A Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges

by George Martin Lane

[885.] (1.) Some shorter forms in the perfect system are principally found in old Latin.

[886.] (a.) Shorter forms in the perfect indicative, the pluperfect subjunctive, and the infinitive, most of them from perfects in -s- ([867]), occur chiefly in verse: thus,

Perfect indicative, second person singular, common: as, dīxtī (Plaut., Ter., Cic.); plural, rare: as, accestis (Verg.). Pluperfect subjunctive singular, not very common: as, exstīnxem (Verg.), intellēxēs (Plaut.), vīxet (Verg.); plural, once only, ērēpsēmus (Hor.). Infinitive, dīxe (Plaut.), cōnsūmpse (Lucr.).

[887.] (b.) A perfect subjunctive stem in -sī- or in -ssī-, and a future perfect indicative stem in -s^o|_e- or in -ss^o|_e-, occur chiefly in old laws and prayers, and in dramatic verse: as,

Perfect subjunctive: faxim, faxīs, FAXSEIS (inscr. 145 B.C.), faxit, faxīmus, faxītis, faxint; ausim, ausīs, ausit; locāssim, amāssīs, servāssit, amāssint, prohibēssīs, prohibēssit, cohibēssit, licēssit.

Future perfect indicative: faxō, faxis, faxit, faxitis, capsō, recepsō, iussō, occīsit, capsimus; levāssō, invītāssitis, mulcāssitis, exoculāssitis, prohibēssis, prohibēssint. Denominatives in -āre have also, in old Latin, a future perfect infinitive: as, impetrāssere.

[888.] Passive inflections, as future perfect faxitur, turbāssitur, deponent MERCASSITVR (inscr. 111 B.C.), are very rare; and, indeed, with the exception of faxō and ausim, even the active forms had become antiquated by 150 B.C. Denominatives in -īre never have the above formations. But ambiō, canvass, is thought to have a future perfect ambīssit twice (Plaut. prol.).

[889.] (2.) Shortened forms from perfect stems formed by the suffix -v- ([869]) are very common in all periods.

[890.] (a.) In tenses formed from perfect stems in -āv-, -ēv-, and -ōv-, v is often dropped before -is-, -ēr-, or -er-, and the vowels thus brought together are contracted ([153, 1]): as,

laudāvistī, laudāstī; laudāvistis, laudāstis; laudāvērunt, laudārunt (but the form in -re, as laudāvēre, is never contracted); laudāverim, laudārim, &c.; laudāveram, laudāram, &c.; laudāvissem, laudāssem, &c.; laudāverō, laudārō, &c.; laudāvisse, laudāsse.