Editing Latin conjugation (section)

==Number of conjugations==
The ancient Romans themselves, beginning with [[Marcus Terentius Varro|Varro]] (1st century BC), originally divided their verbs into three conjugations ({{lang|la|coniugationes verbis accidunt tres: prima, secunda, tertia}} "there are three different conjugations for verbs: the first, second, and third" ([[Aelius Donatus|Donatus]]), 4th century AD), according to whether the ending of the 2nd person singular had an ''a'', an ''e'' or an ''i'' in it.<ref>Donatus [''Ars Maior''], 10.16.</ref> However, others, such as [[Marius Plotius Sacerdos|Sacerdos]] (3rd century AD), [[Dositheus Magister|Dositheus]] (4th century AD) and [[Priscian]]<ref>Priscian, [http://kaali.linguist.jussieu.fr/CGL/text.jsp?topic=de%20uerbo&ref=2,369,1-547,14 {{lang|la|Liber octauus de uerbo}}] (''Corpus Grammaticorum Latinorum'')</ref> (c. 500 AD), recognised four different groups.<ref>Daniel J. Taylor [http://www.persee.fr/doc/hel_0750-8069_1991_num_13_2_2334 "Latin declensions and conjugations: from Varro to Priscian"] ''Historie Épistémologie Langage'' 13.2 (1991), pp. 85–93.</ref>

In modern times grammarians<ref>e.g. Gildersleeve and Lodge, 3rd edition (1895), §120.</ref> generally recognise four conjugations according to the ending of the active infinitive: namely '''-āre''', '''-ēre''', '''-ere''', or '''-īre''', for example: '''(1) {{lang|la|amō, amāre}}''' "to love", '''(2) {{lang|la|videō, vidēre}}''' "to see", '''(3) {{lang|la|regō, regere}}''' "to rule"  and '''{{lang|la|capiō, capere}}''' "to capture", '''(4) {{lang|la|audiō, audīre}}''' "to hear". (3rd conjugation verbs  ending in ''-iō'' such as {{lang|la|capiō}} are sometimes known as "mixed conjugation" since they use a mixture of 3rd and 4th conjugation endings.)

In addition to regular verbs, which belong to one or other of the four regular conjugations, there are also a few irregular verbs, which have a different pattern of endings. The most frequent of these is the verb '''{{lang|la|sum, esse}}''' "to be" together with its prefixed derivatives.

There also exist [[deponent verb|deponent]] Latin verbs, which though active in meaning have endings identical to the passive endings of ordinary verbs. Examples in the different conjugations are: '''(1) {{lang|la|moror, morārī}}''' "to delay", '''(2) {{lang|la|polliceor, pollicērī}}''' "to promise", '''(3) {{lang|la|sequor, sequī}}''' "to follow" and '''{{lang|la|regredior, regredī}}''' "to go back", '''(4) {{lang|la|mentior, mentīrī}}''' "to lie (tell a lie)". Some verbs are semi-deponent, using passive forms for the perfect tenses only.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Latin conjugation basic paradigm
! Aspect → 
! colspan="6" | Imperfect
! colspan="6" | Perfect
|-
! Voice →
! colspan="3" | Active
! colspan="3" | Passive
! colspan="2" | Active
! colspan="2" | Passive
|-
! Mood ↓
! Indicative
! Subjunctive
! Imperative
! Indicative
! Subjunctive
! Imperative
! Indicative
! Subjunctive
! Indicative
! Subjunctive
|-
! Past
| '''amābam'''<br />* I was loving || '''amārem'''<br />* I might love || — || '''amābar'''<br />* I was being loved  || '''amārer'''<br />* I might be loved || — || '''amāveram'''<br />* I had loved || '''amāvissem'''<br />* I would have loved || '''amātus eram'''<br />* I had been loved || '''amātus essem'''<br />* I might have been loved
|-
! Present
| '''amō'''<br />* I am loving<br />* I love || '''amem'''<br />* I may love || '''amā'''<br />* love! || '''amor'''<br />* I am being loved<br />* I am loved || '''amer'''<br />* I may be loved || '''amāre'''<br />* be loved! || '''amāvī'''<br />* I have loved<br />* I loved || '''amāverim'''<br />* I might have loved || '''amātus sum'''<br />* I have been loved || '''amātus sim'''<br />* I may have been loved
|- 
! Future
| '''amābō'''<br />* I will love || — || '''amātō'''<br />* you should love || '''amābor'''<br />* I will be loved || — || '''amātor'''<br />* you should be loved || '''amāverō'''<br />* I will have loved || — || '''amātus erō'''<br />* I will have been loved || —
|-
|}