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Latin grammar

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Latin Principal Parts: Why Verbs Have Four Forms

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

Every Latin verb is cited in four parts, , , , , because two of them cannot be worked out from the others. The third, the perfect, is the one you need first: it is the stem of the perfect tense.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Which part of the verb is it?

  1. dicere

  2. dixi

  3. dictum

the perfect stem's changeendingWhat do the colours mean?

The four parts, and what each builds

PartLatinWhat it builds
presentthe present
infinitivethe conjugation (here, third)
perfectthe perfect, pluperfect, future perfect
fourth partthe perfect participle and passive

Each in a sentence:

  • . - I am telling the truth.
  • . - I cannot tell the truth.
  • . - I told the truth.
  • . - This was said.

The fourth part is properly the supine, a verbal noun. You will use it far more as the stem of the participle , said. has none, so dictionaries give , about to be: , , , .

Five families of perfect stem

You cannot compute a perfect stem, but the stems are not random. Five patterns cover nearly all of them, and knowing them turns memorising into recognising.

FamilyPresentPerfectEnglish
-u- or -v-I had
-s-I said
doubledI gave
vowel changeI made
no changeI answered

Added -u- or -v-

The commonest family, and the default for first- and fourth-conjugation verbs.

  • . - I had nothing.
  • . - I could not come. ()
  • . - He put the book there. ()
  • . - He asked for peace. (, also )

Added -s-

The -s- fuses with the last consonant of the stem, and the spelling changes to match: c + s is written x, and b + s becomes ps.

  • . - The king said a word. ()
  • . - He wrote a word. ()
  • . - He sent his son. ()

A doubled syllable

A very old pattern that survives on a few very common verbs: the first consonant is repeated, usually with an e.

  • . - He gave me water. ()
  • . - He stood in the road. ()
  • . - I believed him. ()

hides its doubling inside the word: it inflects like the compounds of that keep the doubled syllable (, ; , ), so .

A changed or lengthened vowel

The stem vowel goes long, and sometimes changes quality.

  • . - He did this. ()
  • . - I saw God. ()
  • . - You did well. ()

When only the length changes, as in or , you cannot see it without macrons: is he comes or he came. The sentence decides.

No change

The perfect stem is the present stem; only the endings mark the tense.

  • . - He answered nothing. ()
  • . - He turned round. ()

is also he turns, even with macrons. Context is all you have.

The principal parts of the commonest verbs

PresentInfinitivePerfectFourth part
(none)

, I become, borrows its perfect from : , I became, was made. Genesis has both halves:

  • . . - Let there be light. And there was light.

One stem, three tenses

The perfect stem builds the whole active past system:

TenseLatinEnglish
perfectI said
pluperfectI had said
future perfectI will have said

The last two are on the future and pluperfect page.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
(said)the perfect has its own
(made)the vowel changes
learning , the perfect cannot be guessed

What to do next

  1. Learn every new verb with all four parts, said aloud.
  2. Run the drill below: sort the stems into families.
  3. Then use them in the perfect tense.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/9

Sort each verb by how its perfect stem is made.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Matching

0/6

Match each present to its perfect.

Build the word

0/3

Build the tense on the perfect stem.

  1. dixi: I had said (pluperfect)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. fui: he had been (pluperfect)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. habui: I will have had (future perfect)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Pick the right one

0/5

Which part of the verb is it?

  1. dicere

  2. dixi

  3. dictum

  4. dico

  5. factum

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Frequently asked questions

What are the four principal parts of a Latin verb?
The first person singular present (, I say), the present infinitive (, to say), the first person singular perfect (, I said) and the supine or perfect participle (, said). The first two give the present stem and the conjugation, the third gives the perfect stem, and the fourth gives the stem of the perfect participle and the perfect passive.
Do I really have to learn all four?
Yes, for any verb you want to use in the past. The present and infinitive together give you the conjugation, but the perfect and the fourth part cannot be worked out from them: gives and , gives and , do gives and . A verb learned without them is a verb you can only use in the present.
What are the types of Latin perfect stem?
Five families. An added -v- or -u- (, ; , ), the commonest. An added -s- that fuses with the stem (, ; , ). A doubled first syllable (do, ; , ). A changed or lengthened vowel (, ; video, ). And no change at all (, ).
Why does have no fourth principal part?
Because has no supine or perfect passive participle: you cannot be been. Dictionaries put the future participle , about to be, in that slot instead, so is cited as , , , .
What does the perfect stem build besides the perfect?
The whole active past system. gives the perfect, the pluperfect (I had said) and the future perfect (I will have said). One memorised form, three tenses.