Grammar Explanation: Personal Endings of Active Verbs
In Latin, verbs change their endings to show who is performing the action (the subject) and how many people or things are doing it. This process is called conjugation.
Unlike English, which often uses personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) to indicate the subject, a Latin verb includes this information directly in its final letters, known as personal endings.
Active Voice Personal Endings
When the subject of the sentence performs the action (active voice), standard Latin verbs attach the following set of endings to the verb stem:
| Person | Number | Latin Ending | English Meaning | Example (amo = to love) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Singular | -o or -m | I | amo (I love) / regebam (I was ruling) |
| 2nd | Singular | -s | you (sing.) | amas (you love) |
| 3rd | Singular | -t | he, she, it | amat (he/she/it loves) |
| 1st | Plural | -mus | we | amamus (we love) |
| 2nd | Plural | -tis | you (pl.) | amatis (you all love) |
| 3rd | Plural | -nt | they | amant (they love) |
Key Takeaway: Because the verb ending clearly tells you who is performing the action, explicit personal pronouns (like ego, tu, or nos) are generally omitted in Latin unless used for special emphasis!
Answer Key for Exercise 1.2
1st sing. = I -o or -m
2nd sing. = you -s
3rd sing. = he, she, it -t
1st plur. = we -mus
2nd plur. = you -tis
3rd plur. = they -nt