# Latin for beginners (1911)/Part II/Lesson XXXII

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LESSON XXXII
THE PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE OF THE FOUR REGULAR CONJUGATIONS
190. Meanings of the Perfect. The perfect tense has two distinct meanings. The first of these is equivalent to the English present perfect, or perfect with have, and denotes that the action of the verb is complete at the time of speaking; as, I have finished my work. As this denotes completed action at a definite time, it is called the perfect definite.
​The perfect is also used to denote an action that happened sometime in the past; as, I finished my work. As no definite time is specified, this is called the perfect indefinite. It corresponds to the ordinary use of the English past tense.
a. Note carefully the difference between the following tenses:
| I | was finishing used to finish | my work (imperfect, § 134) |
| I finished my work (perfect indefinite) |||
| I have finished my work (perfect definite) |||
When telling a story the Latin uses the perfect indefinite to mark the different forward steps of the narrative, and the imperfect to describe situations and circumstances that attend these steps. If the following sentences were Latin, what tenses would be used?
“Last week I went to Boston. I was trying to find an old friend of mine, but he was out of the city. Yesterday I returned home.”
191. Inflection of the Perfect. We learned in § 186 that any perfect is inflected by adding the endings of the perfect to the perfect stem. The inflection in the four regular conjugations is then as follows:
| | Conj. I | Conj. II | Conj. III | Conj. III | Conj. IV |
| | amāvī | monuī | rēxī | cēpī | audīvī |
| | I have loved I loved or did love | I have advised I advised or did advise | I have ruled I ruled or did rule | I have taken I took or did take | I have heard I heard or did hear |
| | Perfect Stems | Perfect Stems | Perfect Stems | Perfect Stems | Perfect Stems |
| | amāv- | monu- | rēx- | cēp- | audīv- |
| | Singular | Singular | Singular | Singular | Singular |
| 1. | amā´vī | mo´nuī | rē´xī | cē´pī | audī´vī |
| 2. | amāvis´tī | monuis´tī | rēxis´tī | cēpis´tī | audīvis´tī |
| 3. | amā´vit | mo´nuit | rē´xit | cē´pit | audī´vit |
| | Plural | Plural | Plural | Plural | Plural |
| 1. | amā´vimus | monu´imus | rē´ximus | cē´pimus | audī´vimus |
| 2. | amāvis´tis | monuis´tis | rēxis´tis | cēpis´tis | audīvis´tis |
| 3. | amāvē´runt or amāvē´re | monuē´runt or monuē´re | rēxē´runt or rēxē´re | cēpē´runt or cēpē´re | audīvē´runt or audīvē´re |
    1. The first person of the perfect is always given as the third of the principal parts. From this we get the perfect stem. This shows the absolute necessity of learning the principal parts thoroughly.
    2. Nearly all perfects of the first conjugation are formed by adding -vī to the present stem. Like amavi inflect parāvī, vocāvī, cūrāvī, laudāvī.
    3. Note carefully the changing accent in the perfect. Drill on it.
192. Learn the principal parts and inflect the perfects:
Perseus and Andromeda (Continued)
First learn the special vocabulary, p. 290.
Cēpheus, adversā fortūnā maximē commōtus, discessit et multīs cum lacrimīs populō Aethiopiae verba ōrāculī nārrāvit. Fāta Andromedae, puellae pulchrae, ā totō populō dēplōrābantur, tamen nūllum erat auxilium. Deinde Cēpheus cum plēnō trīstitiae animō cāram suam fīliam ex oppidī portā ad aquam dūxit et bracchia eius ad saxa dūra revīnxit. Tum amīcī puellae miserae longē discessērunt et diū mōnstrum saevum exspectāvērunt.
Tum forte Perseus, ālīs frētus, super Aethiopiam volābat. Vīdit populum, Andromedam, lacrimās, et, magnopere attonitus, ad terram dēscendit. Tum Cēpheus eī tōtās cūrās nārrāvit et ita dīxit: “Pārēbō verbīs ōrāculī, et prō patriā fīliam meam dabō; sed sī id mōnstrum interficiēs et Andromedam servābis, tibi {to you) eam dabō.”
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