Lesson 25 · Review
No new words this lesson — you already know these verbs; here you learn to send them into the future. Read the conjugation off the infinitive: a short -ere is third conjugation (drops its stem vowel), an -īre is fourth (keeps its -ī-).
The first two conjugations build the future with the sign -bi- (amābō, monēbit). The last two throw that away: they mark the future with -ā- in the first person singular and -ē- everywhere else.
Attach the sign straight to the present stem: -ā- for the first person singular, -ē- for the rest. The sign-vowel shortens before a final -m and before final -t and -nt, so it is short in regam, reget, regent but long in regēs, regēmus, regētis.
reg- + a + m → regam · reg- + ē + s → regēs · audi- + ē + mus → audiēmus
| Person | III. regō (will rule) | IV. audiō (will hear) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sg. | regam — I shall rule | audiam — I shall hear |
| 2 sg. | regēs — you will rule | audiēs — you will hear |
| 3 sg. | reget — he will rule | audiet — he will hear |
| 1 pl. | regēmus — we shall rule | audiēmus — we shall hear |
| 2 pl. | regētis — you will rule | audiētis — you will hear |
| 3 pl. | regent — they will rule | audient — they will hear |
The third conjugation's present stem ends in a short -ĕ- (regĕ-). Before the future sign that vowel is dropped, and the sign fastens straight to the consonant stem: reg- + a-m → regam, reg- + ē-s → regēs.
agō → agam, agēs · mittō → mittam, mittet · dūcō → dūcēmus, dūcent
The fourth conjugation holds on to the -ī- of its stem (shortened to -i- before the following vowel) and adds the very same sign: audi- + a-m → audiam, audi- + ē-s → audiēs. So the fourth-conjugation future always carries an extra -i- that the third does not (regam vs. audiam).
mūniō → mūniam, mūniēs · veniō → veniet · reperiō → reperient
Set the future of regō beside the present of moneō: regēs / monēs, reget / monet, regēmus / monēmus, regētis / monētis, regent / monent — identical endings. Only the first person singular gives the future away: future regam against a second-conjugation present in -eō.
reget resembles monet · regēmus resembles monēmus — same shape, different tense.
Inside the third conjugation the present and the future differ by a single vowel: the present has -i- (regit, "he rules"; regunt, "they rule"), the future has -e- (reget, "he will rule"; regent, "they will rule"). Read that vowel carefully — it is the whole difference.
regit → reget · mittit → mittet · dūcunt → dūcent
Six out of six before you start the exercises.
Question 1
regō, regere ("rule") is third conjugation. Which form means "he will rule"?
Right. The third-conjugation future drops the stem's short -ĕ- and adds the sign, giving reg-e-t (the -ē- shortens before final -t). regit is the present ("he rules"), and -bi- is the future sign of the first and second conjugations, never the third — so regēbit is no real form.
Not quite — the third and fourth conjugations do not use -bi-. The future "he will rule" is reget; watch the e, since regit with an i is the present.
Question 2
audiō, audīre ("hear") is fourth conjugation. Which form means "we shall hear"?
Right. The fourth conjugation keeps its -i- and adds the future sign -ē-: audi-ē-mus. audīmus is the present ("we hear"), and audiēbāmus, with the tense sign -bā-, is the imperfect ("we were hearing").
Not quite — the future keeps the stem -i- and adds -ē-: audiēmus. audīmus is present and audiēbāmus (with -bā-) is imperfect.
Question 3
The lesson says the future of the third conjugation looks just like the present of a conjugation you already know — except in the first person singular. Which one?
Right. regēs, reget, regēmus, regētis, regent line up letter for letter with the second conjugation's present monēs, monet, monēmus, monētis, monent (Rule 4). Only the first person singular differs: future regam against present moneō.
Not quite — compare the endings -ēs, -et, -ēmus, -ētis, -ent with monēs, monet, monēmus, monētis, monent. That is the second conjugation's present.
Question 4
Translate reget (regō, regere = rule).
Right. The sign -e- (from -ā-/-ē-) with the ending -t marks the third-conjugation future: reget = "he will rule." "He was ruling" is the imperfect regēbat; "he rules" is the present regit.
Not quite — reget is the future. The imperfect "he was ruling" is regēbat, and the present "he rules" is regit.
Question 5
dūcō, dūcere ("lead") is third conjugation. Which form means "I shall lead"?
Right. The first person singular is the one place the sign is -ā- (shortened before -m): dūc-a-m, "I shall lead." The other forms take -ē-: dūcēs is "you will lead," dūcet is "he will lead."
Not quite — only the first person singular uses -ā-: dūcam. dūcēs ("you will lead") and dūcet ("he will lead") are other persons.
Question 6
veniō, venīre ("come") is fourth conjugation. Which form means "they will come"?
Right. The fourth-conjugation future third plural is veni-e-nt (the sign -ē- shortened before -nt) → venient. veniunt is the present ("they come"), and veniēbant (sign -bā-) is the imperfect ("they were coming").
Not quite — the future "they will come" is venient (with -e-). veniunt is present and veniēbant is imperfect.
Answered correctly: 0 / 6