A little verbage goes a long way
We finish up tenses and then provide a great list of Latin verbs you should learn.
Welcome back to Manuscribit! By now you know the routine, and for those who are new, please begin with the first post as each one builds upon the other. Sketchbooks ready?
Today we will finish up our discussion of verbs and verb tenses with a great list of very helpful Latin verbs.
First, however, let’s review where we’ve been in the previous post, and briefly discuss the also very useful Perfect Progressive tense.
We began with Simple in Present, Past, and Future times: I love, I loved, I will love.
Then, when we want to communicate an action or existence in progress, we go to the Progressive: I am loving, I was loving, I will be loving.
Next, if we decide to state something that is completed or perfected, we use the the Perfect: I have loved, I had loved, I will have loved.
Finally, what if we want to discuss an action which had been ongoing but then was completed/perfected in the same time frame? We simply combine Progressive and Perfect to make the Perfect Progressive tense. It is done by adding the Perfect form of “to be”—in present, past, and future times—with the Present Participle (the “ing” version) of the verb.
Perfect Progressive: I have been loving, I had been loving, I will have been loving.
This is a great tense when you want to emphasize how long you did something, and you finally completed it. My grandmother had been waiting anxiously for weeks to hear from my uncle stationed in Pearl Harbor when she finally received his telegram. Thank goodness we are here! It seems like I have been riding in this car forever. I will have been working 20 hours straight by the end of my shift tomorrow, and I will be exhausted!
Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am (Thank you, French philosopher Rene Descartes). When you can think in Latin terms, you become a much better writer and your vocabulary expands exponentially.
If you do not own a Latin dictionary, it would be smart to get one in order to expand your English vocabulary. You can simply peruse a page or two at a time, and you will be amazed at how many definitions and derivatives you already know. Here is a list of just a few of Latin verbs that you should easily recognize. In your sketchbook, write down the list of Latin verbs below—there are various forms of some verbs to make the meaning more obvious—along with their definitions and a few English derivatives. Please feel free to add more as you think of them. Finally, take the short quiz at the end to see if you can guess the meaning of some English words based upon what you already know in Latin.
audio, audire, auditus: (to hear, heard) auditorium, audible, inaudible, audit.
canto, cantare: (to sing) cantor, incantation, chant
cedere, cessus: (to withdraw, yield, grant) cede, recede
clamo, clamare: (to shout, declare) proclaim, exclaim
cogito, cogitare: (to think, ponder) cognition, cognitive
cognoscere: (to get to know, investigate) recognize
credo, credere: (to believe) creed, credible, credit, credulous
curare: (to care for, heal) cure, curative, manicure
debeo, debere: (to owe) debit, debt
dico, dicere, dictus: (to say, speech) diction, predict, dictionary, edict
docere, doctus: (to teach, instructor) doctrine, document, doctor, docent
dono, donare: (to give) donation, donor
dormire: (to sleep) dormant, dormitory
dubito, dubitare: (to waver, hesitate) doubt
duco, ducere: (to lead) induce, educate, deduce, reduce
edere: (to eat, devour) edible
esse: (to be, exist) essence, essential
facere, factus: (to make, create) factory, manufacture
ferre: (to carry) ferry, transfer, confer
flectere, flexus: (to bend, turn around) flexible, reflect
fugiere: (to flee, run away) fugitive, refugee
habere: (to have, possess, own) habit, habitation
laborare: (to work) labor
laudere: (to praise) lauds, applaud
licere: (to be permitted, allow) licit, license
mittere, missus: (to send, launch) emit, transmit
monstrare: (to point out, show) demonstrate
mutare: (to change) mutation
orare: (to pray, plead) oration, oratory, adore
portare: (to bring) transport, portable, import
rogare: (to ask) interrogate
scire: (to have knowledge of) science
scribere: (to write) script, scribble, prescribe, inscribe, scribble, manuscript
sedere: (to sit) sedentary, sedimentary
simulare: (to imitate) similar, simulate
vacare: (to empty) vacuum, vacate
venire, ventus: (to come, arrival) advent, convene
vertere, vertus: (to turn, spin) revert, convert, advertise, invert
videre, visus: (to see, seen) video, vision
vocare: (to call) vocal, vocation
volvere: (to roll, turn around) revolve, evolve
Can you guess the meanings of the highlighted words below? You might have to know the meanings of some prefixes (which we will focus upon in a future post).
She was indubitably the strongest competitor in the spelling bee.
My father was very conscientious about calling his mother weekly.
Surprisingly, the coach’s provocations inspired the team to work harder.
What task did medieval monks perform in their scriptorium?
It is illicit for a minor to get a tattoo in most states.
The nurse used an audiometer during the child’s physical exam.
Next week, we will move to our 4th entry of Parts of Speech: Adjectives. Until then, may our Lord’s peace be with you.