• For the difference between Subjunctive and Indicative, see Latin Verb Moods.
• For the differences among the tenses (present, past, future, etc.), see Latin Verb Tenses.
• For tips on translating the tenses, see Translating Latin verb Tenses

There are four (4) conjugations of Latin verbs that you need to learn to read or translate Latin. In addition to the verbs of the 4 regular conjugations, there are also several irregular verbs.

[See, for instance, the conjugation of sum. ]
The Latin 1st conjugation verbs, like the Latin 1st declension nouns, are marked by an "a" as in amare. Noting this "a" (a thematic vowel) should help you to distinguish verbs of the first conjugation from those of the second, third, or fourth conjugations.

Amare = To Love

The infinitive (which we translate as "to ...") ending for the first conjugation is "-are." Note that there is no separate word "to". The infinitive includes the sense of "to" within it. One of the difficulties of Latin is learning that there is often not a neat, one-to-one correspondence between words in English and Latin. The infinitive of the 1st conjugation verb. e.g., amare, translates into English as "to love".
The 4 principal parts of a 1st conjugation verb have the following endings: -o, -are, -avi, -atus. A typical verb is laudo 'praise', so its principal parts are:

• laudo
• laudare
• laudavi
• laudatus.

Present

Active Indicative	Passive Indicative
Active Subjunctive	Passive Subjunctive

Imperfect

Active Indicative	Passive Indicative
Active Subjunctive	Passive Subjunctive

Future

Active Indicative

Passive Indicative

Perfect

Active Indicative	Passive Indicative
Active Subjunctive	Passive Subjunctive

Pluperfect

Active Indicative	Passive Indicative
Active Subjunctive	Passive Subjunctive

Future Perfect

Active Indicative

Passive Indicative

Infinitives
Active

• Present - portare to carry, to be carrying
  
• Perfect - portavisse to have carried
  
• Future - portaturus esse to be about to carry, to be going to be carrying

Passive

• Present - portari to be carried
  
• Perfect - portatus esse to have been carried
  
• Future - portatum iri to be about to be carried, to be going to be carried, to be carried

Participles
Active

• Present - portans carrying
  
• Future - portaturus about to carry

Passive

• Perfect - portatus loved, having been carried
  
• Future - portandus to be carried

Imperative

Active

• Present - porta, portate (second person) Carry!
• Future - portato, portatote (second person)
  portato, portanto (third person)

Passive

• Present - portare, portamini (second person) Be carried!
• Future - portator (second person singular)
  portator, portantor (third person)

See conjugation of sum.
For the difference between Subjunctive and Indicative, see Latin Verb Moods.
For the differences among the tenses (present, past, future, etc.), see Latin Verb Tenses.

Latin 1st Conjugation | Latin Second Conjugation | Latin Third Conjugation | Latin Fourth Conjugation

Latin Grammar Tips

What Do the Tenses Mean?

Paradigms for the Regular Latin Verbs

Paradigms for the Irregular Verbs