How to conjugate a-stems in Latin

A-Stems in Latin

The infinitive form (whole verb) is vocare which means "to call". (Obviously not with a telephone ;-).)

Conjugation Table

Conjugation Endings

The first, second, and third person singular and plural are distinguished by the personal endings:

• Singular: -o, -s, -t
• Plural: -mus, -tis, -nt

Learn these endings: -o, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt.

The root voca- is called an a-stem because of the consistent appearance of the -a-. The only exception is in the first person singular (voco), where the -a- sound is absorbed into the -o- sound.

Latin does have personal pronouns (I, you, we, you all), but they are used only for emphasis.

Examples:

• voco: I call
• ego non voco, at tu vocas: I do not call, but you do call (for emphasis).

In summary, a-stems in Latin are identified by the -a- in their conjugation. The personal endings (-o, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt) are crucial to differentiate the person and number in conjugations. Although Latin has personal pronouns, they are typically used to emphasize the subject.

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