Ch 2 · Lesson 15Latin · Chapter 2 · Lesson 15 · Grammar primer
The short ones: dic, duc, fac, fer, and es and i
Four common verbs drop the -e for one person: dic, , , . Be and go give the shortest commands of all: , , i, .
The short version
Dic,
.
Why?Hide
Four very common verbs drop the final -e when you command one person: dic (say), (lead), (do), (carry). Their plurals are regular: , , , and . Be and go are shorter still: and , i and . , ends the Latin Mass.
The four short ones: dic, duc, fac, fer
Four very common verbs drop the -e from the singular. Latin pupils have long learned them as a chant.
| Verb | One person | Several | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | say! |
| | | lead! |
| | | do, make! |
| | | carry! |
The plurals of the first three are regular. has no vowel before its endings in several present forms (, ), so its plural is .
.- Tell me..- Take me to the king..- Do this..- Bring water.spera.- Act, and hope. (an old motto)
Be and go: es, este, i, ite
Two of the most irregular verbs give the shortest commands of all.
| Verb | One person | Several | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | be! |
| | | go! |
is also you are, so context decides which you are reading. In practice Latin usually gives be! with the longer and :
.- You are good. (a statement)perfecti.- So be perfect. (Matthew 5:48, the Vulgate)
is a complete one-letter sentence: . - Go to your father. The plural is the dismissal at the end of a Latin Mass:
, .- Go, it is the dismissal.
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Lesson 15 of 39 in this chapter