Dictionary formcoepi, coepisse, coeptum
Translation
to begin, start
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Examples
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The war began in that year.
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They began to speak about peace.
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I began to write.
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The work was begun with great care.
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After he began to speak, everyone listened.
Coepi is defective: classical Latin has only the perfect stem, so coepi, coepisti, coepit, coepimus, coepistis, coeperunt, with pluperfect coeperam and future perfect coepero. There is no present, no imperfect, no future - for those you use incipio, incipere. The pair works as one verb with the labour divided by tense.
Two things to hold on to. The participle coeptus and the neuter noun coeptum, "an undertaking", fill out the family. And when coepi governs a passive infinitive it goes passive itself: urbs aedificari coepta est, "the city began to be built", never coepit. Get that wrong and the sentence still parses, which is why it is a favourite of examiners.
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coepi: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "coepi" (to begin, start): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 5, lesson 2: coepi, extremus, sedes and 6 more words.