100 Latin Verbs Face-Off (Part 1)

[D] to give | Root of “donate”; short and sweet but mighty. In compounds it often loses the short ō (condo, reddo). Expect it everywhere from legal texts to love letters.

[B] to call | Standard verb for summoning or naming—think “vocative case.” Its noun vox means “voice,” so yes, it’s a loud family.

[A] to prepare | Usually “prepare,” but it can mean “acquire”; the adjective parātus means “ready.” Roman generals parant before campaigns.

[C] to think | Not about putting anything anywhere—putō is about thinking, judging, or reckoning. It’s the ancestor of “putative.”

[D] to stand | Gives you status and statute—both from the same root. You’ll see it with ablatives of place: in forō stat.

[C] to love | Romance languages built half their love songs on this one. Bonus: amāns is a lover; amīcitia is the friendship that may follow.

[D] to save | False friend with “serve”—here it’s about preserving, keeping safe, or observing. Handy in war reports guarding walls or grain.

[A] to deny | Negō is a clean “no”—to deny, refuse, or say something isn’t so. Don’t confuse it with negotiating; that’s later Latin.

[A] to change | Think “mutation”—a change. It’s your go-to for swapping clothes, plans, or political allegiances in literature.

[D] to help | Two meanings for the price of one: help and please (iuvat). The perfect iūvī loves to pop up in poetry.

[D] to wander | Literally to go astray; hence both wandering and making mistakes. If you erred, you just wandered off the right path.

[B] to choose | Often “to choose,” and by extension “to wish for”—you opt in. Romans optant peace almost as often as victory.

[A] to excel | Literally “to stand before,” hence excel or surpass. Also used for providing services—praestāre auxilium = give help.

[D] to try | From the root of “attempt,” it’s to try or test. Gods in myth love to temptō mortals just to see what happens.

[C] to praise | Direct ancestor of “laud” and “applause.” Poets laudant heroes, generals laud their troops—praise everywhere.

[C] to wait (for) | Despite spectō hiding inside, it’s mostly “wait for.” Expectations are built in, so exspectāre can shade into “expect.”

[D] to seize | A military staple—occupy a hill, seize a bridge. The nuance is taking first, possessing second.

[B] to look at | Spectacles are things you look at; same root here. You’ll meet this every time someone watches a show or studies a sign.

[A] to think | From co- + agitāre in spirit: set the mind in motion. Descartes’ “cogito” echoes the same ancient idea.

[D] to doubt | Doubt and hesitation travel together—Latin uses one verb for both. If you dubitās, you’re not signing that treaty yet.

[A] to hasten | Pro tip for messengers: properā! Historians love it when the cavalry hurries. It keeps the plot moving.

[D] to ask | Related to interrogāre—asking questions is built into the stem. Senators rogant laws as well as favors.

[B] to judge | Root of “judicial” and “judge.” In court scenes iudex dicit—someone is being judged.

[D] to drive (impel) | Yes, “agitate” comes from this—set in motion, drive on. The sense ranges from herding cattle to stirring up crowds.

[A] to sound | The family of sound: sonic, sonorous, and here, “to make noise.” It’s the verb bards use when strings thrumm.

[D] to command | Imperators issue imperat—commands. Expect it in marching orders and bossy inscriptions alike.

[C] to give (as a gift) | Same root as “donate,” but with a gift angle made explicit. Dōnāre coronam = present a crown.

[B] to think | Close to aestimō (to value), but exīstimō leans “to think, judge.” Orators use it before giving opinions.

[D] to hope | From spēs “hope,” cheerful as a victory speech. Desperāre is its gloomy opposite—literally “to be without hope.”

[A] to forbid | The origin of the English “veto.” In Latin it’s first-person present: vetō = I forbid—nice and emphatic.