VES: Lesson - 3rd Conjugation - Present System

3rd Conjugation - Present System

Let's take a look at the remaining verb families: Regular Third, Third -io and Fourth Conjugations. Remember that the present stem is used for the present, imperfect and future tense verbs.

3rd Conjugation - Present Stem

3rd conjugation obtains its present stem differently from the other conjugations. Instead of working with the 2nd Principal Part (the form ending in -re), 3rd conjugation obtains the present stem from the 1st Principal Part (the form ending in -o). To obtain the present stem, simply remove the -o. Use this method for both regular 3rd conjugation and 3rd-io conjugation verbs.

While it may strike you as odd that this present stem is different, it is critical to learn this method - it will make later lessons easier to understand!

Examples:

• mitto, mittere, misi, missus
  • 1st PP = mitto
  • Drop -o: mitto - o
  • Present stem: mitt-
• facio, facere, feci, factus
• 1st PP = facio
• Drop -o: facio - o
• Present stem: faci-

Present System

The present system includes the present, imperfect and future tenses. Compare the regular Third conjugation and Third -io conjugation charts. 1st person singular and 3rd person plural stand out, since they appear to have an extra -i before the ending. Recall that for 3rd-io, the present stem ends in -i, which causes the change in appearance.

Please download the Vesuvius Example Conjugation and Translation Charts for 3rd and 4th Conjugation Links to an external site. handout for a printable version of the charts below.

The Present Tense

For 3rd conjugation, there are a few things to remember to successfully conjugation:

• 1st person singular = 1st principal part. This will always be true. If you are asked to conjugate a verb in the present tense, don't forget this rule!
• 3rd Conjugation Regular:
  • 3rd person plural: add -u to the present stem before the -nt ending
  • All other forms: add -i to the present stem before the ending (example: 2nd person singular: stem + i + s).
• 3rd-io Conjugation:
  • 3rd person plural: add -u to the present stem before the -nt ending
  • All other forms: just add the ending to the stem (you already have the -i!)

Let's look at an example, comparing regular 3rd conjugation to 3rd-io to see what this looks like in practice.

• mitto, mittere, misi, missus.
  • Base: mitt (mitto - o)
• facio, facere, feci, factus
  • Base: faci (facio - o)

3rd and 3rd-io Conjugation Present Tense Examples

Person	mittere - Singular	mittere - Plural	facere - Singular	facere - Plural
1st Person	mitto	mittimus	facio	facimus
2nd Person	mittis	mittitis	facis	facitis
3rd Person	mittit	mittunt	facit	faciunt

Translation Examples - Present Tense

• mitto - I send, I am sending, I do send 
• facio - I make, I am making, I do make

The Imperfect Tense

For the imperfect tense, we will use the present stem followed by -ba, but there is an important difference. Now, instead of just adding -ba, we are going to include an -e before the -ba. So, for imperfect, you will have:

• Present stem + eba + personal endings

3rd and 3rd-io Conjugation Imperfect Tense Examples

Person	mittere - Singular	mittere - Plural	facere - Singular	facere - Plural
1st Person	mittebam	mittebamus	faciebam	faciebamus
2nd Person	mittebas	mittebatis	faciebas	faciebatis
3rd Person	mittebat	mittebant	faciebat	faciebant

Translation Examples - Imperfect Tense

• mittebam - I was sending, I kept sending, I used to send; I sent 
• faciebam - I was making, I kept making, I used to make; I made

The Future Tense

The tense endings you have learned so far remain the same for the two new conjugations with one exception. The future tense for third, third -io and fourth conjugations uses a new set of inflections: am, es, et, emus, etis, ent. Compare that to the endings for 1st/2nd conjugation: bo, bis, bit, bimus, bitis, bunt. Pay careful attention to the conjugation of the verb to be sure that the correct future endings are being used. 

Future Endings Comparison

Person	1st/2nd - Singular	1st/2nd - Plural	3rd/4th - Singular	3rd/4th - Plural
1st Person	bo	bimus	am	emus
2nd Person	bis	bitis	es	etis
3rd Person	bit	bunt	et	ent

Add these new future endings directly to the present stem: mitt + am = mittam - I will send.

3rd and 3rd-io Conjugation Future Tense Examples

Person	mittere - Singular	mittere - Plural	facere - Singular	facere - Plural
1st Person	mittam	mittemus	faciam	faciemus
2nd Person	mittes	mittetis	facies	facietis
3rd Person	mittet	mittent	faciet	facient

Translation Examples - Future Tense

• mittam - I will send 
• faciam - I will make