Shortened Verb Forms: amasti, nosti

Shortened Verb Forms

Level 6

In the perfect, v and the vowel after it can drop out before -s- and -r-.

How It Works

Long formShort formMeaning
amavistiamastiyou loved
amaveruntamaruntthey loved
audivisseaudisseto have heard
audivistiaudistiyou heard
novistinostiyou know
dubitavistidubitastiyou doubted

Only forms with an s or r after the stem can shorten. Forms such as amavi and amavit stay whole.

The pluperfect subjunctive shortens in the same way: amavissem becomes amassem. Perfects in -evi shorten too: deleverunt becomes delerunt.

When you meet a short form, put the long form back in your head and read it as usual.

Examples (5)

  1. Cur me non amasti?

    Why did you not love me?

    Amasti is the short form of amavisti.

  2. Iuliam nosti?

    Do you know Iulia?

    Nosti is the short form of novisti. The perfect of nosco means know.

  3. Audisti verba magistri?

    Did you hear the teacher's words?

    Audisti is the short form of audivisti.

  4. Modicae fidei, quare dubitasti?

    O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

    Matthew 14:31. The Vulgate has dubitasti for dubitavisti.

  5. Cives Romam amarunt.

    The citizens loved Rome.

    Amarunt is the short form of amaverunt.

How It Connects

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Shortened Verb Forms: amasti, nostiLevel 6Shortened Verb Forms

Learn This First

Syncopated forms are short forms of the perfect, so the perfects in -vi and the perfect infinitive come first.