Latin Verbs - Deponents

Latin Verbs - Deponents Deponent verbs are active in meaning and passive in form.This means that if you see a deponent like conor, you must translate it as an active verb; here: I try. In the dictionary, you will see the verb for to try listed as conor, -ari, -atus sum try Conor is the present passive first person singular indicative, but because the verb is deponent, it is translated as if it were active.Conari is the present passive infinitive. Because of the a. you can tell this is a first conjugation verb. Conari is translated as if it were an active infinitive: to try.The third entry in a non-deponent verb is the third principal part, which gives you the perfect active stem. If the verb were laudo, you would seeRemove the i from laud avi and you have the perfect stem. There is none in the case of conor, because in deponent verbs, the third principal part is skipped.laudo, -are, -avi, - atus praiseConatus sum is the perfect passive participle plus the first person of the verb for to be. In a non-deponent verb, this form would give you the perfect passive, but here the form gives you the perfect active: I tried. In a non-deponent verb, the sum would not be added.Except where the forms are missing, deponent verbs are conjugated just as other verbs in their conjugations.Latin Grammar Tips Latin SupineLatin Verb EndingsLatin ImperativesLatin InfinitivesLatin Verbs - Person and NumberLatin Words - Where Do You Add on Endings?Passive Periphrastic