capiō, and giving orders
-iō verbs of the third conjugation, and the imperative: amā! audīte!
LatinIntermediate Latin · Verbs: the present systemAbout 3 min: 1 reading, 2 practiceUpdated
- Conjugate capiō in the present, imperfect and future
- Form the imperative, singular and plural, in every conjugation
- Remember dīc, dūc and fac
Latin Level 2: verbs and the other declensions: lesson 9 of 35
- Intermediate Latin · Verbs: the present system
- sum: I am, I was, I shall be 3 min
- The present of amō and moneō 4 min
- The imperfect: was doing 4 min
- The future: will do 3 min
- The dative with adjectives 3 min
- The present of regō and audiō 4 min
- The imperfect of regō and audiō, and verbs that take the dative 3 min
- The future of regō and audiō 3 min
- capiō, and giving orders 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · The passive voice
- The passive: being done to 3 min
- The passive of regō, audiō and capiō; passive infinitives 3 min
- Synopses, and the ablative of "from" 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · The perfect tenses
- fuī, fueram, fuerō: the perfect tenses of sum 3 min
- The perfect active: did, have done 5 min
- Had done, will have done: pluperfect and future perfect active 3 min
- amātus sum: the perfect passive 4 min
- Principal parts, prepositions, and yes-or-no questions 5 min
- possum, "I can", and the infinitive 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · Pronouns
- quī, quae, quod: who, which, that 4 min
- Intermediate Latin · The third declension
- rēx, rēgis: the third declension 4 min
- hostis, urbs, mare: i-stems 4 min
- vīs and iter; gender in the third declension 4 min
- omnis, ācer, pār: third-declension adjectives 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · The fourth and fifth declensions
- manus, cornū: the fourth declension 3 min
- Rōmae, domī, Athēnīs: place and the locative 4 min
- diēs, rēs: the fifth declension and the ablative of time 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · Pronouns
- ego, tū, sē: personal and reflexive pronouns 4 min
- ipse, "himself", and īdem, "the same" 3 min
- hic, iste, ille: this and that 4 min
- aliquis, quīdam, quisque: someone, a certain, each 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · Comparison
- clārior, clārissimus: comparing adjectives 4 min
- melior, optimus: irregular comparison, plūs, and "by how much" 3 min
- clārē, fortiter: adverbs and their comparison 4 min
- Intermediate Latin · Numerals
- ūnus, duo, trēs: numerals, "of" the whole, and "for how long" 5 min
- Intermediate Latin · Deponent verbs
- hortor, sequor: deponent verbs 3 min
Try first
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Pairs with D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners (Ginn, 1909), Lesson XXVI ("Verbs in -iō of the Third Conjugation; The Imperative Mood"), §§ 159–161
What it is
-iō verbs. A few third-conjugation verbs end in -iō, like capiō, capere (take). They behave like audiō wherever two vowels meet, and like regō everywhere else:
| Present | Imperfect | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | capiō | capiēbam | capiam |
| you | capis | capiēbās | capiēs |
| he/she | capit | capiēbat | capiet |
| we | capimus | capiēbāmus | capiēmus |
| you pl. | capitis | capiēbātis | capiētis |
| they | capiunt | capiēbant | capient |
Others: faciō (make, do), fugiō (flee), iaciō (throw), rapiō (seize).
The imperative gives an order. The singular is usually the present stem; the plural adds -te:
| One person | More than one | |
|---|---|---|
| amō | amā! | amāte! |
| moneō | monē! | monēte! |
| regō | rege! | regite! |
| capiō | cape! | capite! |
| audiō | audī! | audīte! |
| sum | es! | este! |
Three short singulars: dīc! (say), dūc! (lead), fac! (do, make).
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
The infinitive is capere. Which conjugation is capiō?
- It ends in -iō, but the infinitive capere (short e) shows it is third
Show answer
3rd. The infinitive decides: capere = third conjugation.
Why it matters
Faciō and capiō are among the most common verbs in Latin, and commands are everywhere in dialogue and stories.
Worked example
- Puerī, audīte magistrum! → Boys, listen to the teacher!
- Mārce, fac cēnam! → Marcus, make dinner!
- Servī fugient. → The slaves will flee.
Common mistake
Calling capiō fourth conjugation because of the -iō. Check the infinitive: capere (short e) is third, so the present is capis, capit, not wrong: capīs, capīt.
Key terms
- capiō, capere
- take, seize
- faciō, facere
- make, do
- fugiō, fugere
- flee
- imperative
- the mood for orders: amā! amāte!
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 4 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| capiō, capere | take, seize |
| faciō, facere | make, do |
| fugiō, fugere | flee |
| imperative | the mood for orders: amā! amāte! |
Practice
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
Ordering one person: "Lead!"
- dūcō has the short form dūc
Show answer
dūc!. dīc, dūc, fac.
Ordering a class: "Listen!"
- That is for one person
Show answer
audīte!. Plural imperative: -te.
"They make"
- -iō verbs keep their i here: faciunt
Show answer
faciunt. -iō verbs: faciunt, like audiunt.
"You (one) take"
- Third conjugation: short i, like regis
Show answer
capis. capis, like regis.
Build the sentence
Build "Boys, praise the master!" in the order: vocative, verb, object.
Show answer
Puerī, laudāte dominum!. Several boys: plural imperative laudāte.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
You are a patient Latin tutor. Use the classical pronunciation only, never the Church one: c is always k, g is always hard, v sounds like w, ae like the ai in aisle, and long vowels are held longer. Speak slowly. Use only these Latin words: capiō, faciō, fugiō, venī, venīte, audī, audīte. Give me short commands in English to one person or to several ('come!', 'listen, everyone!', 'flee!'), and I will say them in Latin. Then ask me present forms of capiō. Do 10 rounds. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again, then tell me one thing to improve. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. If I need a name or a town, I will make one up. Speak English except for the Latin itself.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. This course teaches the classical pronunciation (see lesson 1); AI voices may mix it with the Church (Italian-style) one, so ask for classical and check against lesson 1. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
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In short
- -iō verbs (capiō, faciō, fugiō, iaciō, rapiō) are third conjugation.
- They take an i where audiō has two vowels together: capiunt, capiēbam, capiam.
- Imperative: stem for one person (amā), + -te for more (amāte).
- Short forms: dīc, dūc, fac.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
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Give the future "we shall flee".
Show answer
fugiēmus.
Give the plural imperative of veniō.
Show answer
venīte.
Translate Fac! and Facite!
Show answer
Fac! = do it! / make it! to one person; Facite! = the same to more than one.
Further reading
- D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners, Lesson XXVI, §§ 159–161. Public domain; Project Gutenberg.
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