2nd Conjugation Latin Verbs: The Ultimate Guide for Students
2nd conjugation Latin verbs are one of the first topics you learn. This post covers in detail what these verbs are, how to conjugate them, and much more!
This is a beginner-friendly guide, but it is also quite comprehensive. Focus on what is relevant to you, and don’t worry if some forms and concepts are still too advanced.
If you are already familiar with 1st conjugation verbs, then you have a good head start. 2nd conjugation verbs are very like 1st conjugation verbs, except that we see long Es instead of long As in the verb endings.
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What is a 2nd conjugation verb in Latin?
A Latin verb belongs to the second conjugation if it has a present stem ending in -ē-. The macron (that is, the line over the vowel) informs us that the E is long.
This E shows up in all the forms of the present, future, and imperfect tenses of 2nd conjugation Latin verbs. In places where first conjugation verbs have a long A, second conjugation verbs will have a long E.
Compare the present tense of the following two verbs.
- Vocās = You call. (1st conjugation verb)
- Tacēs = You are silent. (2nd conjugation verb)
Both verb forms end in a vowel with a following S, but the 1st conjugation verb has an A (-ās) and the 2nd conjugation verb has an E (-ēs).
Let’s look at one more example:
- Vocābās = You were calling. (1st conjugation verb)
- Tacēbās = You were silent. (2nd conjugation verb)
In this case, both verbs end in –bās, which is the tense marker (bā) plus the final personal sign (s). But notice that the verbs display their different stem vowels right before the bā. Vocō has a long A, while taceō has a long E.
To determine a Latin verb’s conjugation, look at the present active infinitive (the second principal part). 2nd conjugation verbs have infinitives ending in -ēre.
You can remember the infinitive form because it features the stem vowel (ē) before the –re.
Principal Parts of 2nd Conjugation Verbs
Latin verbs typically have four principal parts, and 2nd conjugation verbs are no exception. This chart shows the standard endings for the principal parts of the 2nd conjugation.
| 1 | -eō |
| 2 | -ēre |
| 3 | -uī |
| 4 | -itus |
All 2nd conjugation verbs will have regular 1st and 2nd principal parts. But some verbs have irregular 3rd and/or 4th principal parts, so don’t be surprised when you encounter this!
A 2nd conjugation verb with regular principal parts is habeō, habēre, habuī, habitus. A 2nd conjugation verb with irregular principal parts is videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus.
List of Latin 2nd Conjugation Verbs
It is time to look at some examples of 2nd conjugation Latin verbs. The following list includes the 20 most commonly used verbs of the second conjugation (according to DCC Core Vocabulary List).
Some of these verbs have irregular third and/or fourth principal parts. When this is the case, I have put the irregular forms in bold to draw your attention.
| Rank | Latin Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see |
| 2 | habeō, habēre, habuī, habitus | have, hold; consider |
| 3 | iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | command, order |
| 4 | teneō, tenēre, tenuī, tentus | hold, keep |
| 5 | timeō, timēre, timuī | fear, be afraid |
| 6 | dēbeō, dēbēre, dēbuī, dēbitus | owe; ought |
| 7 | moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus | move, rouse |
| 8 | iaceō, iacēre, iacuī | lie (down) |
| 9 | placeō, placēre, placuī, placitus | please, delight (+ dative) |
| 10 | maneō, manēre, mānsī, mānsus | remain |
| 11 | taceō, tacēre, tacuī, tacitus | be silent |
| 12 | doceō, docēre, docuī, doctus | teach |
| 13 | misceō, miscēre, miscuī, mixtus | mix |
| 14 | fleō, flēre, flēvī, flētus | weep |
| 15 | sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessus | sit |
| 16 | noceō, nocēre, nocuī | harm |
| 17 | respondeō, respondēre, respondī, respōnsus | respond |
| 18 | valeō, valēre, valuī | be strong, prevail |
| 19 | pateō, patēre, patuī | lie open; be obvious |
| 20 | careō, carēre, caruī | lack, be lacking (+ abl.) |
All these verbs are among the 600 most used words in the Latin language. You will encounter these verbs everywhere, whether you are just starting out with easy Latin texts or reading ancient authors like Vergil or Livy.
For this reason, I highly recommend adding them to your Latin flashcards or vocabulary lists.
Latin 2nd Conjugation Deponent & Semi-Deponent Verbs
There are also some frequently used 2nd conjugation verbs that are deponent or semi-deponent. Here is a quick list!
