How to Use the Tense
Timeline to Form
Perfect System Verb Tenses
Note the equivalent number of each tense on
the number (time) line*:
present = 0
one step in the past = -1
two steps in the past = -2
one step in the future = +1
two steps in the future = +2
pluperfect |
imperfect
perfect |
present |
future
perfect |
future |
Perfect System Verb Tenses
in the Active Voice
(stem from the 3rd principal part: laudavi (active)
PERFECT ACTIVE: perfect stem + perfect endings
(-1 + 0 = -1)
(NB: this is the only one that doesn't work perfectly since the perfect
endings are idiosyncratic and have no value on the timeline)
perfect stem |
+ |
perfect endings |
= |
-1 |
perfect |
laudav- |
+ |
-it |
= |
laudavit |
"he has
praised" |
-1 |
+ |
0 |
= |
-1 |
(one step in
the past) |
"He
has praised the child often." or "He praised the
child often."
explanation: this action occurred in the simple past, one step before
the present. |
PLUPERFECT ACTIVE: perfect stem +
imperfect of sum as endings (-1 + -1 = -2)
perfect
stem |
+ |
imperfect
of sum |
= |
-2 |
pluperfect |
laudav- |
+ |
-erat |
= |
laudaverat |
"he
had praised" |
-1 |
+ |
-1 |
= |
-2 |
(two
steps in
the past) |
"He
had praised the child before evening came."
explanation: both actions are in the past, but one occurred two steps in
the past; one action happened before the other, so you must account for
two depths of the past, two steps removed from the present. |
FUTURE PERFECT ACTIVE:
perfect stem + future of sum as endings (-1 + 2 = +1)
perfect
stem |
+ |
future
of sum |
= |
+1 |
pluperfect |
laudav- |
+ |
-erit |
= |
laudaverit |
"he
will have praised" |
-1 |
+ |
+2 |
= |
+1 |
(in
between future and past but after the present) |
"He
will have praised the child before evening comes."
explanation: both actions are in the future (future), but one will occur
after the first one is completed (perfect). The action of the verb in the
future perfect tense will occur at a midway point between two points on
the line, between NOW (our present) and THEN (when evening comes, the end of the
line, which hasn't happened yet, but will). |
*Thanks to
Peter Rohn, one of my Latin students, for suggesting that I give "future"
the value of 2, thereby making it possible to assign a smaller positive
integer to "future perfect." I
had originally valued "future" at 1, and then was stuck with 1/2
for future perfect. back
to top
See Grammar explanation sheet
under Chapter 19 for the
Perfect System in Passive Voice
copyright
2001 Janice
Siegel,
All Rights Reserved
send comments to: Janice Siegel (jfsiege@ilstu.edu)
date this page was edited last:
06/29/2005
the URL
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