“to be” in Latin

Charts

Explanation

The word “to be” in every language (at least in the West) is both the most common and the most irregular verb. In English, the irregularity is obvious. While most verbs hardly change, as in,

I run
You run
He runs
We run
Y’all run
They run

“To be” changes far more often:

I am
You are
He is
We are
Y’all are
They are

And yet, it is the most important to learn because it is used so often and used in so many contexts. Perhaps one of the most common questions in Latin: “quid est?” (Eng. “what is it?”) includes this word. While the perfect tense is far more common than the imperfect, I included the imperfect here with the present and future tenses, and this at least allows for is, was, and will be, so that you can describe things in the present, past, and future using “to be.”

Quizzes

1. Present Active (sum, es, est)
2. Imperfect Active (eram, eras, erat)
3. Future Active (ero, eris, erit)