(If you are a beginning student and don’t know what deponent verbs are yet, then just skip this section.)
| Latin Verb | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| audeō, audēre, ausus sum | dare | Semi-dep. |
| cōnfiteor, cōnfitērī, cōnfessus sum | admit, confess; reveal | Dep. |
| fateor, fatērī, fassus sum | admit, confess; assent | Dep. |
| gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsus sum | rejoice | Semi-dep. |
| reor, rērī, ratus sum | think, imagine | Dep. |
| soleō, solēre, solitus sum | be accustomed to | Semi-dep. |
| vereor, verērī, veritus sum | respect, fear | Dep. |
Verb Endings of the Latin 2nd Conjugation
In this section I have provided the full conjugation of the verb iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus “command”. If you are a beginning student, then ignore any forms that are too advanced for you.
For instance, the second column in the verb charts is the passive voice. If you haven’t learned the passive yet, just focus on the active forms.
Remember that all verbs of the 2nd conjugation have the same endings, so you can use these conjugation charts as references for any 2nd conjugation verb. I have put the endings in bold.
For the tenses of the present system (present, future, and imperfect), remove the –ēre from the verb’s second principal part and then add the appropriate 2nd conjugation endings.
For tenses of the perfect system (perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect), remove the –ī from the verb’s third principal part and then add the appropriate tense endings.
Indicative Mood
Present Tense
Active translation: I command / I am commanding, you command / you are commanding, etc.
Passive translation: I am (being) commanded, you are (being) commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iubeō | iubeor |
| 2 sing. | iubēs | iubēris |
| 3 sing. | iubet | iubētur |
| 1 plur. | iubēmus | iubēmur |
| 2 plur. | iubētis | iubēminī |
| 3 plur. | iubent | iubentur |
Future Tense
Active translation: I will command, you will command, etc.
Passive translation: I will be commanded, you will be commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iubēbō | iubēbor |
| 2 sing. | iubēbis | iubēberis |
| 3 sing. | iubēbit | iubēbitur |
| 1 plur. | iubēbimus | iubēbimur |
| 2 plur. | iubēbitis | iubēbiminī |
| 3 plur. | iubēbunt | iubēbuntur |
Imperfect Tense
Active translation: I was commanding, you were commanding, etc.
Passive translation: I was being commanded, you were being commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iubēbam | iubēbar |
| 2 sing. | iubēbās | iubēbāris |
| 3 sing. | iubēbat | iubēbātur |
| 1 plur. | iubēbāmus | iubēbāmur |
| 2 plur. | iubēbātis | iubēbāminī |
| 3 plur. | iubēbant | iubēbantur |
Perfect Tense
Active translation: I commanded / I have commanded, you commanded / you have commanded, etc.
Passive translation: I was commanded / I have been commanded, you were commanded / you have been commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iussī | iussus, a, um sum |
| 2 sing. | iussistī | iussus, a, um es |
| 3 sing. | iussit | iussus, a, um est |
| 1 plur. | iussimus | iussī, ae, a sumus |
| 2 plur. | iussistis | iussī, ae, a estis |
| 3 plur. | iussērunt / iussēre | iussī, ae, a sunt |
Notice that the passive of the perfect tense (and also the pluperfect and future perfect) is a compound form. You combine the perfect passive participle (the fourth principal part) with the proper form of sum, the Latin verb to be.
The participle can be masculine, feminine, or neuter depending on the subject of the verb. Since participles are verbal adjectives, they agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case, just like Latin adjectives do.
Pluperfect Tense
Active translation: I had commanded, you had commanded, etc.
Passive translation: I had been commanded, you had been commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iusseram | iussus, a, um eram |
| 2 sing. | iusserās | iussus, a, um erās |
| 3 sing. | iusserat | iussus, a, um erat |
| 1 plur. | iusserāmus | iussī, ae, a erāmus |
| 2 plur. | iusserātis | iussī, ae, a erātis |
| 3 plur. | iusserant | iussī, ae, a erant |
Future Perfect Tense
Active translation: I will have commanded, you will have commanded, etc.
Passive translation: I will have been commanded, you will have been commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iusserō | iussus, a, um erō |
| 2 sing. | iusseris | iussus, a, um eris |
| 3 sing. | iusserit | iussus, a, um erit |
| 1 plur. | iusserimus | iussī, ae, a erimus |
| 2 plur. | iusseritis | iussī, ae, a eritis |
| 3 plur. | iusserint | iussī, ae, a erunt |
Imperative Mood
Now it’s time to look at the imperatives (aka command forms) of the Latin second conjugation. Present tense imperatives are the most common, and in fact they often appear early on in Latin textbooks.
Here are the present imperatives:
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 2 sing. | iubē command! | iubēre be commanded! |
| 2 plur. | iubēte (y’all) command! | iubēminī (y’all) be commanded! |
And here are the much less common future imperatives:
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 2 sing. | iubētō command! (you shall command) | iubētor be commanded! (you shall be commanded) |
| 3 sing. | iubētō he/she/it shall command | iubētor he/she/it shall be commanded |
| 2 plur. | iubētōte (y’all) command! (y’all shall command) | none |
| 3 plur. | iubentō they shall command | iubentor they shall be commanded |
Infinitives
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present | iubēre to command | iubērī to be commanded |
| Perfect | iussisse to have commanded | iussum esse to have been commanded |
| Future | iussūrum esse to be about to command | iussum īrī to be about to be commanded |
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood can be translated in many different ways. I have provided sample translations so you can get a feel for each tense, but the exact translation will depend on the context a verb appears in.
