These are among the most common words in Latin. Taken together,
they account for almost half the words in a typical prose text.
structure words or particles
verbs
nouns and adjectives
compounds, derivatives, and related words
Pronouns,
Conjunctions, Adverbs
These are the words that show you the structure
of a sentence.
Pronouns:
ego; hic; idem; ille; ipse; is;
iste; nemo; nihil; nos; qui; quidam;
quis; quisque; se; tu; vos
Conjunctions:
ac, atque (usually ac before consonants, atque before vowels);
an; aut; autem; deinde; dum; enim;
et; etiam; nam; ne; nec, neque (usually nec before
consonants, neque before vowels); -que; quia; quod;
sed; si; tamen; tum; ut; vel
Prepositions taking the ablative:
ab (a before consonants, abs te); cum; de; ex (e
before consonants); pro; sine
Prepositions taking the accusative:
ad; ante; contra; inter; per; post;
trans
Prepositions taking either case (in different
senses):
in, sub
Adverbs (many prepositions can also be used as
adverbs; some conjunctions are much like adverbs):
haud; iam; inde; ita; modo; non;
nondum; nunc; quam; quidem; satis; tam;
ubi; unde
Verbs
These are where the action happens.
Irregular:
do, eo, fero, fio, inquam, nolo, possum, sum, volo
First conjugation (-âre):
amo, appello, impero, iuro, probo, puto, sto, voco
Second conjugation (-êre):
debeo, habeo, moveo, teneo, video
vereor
Third conjugation (-ere):
ago, capio, credo, dico, duco, facio, gero, incipio, interficio, mitto,
occîdo, peto, pono, reddo, vivo
loquor, sequor, utor
Fourth conjugation (-îre):
audio, scio, venio
Nouns and Adjectives
These are the subjects and objects.
Pronominal declension:
alius, alter, neuter, nullus, solus, totus, ullus, unus, uter
First declension:
causa, gloria, terra
Second declension nouns, first-and-second declension
adjectives:
aequus, amicus, animus, annus, arma, bellum, bonus, certus, dignus,
deus, filius, imperium, ingenium, iudicium, lîber (adj), locus, longus,
magnus, meus, modus, multus, natus, noster, novus, parvus, populus, primus,
principium, publicus, quantus, regnum, salvus, suus, tantus, tuus, verus,
vester, vir
Third declension:
adulescens, aetas, civis, civitas, corpus, crimen, dux, facilis, gens,
gravis, homo, hostis, ius, mater, miles, mors, mulier, nomen, omnis, opes,
ordo, pars, pater, potestas, qualis, rex, similis, sol, talis, tempus,
urbs, uxor, virtus, vis (somewhat irregular), vulnus
Fourth declension:
domus
Fifth declension:
dies, fides, res
The
next words to learn are the easy compounds and derivatives of these words:
verbs + prefixes (ab + sum), agent
nouns from verbs (auditor), qualitative
nouns from adjectives (magnitudo),
verbal nouns (motus), and so on.
This will give you another couple hundred words almost for free.
Some of these words, naturally, are more common than others; the
most common words in the following lists are marked.
The lists are not exhaustive, and in particular derivatives and compounds
can be formed from derived words.
verbs compounded with prepositions
verbs derived from other verbs
verbs derived from nouns and adjectives
nouns derived from verbs
nouns derived from adjectives
Verb compounds:
Note that compounds with ad may be spelled
with or without assimilation (a word that exemplifies what it means: ad
+ similis). Cum in compounds
appears as con and is generally assimilated.
Principal parts are the same as for the uncompounded
verb unless otherwise noted.
