Latin Word of the Day
esse
ES-se • verb — 30th of May, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to be, to exist
Examples
- Sum laetus.
(I am happy.) - Puella in horto est.
(The girl is in the garden.) - Fuerunt multi qui adesse volebant.
(There were many who wanted to be present.)
Synonyms
Click a synonym to see how it compares to esse.
Conjugation
| Person | Praesēns | Perfectum |
|---|---|---|
| ego | sum | fui |
| tū | es | fuisti |
| is/ea/id | est | fuit |
| nōs | sumus | fuimus |
| vōs | estis | fuistis |
| eī/eae/ea | sunt | fuerunt |
Esse is the fundamental copular verb in Latin (irregular: sum, esse, fuī, futūrus). It links subjects to predicates (nouns, adjectives), expresses existence (there is/are), and appears in many periphrastic constructions (e.g., passive periphrastic, future infinitives). It is used in almost every tense and person, so learning its principal parts and common forms is essential.
This entry was generated by an AI language model. Spotted a problem? Report it and we'll review it. Read about how we use AI or
Recent Words
| Date | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-02 | cūra | care; concern; attention |
| 2026-09-01 | fortuna | fortune; luck; chance; what happens by fate or cir... |
| 2026-08-31 | tacere | to be silent; to keep quiet |
| 2026-08-29 | fames | hunger; lack of food |
| 2026-08-28 | pecunia | money |
Receive these via email
Sign in to your free account to receive daily words via email.
Get a new word in your inbox every day!