Kilo Lingo

Ch 3 · Lesson 15

The verbs you cannot avoid: sum, possum, eo, fero

Seven verbs break the pattern, and they are the commonest in the language. First the seven on one screen, then the present of and , (I go) and (I carry). , and are the next lesson.

The short version

Is and it can be Latin verbs: you go, he goes

.

Father is going home.
Why?

, I go, has the shortest present in Latin: , is, it, , , . The stem is just i-, which turns into e- before a vowel. So is can mean you go and it means he goes, which catches readers who expect the pronoun is or English it.

is with pot- in front

.

I cannot sleep.
Why?

, I can, is with a prefix that follows one rule: pos- before an s, pot- before a vowel. So , , , , , . The infinitive is short, , and like English can it takes an infinitive.

Seven Latin verbs refuse the regular patterns, and they are the ones you meet most: to be, can, go, carry, want, not want and prefer. Their personal endings are the usual ones. What breaks is the stem.

personal endingthe stem that changesWhat do the colours mean?

All seven on one screen

Learn this first: the meaning, the infinitive and the he, she form.

VerbMeaningInfinitivehe, she
am
can, am able
go
carry, bring
want
do not want
prefer

Six of the infinitives end in a doubled consonant plus -e; the seventh, , is the stem i- plus -re. A short infinitive is the quickest sign you have one of these verbs.

, , and usually take an infinitive, as can, want and prefer do:

  • . - I can come.
  • . - I want to sleep.

sum and possum, eo and fero

sum and possum

Personsumpossum
you
he, she, it
we
you (pl.)
they

switches between su- and es-. is with a prefix that follows one rule: pos- before an s, pot- before a vowel.

pot- becomes pos- before s: possum, I can
  • . - The king is in the city.
  • . - I cannot sleep.

eo and fero

Personeofero
you
he, she, it
we
you (pl.)
they

The stem of is just i-, and it turns into e- before a vowel: , . Everywhere else you see the i-.

is a third-conjugation verb like that drops the linking vowel in three forms and the infinitive:

dico (say)fero (carry)
  • . - Father is going home.
  • . - He/she is carrying water.

needs no preposition: you go home, or to a town, with the bare accusative.

Going further: volo, nolo and malo and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

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Lesson 15 of 35 in this chapter

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