Perfect Tense: amavi

Level 3

One finished event, with a set of endings only the perfect uses.

How It Works

PersonEndingamareaudire
I-iamaviaudivi
you-istiamavistiaudivisti
he, she-itamavitaudivit
we-imusamavimusaudivimus
you all-istisamavistisaudivistis
they-eruntamaveruntaudiverunt

The endings are the same for every verb. Only the stem changes, and the next three entries show how stems are made. The you forms both contain -ist-: -isti for one person and -istis for several.

English has two ways to translate the perfect: Iulia cantavit can be Iulia sang or Iulia has sung.

The ending -erunt is not the -unt of the present: cantant means they sing, and cantaverunt means they sang.

Examples (5)

  1. Ego Marcum vidi.

    I saw Marcus.

    Vidi is the first person perfect of video.

  2. Tu hodie venisti.

    You came today.

    Venisti ends in -isti, the you ending.

  3. Iulia cantavit.

    Iulia sang.

    Cantavit is the perfect stem cantav- plus -it.

  4. Nos Deum laudavimus.

    We praised God.

    Laudavimus ends in -imus, the we ending.

  5. Amici Romam viderunt.

    The friends saw Rome.

    Viderunt ends in -erunt, the they ending.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the present ending on the perfect stem.

    Pueri cantavunt.
    Pueri cantaverunt.

    The perfect has its own third person plural ending: -erunt.

  • Using the first person ending for you.

    Tu hodie cantavi.
    Tu hodie cantavisti.

    Cantavi means I sang. For you the ending is -isti.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Perfect Tense: amaviLevel 3

Learn This First

The perfect has its own stem and its own endings, so the dictionary forms and the present endings come first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-i-isti-istisamo