Ch 4 · Lesson 28Latin · Chapter 4 · Lesson 28 · Grammar primer
Had done, will have done: dixerat, dixerit
The perfect stem plus a tense of gives two more tenses: , he had said, and , he will have said. Only the third plural -erint breaks the pattern.
The short version
Latin says when you will have come, and means it
, .
Why?Hide
The pluperfect is the perfect stem plus the imperfect of : , I had said. The future perfect is the same stem plus the future of , with one deviation, -erint in the third plural: , , . Then Latin uses that tense with a precision English has given up on. , is when you come, I will tell you, but the Latin literally says when you will have come, because the arriving finishes before the telling starts.
The pluperfect: had done
Take the perfect, drop its -i, and add the imperfect of (, , ):
| Person | dico (dixi) | venio (veni) |
|---|---|---|
| I | | |
| you | | |
| he, she | | |
| we | | |
| you (pl) | | |
| they | | |
It means had done: finished before another moment in the past.
, .- When father came back, his son had already left., , .- I have read the letter you had written me.
works the same way from : , he had been.
The future perfect: will have done
Same stem, plus the future of (, , ), with one change: the third plural is -erint, not -.
| Person | dico (dixi) | venio (veni) |
|---|---|---|
| I | | |
| you | | |
| he, she | | |
| we | | |
| you (pl) | | |
| they | | |
That -erint keeps the future perfect apart from the perfect . The tense means will have done: finished before a moment in the future.
, .- When I have written the letter, I will come.
Going further: The future comes in two shapes and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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