Form II Latin: Beginning Latin Grammar, Lesson 5: Present Tense

"I would make them all learn English;

and then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honour, and Greek as a treat." --Sir Winston Churchill

The Present Tense may be expressed in three ways in English (simple present, progressive present and emphatic present). In Latin there is just one form of these three English expressions. For example, the Latin verb, ambulat means (he, she, it) walks, is walking and does walk.

The verb to be is irregular in English and in Latin.

English......................................Latin

I am..........................sum

you (singular) are.....es

he, she, it is..............est

we are......................sumus

you (plural) are......estis

they are .................sunt

Never confuse the verb to be with the Progressive Present. The Latin verb to be is used only when there is no verb directly following it. For example, The girl is calling in Latin is Puella vocat but The girl is Cornelia becomes Puella est Cornelia in Latin.

Practice Exercises

Change the following verb forms to Latin.

1. She does love.
2. He is working.
3. It does please.
4. They are.
5. She loves.
6. She is.
7. She is calling.
8. He does swim.
9. He is swimming.

What Latin personal endings on verbs correspond to the following English words?

1. we
2. you (singular)
3. they
4. I
5. he, she, or it
6. you (plural)

Translate the following into Latin.

1. The queen is calling.
2. She is there.
3. The sailor does swim.
4. I am.
5. The poet walks.

If you need to review English grammar before introducing Latin Grammar, go to Simple Grammar.

Lesson 1: Latin Nouns

Lesson 2: The First Declension

Lesson 3: Latin Verbs

Lesson 4: The First Conjugation