Infinitives

A1 — Latin Grammar

The infinitive is the "to ..." form of a verb: "to love", "to see", "to be".

Can recognize Infinitives in a short Latin prompt

The infinitive is the "to ..." form of a verb: "to love", "to see", "to be".

Examples

— To err is human.
— I want to see Rome.

Latin GrammarA1

Infinitives

The infinitive is the "to ..." form of a verb: "to love", "to see", "to be".

Learning Goal

Can recognize Infinitives in a short Latin prompt

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

To err is human.

I want to see Rome.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

The infinitive is the "to ..." form of a verb: "to love", "to see", "to be". It names the action without pinning it to a person or time, so it has no personal ending. In Latin the present infinitive is easy to spot: it almost always ends in -re.

Conjugation	Infinitive	Meaning
1st	amare	to love
2nd	monere	to warn
3rd	regere	to rule
4th	audire	to hear

The verb "to be" is irregular: esse = "to be". The infinitive most often follows another verb of wishing, being able, or ought:

Ambulare volō. = I want to walk.
Legere non possum. = I am not able to read.
Puer discere debet. = The boy ought to learn.

For English speakers: English marks the infinitive with a separate little word, "to". Latin has no such word: the "to" is inside the -re ending. So do not scan for a preposition, and do not confuse this with the many Latin uses of the actual word ad ("to a place"). Two more cautions. First, a form like amare is not a command; the command (imperative) singular is ama! ("love!"). Second, the passive infinitive drops the -re for -ri (amari = "to be loved"), so keep an eye on that final letter. When you meet -re with no person attached, read "to ...".

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

To err is human.

Errare is the subject of the sentence, exactly as 'to err' is in the English. The one difference is that Latin needs est and English needs 'is' too - here the languages agree.

I want to see Rome.

Videre depends on volo, exactly as 'to see' depends on 'want'.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

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Frequently asked questions

When is Infinitives used?: The infinitive is the "to ..." form of a verb: "to love", "to see", "to be". It names the action without pinning it to a person or time, so it has no personal ending. In Latin the present infinitive is easy to spot: it almost always ends in -re .
How is Infinitives formed?: The verb "to be" is irregular: esse = "to be". The infinitive most often follows another verb of wishing, being able, or ought: For English speakers: English marks the infinitive with a separate little word, "to". Latin has no such word: the "to" is inside the -re ending. So do not scan for a preposition, and do not confuse this with the many Latin uses of the actual word ad ("to a place"). Two more cautions. First, a form like amare is not a command; the command (imperative) singular is ama! ("love!"). Second, the passive infinitive drops the -re for -ri ( amari = "to be loved"), so keep an eye on that final letter. When you meet -re with no person attached, read "to ...".

Conjugation

Infinitive

Meaning

1st

amare

to love

2nd

monere

to warn

3rd

regere

to rule

4th

audire

to hear

Frequently asked questions

When is Infinitives used?

The infinitive is the "to ..." form of a verb: "to love", "to see", "to be". It names the action without pinning it to a person or time, so it has no personal ending. In Latin the present infinitive is easy to spot: it almost always ends in -re .

How is Infinitives formed?

The verb "to be" is irregular: esse = "to be". The infinitive most often follows another verb of wishing, being able, or ought: For English speakers: English marks the infinitive with a separate little word, "to". Latin has no such word: the "to" is inside the -re ending. So do not scan for a preposition, and do not confuse this with the many Latin uses of the actual word ad ("to a place"). Two more cautions. First, a form like amare is not a command; the command (imperative) singular is ama! ("love!"). Second, the passive infinitive drops the -re for -ri ( amari = "to be loved"), so keep an eye on that final letter. When you meet -re with no person attached, read "to ...".