Latin Imperfect Indicative Active Verbs

Author: Indigo Curnick

Date: 2025-03-16

Latin Verbs Home

In this blog we'll cover the conjugations of the Latin imperfect indicative active verb conjugation. To review what that means we need to remember that a verb conjugation is defined by: person, tense, mood and voice.

In this case

• Tense = imperfect
• Mood = indicative
• Voice = active

And as a reminder of what those mean

• Imperfect: The action or state of being is was ongoing on repeated in the past e.g. I was leading, I used to lead
• Indicative: The verb is stating a fact about the world
• Active: The subject of the verb performs the action

Examples of this idea in English are I am running, she eats the cake, he walks to work, they read the textbook and so on.

We'll consider five verbs from each of the conjugations, as well as some irregular verbs.

First Conjugation

• dō, dare, dedī, datum - to give

• portō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum - to carry, to bring

• servō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum - to save, to keep

• habitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum - to live, to dwell

• labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum - to work

Second Conjugation

1. doceō, -ēre, -uī, -tum - to teach
2. iubeō, -bēre, -ssī, -ssum - to order
3. maneō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum - to remain, to stay
4. respondeō, -ondēre, -ondī, -ōnsum - to reply, to respond
5. dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itum - to owe, to ought

Third Conjugation

1. pōnō, -ere, posuī, postium - to place, to put
2. vīvō, -vere, -xī, -ctum - to live, to be alive
3. agō, agere, ēgī, āctum - to do, to drive
4. dīcō, -cere, -xī, dictum - to say
5. petō, -ere, -īvi, -ītum - to seek, to ask for

Fourth Conjugation

1. dormiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum - to sleep
2. serviō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum - to serve
3. pūniō, -īre, -ior, -īrī - to punish
4. fīnīo, -īre, -īvī, -ītum - to finish
5. impediō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum - to hinder

Irregular Verbs

Unfortunately, Latin has its own bag of irregular verbs. We can't possibly list all of them now, but here's a few to memorise. Thankfully the imperfect indicative active has fewer verbs which are irregular that you must memorise

Consider

• sum, esse, fuī - to be (the most important verb - you MUST memorise this)

• posse, -sse, -tuī - to be able

• eō, īre, īvī, itum - to go

Next Steps

Memorise all of the verb forms here before moving onto the next verb form. Place all of these into Anki - once you've memorised them all this should be enough examples to be able to recognise the verb form in written text.