Introduction
This topic covers the present participle in Latin: how it is formed from the verb, how it declines, and how it appears in anatomical and clinical terms such as vas deferens and nervus abducens. The present participle is an adjective built on the present stem of the verb, and it expresses an action that is going on at the same time as the action of the main verb.
Formation of the present participle
The present participle is formed by adding a suffix to the present stem of the verb. Its dictionary form has two parts: the nominative singular ending -ns and the genitive singular ending -ntis. The stem vowel depends on the conjugation:
The stem of the participle is the present stem plus -ant- in the first conjugation, -ent- in the second and third, and -ient- in the third -io and fourth conjugations. The nominative ends in -ns, and the genitive in -ntis. Because the stem ends in a consonant, the participle belongs to the third declension and follows the consonant or mixed-stem pattern.