By prefix:
Compounds with ab:
abdico, abdo, abduco, abeo, abigo
(ab + ago), abiuro, absto, abstineo (ab + teneo), absum,
abutor, amitto, amoveo, aufero, avoco
Compounds with ad:
accipio (ad + capio), accredo,
adamo, addico, addo, adduco, adeo,
adhibeo, adigo, adiuro, admitto, admoveo, adsequor, adsto, adsum,
advenio, advoco, afficio, affero,
aggero, alloquor, appello, appeto,
appono, approbo, ascio, attineo
Compounds with ante:
antecapio, anteeo or anteo, antefero, antehabeo, antemitto,
antepono, antesto, antevenio
Compounds with cum:
coeo (cum + eo), cogo (cum + ago),
concipio, concredo, condico, condo,
conduco, conficio, confero, congero,
cohabeo (cum + habeo), coniuro, colloquor, committo,
commoveo, competo, compono, comprobo, computo, conscio, consequor, consto,
contineo,
convenio, convivo, convoco
Compounds with de:
dego (de + ago), decido, decipio,
dedo,
deduco, defero, deficio, degero, deiero
(de + iuro), demitto, demoveo, depono,
deputo, desum, detineo, deutor, devenio, devoco
Compounds with dis:
dido, diduco, differo, digero, dimitto,
dimoveo, dispono, disputo, disto, distineo
Compounds with ex:
exigo, exaudio, excipio,
edico, edo, educo, exeo, efficio,
effero,
egero, exhibeo, eiuro (or eiero), eloquor, emitto, emoveo, expeto,
expono, exputo, exsto (or exto),
evenio, evoco
Compounds with in: Note the prefix in these verbs is related
to the preposition in; there is also a negative in-
as in inimicus (in + amicus).
inigo, inaudio, incipio, indico,
indo, induco, ineo,
infero,
inficio, ingero, inhibeo, immitto,
impero,
impeto, impono, improbo, imputo, insequor, insto, insum, invenio,
invideo, invoco
Compounds with inter:
intercipio, interdico, interdo, intereo, interficio,
interfio, interloquor, intermitto,
interpono, intersum, intervenio
Compounds with ob:
occido, occipio, occupo
(also ob + capio), obdo, obduco, obeo,
offero,
officio, oggero, obloquor,
omitto,
oppeto, oppono, obsequor, obsto, obsum, obtineo,
obvenio
Compounds with per:
perago, percipio,
perdo,
perduco, pereo,
perfero,
perficio,
perhibeo, peiero or periuro, permitto,
permoveo, perputo, persequor,
persto, pertineo,
pervenio,
pervideo, pervolo
Compounds with post:
postfero, posthabeo, postpono, postputo
Compounds with prae:
praecipio, praedico, praeeo, praefero,
praeficio,
praebeo (prae + habeo), praeloquor,
praemitto, praepono, praescio, praesto,
praesum, praevenio,
praevideo
Compounds with pro:
prodigo (pro + ago), prodico, prodo, produco,
prodeo (pro + eo), profero, proficio,
prohibeo,
proloquor, promitto, promoveo, propono,
prosequor, prosum, provenio, provideo, provoco
Compounds with re:
redigo, redamo, recipio,
reddo,
redeo,
reduco,
reficio, refero, regero, remitto,
removeo,
repeto,
repono, reputo, resequor, resto,
retineo,
revenio, revereor, revideo,
revoco
Compounds with sub:
subigo, suscipio,
subdo, subduco, subeo, sufficio, suggero, submitto or summitto,
summoveo, suppeto, suppono, subsequor, substo, subsum, sustineo,
subvenio, subvereor
Compounds with trans:
transigo, trado,
traduco or transduco, transeo,
transfero, traloquor, transmitto, transmoveo, transpono, transtineo
return to top
return to derivatives
By verb:
Compounds of ago:
abigo, adigo, cogo, dego, exigo,
inigo, perago, prodigo, redigo, subigo, transigo
Compounds of amo:
adamo, redamo
Compounds of capio: Note the a is usually weakened
to i.
accipio, antecapio, concipio, decipio,
excipio,
incipio, intercipio, occipio, occupo,
percipio, praecipio, recipio,
suscipio
Compounds of credo:
accredo, concredo
Compounds of dico:
abdico, addico, condico, edico, indico, interdico, praedico, prodico
Compounds of do: Note most of these are in the third
conjugation!
abdo, addo, condo, dedo,
dido, edo, indo, interdo, obdo, perdo,
reddo,
trado
Compounds of duco:
abduco, adduco,
conduco, deduco,
diduco, educo,
induco,
obduco, perduco, produco,
reduco,
subdoco, traduco
Compounds of eo:
abeo, adeo,
anteo or anteeo, coeo, exeo, ineo,
intereo, obeo, pereo,
praeeo, prodeo, redeo, subeo, transeo
Compounds of facio: Note the a is usually weakened
to i.
afficio, conficio, deficio, efficio,
inficio, interficio, officio, perficio,
praeficio,
proficio, reficio, sufficio
Compounds of fero:
affero, antefero, aufero, confero,
defero, differo, effero, infero,
offero,
perfero, postfero, praefero,
profero, refero, transfero
Compounds of gero:
aggero, congero, degero, digero, egero, ingero, oggero, regero, suggero
Compounds of habeo: Note the a is usually weakened
to i.
