1. PRESENT ACTIVE PARTICIPLES
Chapter 40

2. What is a participle? Verbal adjective
As an adjective it modifies a noun & has:
case
Number
gender
As a verb it can take a direct object & has
Tense
Voice

3. How do I form the present participle?
It is the present stem of your verb + -ns, -ntis:
[Remember you get the present stem by dropping the –re from the 2nd principal part]
vocare [1st] vocans, vocantis
monēre [2nd] monens, monentis
ducere [3rd] ducens, ducentis
capere [3rd-io] capiens, capientis
audire [4th] audiens, audientis
[Hint: the English word present will help you remember that there is -nt in the stem of a present participle in Latin!]

4. How do I decline the present active participle?
Use 3rd declension i-stem endings
Masc. Fem. Neut
Nom. amans amans amans
Gen. amantis amantis amantis
Dat. amanti amanti amanti
Acc. amantem amantem amans
Abl. amante/i amante/i amante/I
Nom. amantes amantes amantia
Gen. amantium amantium amantium
Dat. amantibus amantibus amantibus
Acc. amantes amantes amantia
Abl. amantibus amantibus amantibus

5. How do I translate the present participle?
“…..ing
Sometimes the English sense is better if you translate the participle as a phrase using “who”
For example:
Puer cenam laudans ridebat.
The boy, praising the dinner, was smiling
Puellas ambulantes in urbem scio.
I know the girls [who are] walking into the city.

6. Is there a word order?
Yes, just as with the perfect passive participle, the Latin participle will be at the end of its clause and the noun it modifies will be at the beginning of the clause.
[Cornelia epistulas scribens] Flaviam in horto spectabat

7. Word order example
[Cornelia epistulas scribens] Flaviam in horto spectabat.
Cornelia, writing letters was watching Flavia in the garden.
Scribens modifies Cornelia. Because scribens is the present active participle, it is at the end of the phrase and Cornelia is at the beginning. You can always find the participial phrase in any Latin sentence and put brackets around it if you will remember this simple trick.

8. In Summary
Present active participles, like all participles, are verbal adjectives
You can recognize them by the “-ns” or
“-ntis” marker
They are translated with “-ing”
They take third declension adjective endings