Perfect Tense

In Latin, the perfect tense is a verbal tense used to indicate actions or states that were completed in the past. It is employed to describe actions that occurred at a definite point in time, emphasizing their finished nature. The perfect tense is often translated into English as "verb-ed" or "did + verb."

To form the perfect tense in Latin, you need the perfect stem of the verb and the appropriate set of endings. The perfect stem can usually be obtained from the third principal part, the first person singular perfect tense form of the verb, after the removal of the ‘i’ at the end.

Perfect First Person Singular (3rd Principal Part): amāvī (I loved)

Perfect Stem: amāv-

Here is the general formula: Perfect Stem minus ‘i’ + Perfect Endings

The perfect endings:

  • First Person Singular: -ī (I)

  • Second Person Singular: -istī (you)

  • Third Person Singular: -it (he/she/it)

  • First Person Plural: -imus (we)

  • Second Person Plural: -istis (you all)

  • Third Person Plural: -ērunt or -ēre (they)

Here is an example using the verb "amāre" (to love) in the perfect tense:

  • amāvī (I loved)

  • amāvistī (you loved)

  • amāvit (he/she/it loved)

  • amāvimus (we loved)

  • amāvistis (you all loved)

  • amāvērunt (they loved)

The perfect tense indicates actions that were completed before the present time or at a specific past moment. It is often used to express the following:

  1. Completed Actions: It describes actions that happened and were finished in the past.

    • Epistulam scripsī. (I wrote a letter.)

  2. Past Experiences: It communicates experiences that someone has had in the past.

    • Bellum vīdi. (I saw the war.)

  3. Single Past Events: It indicates actions that occurred at a specific point in time.

    • Vēnistī hodiē. (You came today.)