adhibeo, antehabeo, cohabeo, exhibeo, inhibeo, perhibeo, posthabeo,
praebeo,
prohibeo
Compounds of iuro:
abiuro, adiuro, coniuro, deiero, eiuro or eiero, periuro or
peiero
Compounds of loquor:
alloquor, colloquor, eloquor, interloquor, obloquor, praeloquor, proloquor
Compounds of mitto:
amitto, admitto, antemitto, committo,
demitto, dimitto, emitto, immitto,
intermitto,
omitto, permitto, praemitto, promitto,
remitto, submitto or summitto,
transmitto
Compounds of moveo:
amoveo, admoveo, commoveo, demoveo, dimoveo, emoveo, permoveo, promoveo,
removeo,
summoveo, transmoveo
Compounds of peto:
appeto, competo, expeto, impeto, oppeto, repeto,
suppeto
Compounds of pono:
appono, antepono, compono, depono,
expono,
impono, interpono, oppono, postpono, praepono, propono,
repono, suppono, transpono
Compounds of probo:
approbo, comprobo, improbo
Compounds of puto:
computo, deputo, disputo, exputo, imputo, perputo, postputo, reputo
Compounds of scio:
ascio, conscio, praescio
Compounds of sequor:
adsequor, consequor, insequor, obsequor, persequor,
prosequor, resequor, subsequor
Compounds of sto:
absto, adsto, antesto, consto,
disto, exsto or exto, insto, obsto, persto, praesto,
resto, substo
Compounds of sum:
absum, adsum,
desum, intersum, intersum, obsum, praesum,
prosum
Compounds of teneo: Note the first e is usually
weakened to i.
abstineo, attineo, contineo, detineo,
obtineo,
pertineo, retineo, sustineo
Compounds of utor:
abutor, deutor
Compounds of venio:
advenio, antevenio, convenio, devenio, evenio,
invenio, intervenio, obvenio, pervenio,
praevenio, provenio, revenio, subvenio
Compounds of vereor:
revereor, subvereor
Compounds of video:
invideo, pervideo, praevideo, provideo,
revideo
Compounds of vivo:
convivo
Compounds of voco:
avoco, advoco, convoco, devoco, evoco, invoco, provoco, revoco
Compounds of volo:
pervolo
return to top
return to derivatives
Verbs derived
from verbs:
Frequentatives: indicate doing the
action of the base verb frequently or repeatedly, or more intensely
These are formed with -t-, -it-, -tit- added to the stem of the base
verb, and they are in the first conjugation.
agito, appellito, capto, dicto, dictito, ducto, ductito, factito, gesto
(from gero), habito, imperito, ito (from eo), loquitor, moto, petesso,
sciscitor, scitor, sector, sisto, ventito, vocito
Causatives: indicate causing the
action of the base verb.
These are usually formed with vowel changes; compare lay
(cause to lie), set (cause to sit), fell (cause
to fall) in English.
cado, caedo; occido, occîdo; iaceo, iacio;
sedeo, sedo
return to top
return to derivatives
Verbs derived
from nouns and adjectives:
Inchoatives: indicate becoming,
taking on the state given by the adjective
adulesco, gravesco, vivesco
Desideratives: indicate desiring
the thing given by the noun or adjective
petiturio
return to top
return to derivatives
Nouns derived
from verbs:
Agent nouns: one who does the action
of the verb
Most of these are third-declension masculines in -tor, often with matching
feminines in -trix.
actor, agitor, amator, auditor, captor, creditor, debitor, dictator,
ductor, gestor, habitator, imperator,
occisor, petitor, sciscitator, stator
Action nouns: the action that goes
with the verb, the act of doing the verb
Many of these are third-declension feminines in -tio. Others
are fourth-declension masculines in -tus.
actio, amatio, appellatio, auditio, captio, debitio, factio, gestio,
habitatio, itio (from eo), missio, motio, occisio, petitio, positio, probatio,
translatio, visio, vocatio
aditus, adventus,
auditus,
ductus, gestus, habitus, impetus, missus,
motus, petitus, positus, victus, vocatus
return to top
return to derivatives
Nouns derived
from adjectives:
There are several common suffixes that make abstract nouns from adjectives
(including participles).
amicitia, potentia, scientia
aequalitas, dignitas, facilitas, gravitas, libertas, novitas, potestas,
qualitas, veritas
certitudo, longitudo, magnitudo, multitudo, similitudo
return to top
return to derivatives