Verbs

Belong to the word class denoting an activity. In Latin, they are classified into four categories
(conjugations) based on their stem vowels.

Usually the present stem = the infinitive minus the infinitive termination -re.

The stem vowel (a, ē, e, ī) tells you which conjugation

the verb belongs to:

I) san-a-re (to heal, to treat)

II) misc-ē-re (to mix)

III) divid-e-re (to divide)

IV) exped-ī-re (to dispatch)

For the medical terminology needs and especially for writing medical prescriptions, it will be

sufficient to introduce only a selected number of verbal forms/moods.


Imperative

The imperative mood is used for direct commands (orders)

 This is why we need the imperative in the 2nd person of singular:

I) sana! (heal!)

II) misce! (mix!)

III) divide! (divide!)

IV) expedi! (dispatch!)

Note: The object collocating with the imperative appears in the accusative: e.g. para solutionem.


Subjunctive

The subjunctive mood expresses a possibility or a wish.

In medical prescription, this Form is used to indicate what should be done/what is to be done with
medications or substances in question.

The present tense+ the passive voice of subjunctive (the 3rd person of both singular and

plural) is formed by:

• changing the stem vowel -a-(ā)- to -e-(ē) - (1st conjugation);

• changing the stem vowel -e- to -a-(ā)- (3rd conjugation);

• adding the vowel -a-(ā)- behind the stem vowel (2nd and 4th conjugations).

The passive voice is formed by adding the suffix -tur in the 3rd person of singular and -ntur in
the 3rd person of plural to the subjunctive stem:

I) san-a-re:          san-ē-tur (it is to be healed)

san-e-ntur (they are to be healed)

II) misc-ē-re:      misce-ā-tur (it is to be mixed)

misce-a-ntur (they are to be mixed)

III) divid-e-re:    divid-ā-tur (it is to be divided)

divid-a-ntur (they are to be divided)

IV) exped-ī-re: expedi-ā-tur (it is to be dispatched)

expedi-a-ntur (they are to be dispatched)

Note: The object collocating with the subjunctive appears in the nominative: e.g. solutio paretur.

In case of negation, the expression ne is put in front of the word (ne dividatur = it cannot be

divided, it is not to be divided). The ordinary form of the negation term is non (applied e.g. in

the infinitive: non miscere.


Irregular verbs (a brief selection)

fieri (to become), subjunctive forms of the present tense:

• fiat = it should be made

• fiant = they should be made

esse (to be), indicative of the present tense:

• est = (he, she, it) is

• sunt = (they) are

NOTE: In Latin, as in the Czech language, it is unnecessary to insert personal pronouns in front of
conjugated verbs (such as, conversely, it is done in English, French, and in German) since the
corresponding pronouns are expressed already by the respective verbal termination.

NOTE: If you look up a Latin verb in your vocabulary, in most cases, you will be able to observe
three

entries. The 1st entry is the present, active, singular, 1st person form of the verb. Note the -o

ending (e.g. addo = I add). The 2nd entry, usually abbreviated -as, -es, -is, is the present,
active,

singular, 2nd person. The 3rd entry, usually abbreviated -are, -ēre, -ere, -īre, is the infinitive.

 Example of a Latin verb vocabulary entry:

• addo, is, ere: should be interpreted as: addo, addis, addere – where: addo= I add; addis = you

add; addere = to add.