Sometimes -t is preceded by long ī: as, iīt, petiīt, REDIEIT (29, 2). -runt is sometimes preceded by short e (Plaut., Ter., Lucr., Hor., Ov., Verg., Phaedr.). This is the original form; -ē- is by analogy to -ēre.
(A.) PERFECT STEM WITHOUT A SUFFIX.
858. (1.) Some verbs in -ere form their perfect stem by prefixing to the root its initial consonant with the following vowel, which, if a, is usually represented by e; this is called the Reduplicated Perfect, and the first syllable is called the Reduplication: as,
| Perfect Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| pu-pug- | pungō, punch | pug- |
| pe-pig- | pangō, fix | pag- |
Other examples are: cadō, fall, cecidī (cad-, 104, c); pariō, bring forth, peperī (par-, 104, c); pellō, push, pepulī (pol-, 105, h); poscō, demand, poposcī (855); fallō, deceive, fefellī (855, 104, c); see also 923-932. caedō, cut, has cecīdī (108, a); and a few old forms are quoted from verbs having an o or an u in the root with e in the reduplication: as, memordī, pepugī.
859. Four verbs with vowel roots also have a reduplicated perfect stem: dō, give, put, dare, dedī; bibō, drink, bibere, bibī; stō, stand, stāre, stetī, and sistō, set, sistere, -stitī, rarely stitī. Also four verbs in -ēre: mordeō, bite, momordī, pendeō, hang, pependī, spondeō, promise, spopondī, tondeō, clip, -totondī. In the root syllable of spopondī, promised, stetī, stood, stitī, set, and the old scicidī, clove, an s is dropped (173, 2).
860. In compounds the reduplication is commonly dropped: as,
cecidī, fell, compound concidī, tumbled down. Compounds of cucurrī, ran, sometimes retain the reduplication: as, prōcucurrī. Compounds of bibī, drank, didicī, learned, poposcī, asked, stitī, set, stetī, stood, and dedī, gave, put, retain it, the last two weakening e to i: as, restitī, staid back. abscondidī, hid away, usually becomes abscondī; in apparent compounds, e is usually retained: as, circum stetī, stood round, vēnum dedī, put for sale. The reduplication is also lost in the simple verbs tulī, carried, old tetulī, and in scindō, split, scidī, which last is rare as a simple verb.
861. Some compounds with re- drop only the vowel of the reduplication (111, a): as, reccidī, fell back; rettulī, brought back (see also 781); repperī, found; rettudī, beat back. Some perfects occur only in composition: as, percellō, knock down, perculī; cōntundō, smash to pieces, contudī; diffindō, split apart, diffidī; but fidī also occurs a couple of times as a simple verb.
862. (2.) Some verbs in -ere have a perfect stem consisting of a consonant root with a long vowel (135, 1): as,
| Perfect Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| ēd- | edō, eat | ed- |
| lēg- | legō, pick up, read | leg- |
Other examples are: fodiō, dig, fōdī; fundō, pour, fūdī; linquō, leave, līquī; see 936-946. Three verbs in -ēre also have this form, sedeō, sit, sēdī, strīdeō, grate, strīdī, videō, see, vīdī; and one in -īre, veniō, come, vēnī.
863. The following verbs in -ere with a in the present stem, have long ē in the perfect stem (145):
agō, do, ēgī, frangō, break, frēgī, pangō, fix, rarely pēgī, but always compēgī, impēgī, oppēgī; capiō, take, cēpī, faciō, make, fēcī, iaciō, throw, iēcī. So also the old co-ēpī, began, common coepī.
864. Two verbs in -āre and some in -ēre have a perfect stem consisting of a root which ends in -v- and has a long vowel: iuvō, help, iuvāre, iūvī, lavō, wash, lavāre or lavere, lāvī; caveō, look out, cavēre, cāvī; see 996.
865. Verbs in -uō, -uere, both primitives and denominatives, have usually a perfect stem in short u of the theme (124): as, luō, pay, luī; acuō, sharpen, acuī: see 947, 948. Forms with long ū are old and rare (126): as, fūī, adnūī, cōnstitūī, īnstitūī. fluō, flow, and struō, pile, have flūxī and strūxi (830).
866. (3.) Some verbs in -ere from roots ending in two consonants have a perfect stem consisting of the root: as,
| Perfect Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| mand- | mandō, chew | mand- |
| pand- | pandō, open | pand- |
Other examples are: vortō or vertō, turn, vortī or vertī; scandō, climb, -scendī; prehendō, seize, prehendī (855); vollō or vellō, pluck, vollī or vellī; see 949-951. Similarly ferveō, boil, fervere or fervēre, has fervī or ferbuī (823), and prandeō, lunch, prandēre, has prandī.
(B.) PERFECT STEM IN -s-, OR IN -v- OR -u-.
PERFECT STEM IN -s-.