Present Subjunctive
Active translation: I may command, you may command, etc.
Passive translation: I may be commanded, you may be commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iubeam | iubear |
| 2 sing. | iubeās | iubeāris |
| 3 sing. | iubeat | iubeātur |
| 1 plur. | iubeāmus | iubeāmur |
| 2 plur. | iubeātis | iubeāminī |
| 3 plur. | iubeant | iubeantur |
Notice that an A appears after the E in the subjunctive. Don’t confuse the subjunctive of 2nd conjugation verbs with the indicative of 1st conjugation verbs!
Imperfect Subjunctive
Active translation: I might command, you might command, etc.
Passive translation: I might be commanded, you might be commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iubērem | iubērer |
| 2 sing. | iubērēs | iubērēris |
| 3 sing. | iubēret | iubērētur |
| 1 plur. | iubērēmus | iubērēmur |
| 2 plur. | iubērētis | iubērēminī |
| 3 plur. | iubērent | iubērentur |
Perfect Subjunctive
Active translation: I may have commanded, you may have commanded, etc.
Passive translation: I may have been commanded, you may have been commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iusserim | iussus, a, um sim |
| 2 sing. | iusserīs | iussus, a, um sīs |
| 3 sing. | iusserit | iussus, a, um sit |
| 1 plur. | iusserīmus | iussī, ae, a sīmus |
| 2 plur. | iusserītis | iussī, ae, a sītis |
| 3 plur. | iusserint | iussī, ae, a sint |
Pluperfect Subjunctive
Active translation: I might have commanded, you might have commanded, etc.
Passive translation: I might have been commanded, you might have been commanded, etc.
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sing. | iussissem | iussus, a, um essem |
| 2 sing. | iussissēs | iussus, a, um essēs |
| 3 sing. | iussisset | iussus, a, um esset |
| 1 plur. | iussissēmus | iussī, ae, a essēmus |
| 2 plur. | iussissētis | iussī, ae, a essētis |
| 3 plur. | iussissent | iussī, ae, a essent |
Participles, Gerunds, & Supines
Last but not least, let’s take a look at verbal nouns and verbal adjectives of the Latin 2nd conjugation. Here are the participles:
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present | iubēns “commanding” | none |
| Perfect | none | iussus, a, um “having been commanded” |
| Future | iussūrus, a, um “going to command” | iubendus, a, um “about to be commanded” |
You form the future active participle by adding –ūrus, a, um to the stem of the perfect passive participle.
👉 Learn more about participles here!
Latin has two types of verbal nouns: the gerund and the supine.
- Gerund: iubendī
- Supine: iussum
The gerund does not have a nominative form, which is why we list it in the genitive case. The gerund looks exactly like the neuter of the gerundive (the future passive participle).
The supine only appears in the accusative case (iussum) and in the ablative case (iussū). The accusative of the supine is the same (in form – not in meaning) as the neuter accusative of the perfect participle passive.
FAQs about 2nd Conjugation Latin Verbs
How do you tell if a Latin verb belongs to the second conjugation?
Look at the verb’s second principal part (the present infinitive). If it ends in -ēre, the verb belongs to the 2nd conjugation.
What is the second conjugation infinitive in Latin?
Latin verbs have six possible infinitives, and 2nd conjugation verbs are no exception. The most important infinitive for beginning students is the present active infinitive, which ends in -ēre.
Examples of this form are monēre (from moneō), vidēre (from videō), and dēbēre (from dēbeō).
What is the difference between 2nd and 3rd conjugation verbs in Latin?
2nd conjugation and 3rd conjugation are two separate categories of verbs in Latin. They have completely different sets of endings, so it is important to be able to recognize the difference.
Students often confuse 2nd conjugation and 3rd conjugation verbs because their present infinitives look similar. 2nd conjugation verbs have infinitives in -ēre (with the macron), while 3rd conjugation verbs have infinitives in -ere (without the macron).
Pay attention to the macron usage in your dictionary or textbook, and you will avoid confusion.
Final Thoughts on 2nd Conjugation Latin Verbs
I hope that you are now feeling more comfortable with Latin verbs of the 2nd conjugation. If you remember one thing from this post, it should be that 2nd conjugation verbs are associated with the vowel E.
Latin verbs are tough, so it is important to keep coming back to them over and over. If you read this post again in a few months, you will understand more than you did today – and eventually, 2nd conjugation verbs will become instinctive.
Now how comfortable are you with third conjugation verbs? How about fourth conjugation verbs?
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