867. Many verbs in -ere form their perfect stem by adding the suffix -s- to a root, which generally ends in a mute: as,
| Perfect Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| carp-s- | carpō, pluck | carp- |
| scalp-s- | scalpō, dig | scalp- |
| ges-s- | gerō, bear | ges- |
| dīx- | dīcō, say | dīc- |
Other examples are: dūcō, lead, dūxī (100); fingō, mould, fīnxī (855); lūdō, play, lūsī (166, 2); scrībō, write, scrīpsī (164, 1); struō, pile, strūxī (164, 1); vīvō, live, vīxī (98). Some verbs with a short vowel in the present, have a long vowel in the perfect: as, regō, guide, rēxī (135); intellegō, understand, intellēxī (823); tegō, cover, tēxī; iungō, join, iūnxī (855). And some verbs with a long vowel in the present, have a short vowel in the perfect: as, ūrō, burn, ussī (830). See 952-961.
868. Some verbs in -ēre also have a perfect in -s-: as algeō, am cold, alsī (170, 3); haereō, stick, haesī (166, 2): see 999, 1000. Also some in -īre: as, sarciō, patch, sarsī (170, 3): see 1014, 1015.
PERFECT STEM IN -v- OR -u-.
869. (1.) Some verbs in -ere, with vowel roots, and almost all verbs in -āre or -īre, form their perfect stem by adding the suffix -v- to a theme ending in a long vowel: as,
| Perfect Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| crē-v- | crēscō, grow | crē- |
| laudā-v- | laudō, praise | laudā- |
| audī-v- | audiō, hear | audī- |
For other verbs in -ere with a perfect stem in -v-, and particularly terō, cernō, spernō, and sternō, see 962-970.
870. A few verbs in -ere have a perfect stem in -v- attached to a presumed theme in long ī: as, cupiō, want, cupīvī; petō, aim at, petīvī; quaerō, inquire, quaesīvī; arcēssō, fetch, arcēssīvī; see 966-970.
871. A few verbs in -ēre also have a perfect stem in -v-: as, fleō, weep, flēre, flēvī; see 1001-1003. And three verbs in -ēscere have a perfect stem in -v- attached to a presumed theme in long ē: -olēscō, grow, -olēvī; quiēscō, get quiet, quiēvī; suēscō, get used, suēvī.
872. One verb in -āscere has a perfect stem in -v- attached to a presumed theme in long ā: advesperāscit, it gets dusk, advesperāvit.
873. (2.) Many verbs in -ere form their perfect stem by adding the suffix -u- to a consonant root: as,
| Perfect Stem. | Verb. | From Theme. |
|---|---|---|
| al-u- | alō, nurture | al- |
| gen-u- | gignō, beget | gen- |
Other examples are: colō, cultivate, coluī; cōnsulō, consult, cōnsuluī; -cumbō, lie, -cubuī; fremō, roar, fremuī; ēliciō, draw out, ēlicuī; molō, grind, moluī; rapiō, snatch, rapuī; serō, string, -seruī; stertō, snore, -stertuī; strepō, make a racket, strepuī; texō, weave, texuī; volō, will, voluī; compescō, check, compescuī (855); see 971-976.
874. Some verbs in -āre also have a perfect stem in -u-: as, crepō, rattle, crepāre, crepuī (993); and many in -ēre: as, moneō, warn, monēre, monuī: see 1004-1006; also four in -īre: as, saliō, leap, salīre, saluī (1019).
875. The perfect potuī to the present possum (751) is from a lost present *poteō, *potēre (922). pōnere (for *po-sinere, 112; 170, 2) forms an old perfect posīvī (964), later posuī, as if pos- were the stem.
876. The perfect subjunctive stem ends in -erī-, for which -eri- is sometimes used (35, 2, 3): as,
rēxeri-m, rēxerī-s, rēxeri-t, rēxerī-mus, rēxerī-tis, rēxeri-nt.
877. In the perfect subjunctive, long ī is found before the person endings -s, -mus, and -tis, some 25 times, as follows: -īs, 18 times (Plaut. 3, Pac., Enn., Ter., Hor., Tib., Sen., inscr., once each, Ov. 8), -īmus, 4 times (Plaut. 3, Ter. 1), -ītis, 3 times (Plaut. 2, Enn. 1).
878. In the perfect subjunctive, short i is found, as in the future perfect, some 9 times, thus: -is, 8 times (Plaut. in anapests 3, Verg. 2, Hor. 3), -imus once (Verg.). But before -tis, short i is not found.
879. One verb only, meminī, remember, has a perfect imperative; in this imperative, the person endings are not preceded by a vowel, thus: memen-tō, memen-tōte.
880. The pluperfect indicative stem ends in -erā-, which becomes -era- in some of the persons: as,
rēxera-m, rēxerā-s, rēxera-t, rēxerā-mus, rēxerā-tis, rēxera-nt.
881. The pluperfect subjunctive stem ends in -issē-, which becomes -isse- in some of the persons: as,
rēxisse-m, rēxissē-s, rēxisse-t, rēxissē-mus, rēxissē-tis, rēxisse-nt.
882. The future perfect stem ends in -erō- and -eri-: as,
rēxerō, rēxeri-s, rēxeri-t, rēxeri-mus, rēxeri-tis, rēxeri-nt.