Moneō means “warn,” “remind,” “advise,” or “prompt.” Its principal parts are moneō, monēre, monuī, monitum. The present follows the second conjugation, the perfect uses monu-, and participles/supines use monit-.
The person warned is accusative. The subject matter may use dē plus ablative, while advice or warning about an action commonly uses ut/nē plus subjunctive.
Active Paradigms
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | moneō | monēs | monet | monēmus | monētis | monent |
| Imperfect | monēbam | monēbās | monēbat | monēbāmus | monēbātis | monēbant |
| Future | monēbō | monēbis | monēbit | monēbimus | monēbitis | monēbunt |
| Perfect | monuī | monuistī | monuit | monuimus | monuistis | monuērunt / monuēre |
| Pluperfect | monueram | monuerās | monuerat | monuerāmus | monuerātis | monuerant |
| Future perfect | monuerō | monueris | monuerit | monuerimus | monueritis | monuerint |
| Subjunctive | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | moneam | moneās | moneat | moneāmus | moneātis | moneant |
| Imperfect | monērem | monērēs | monēret | monērēmus | monērētis | monērent |
| Perfect | monuerim | monuerīs | monuerit | monuerīmus | monuerītis | monuerint |
| Pluperfect | monuissem | monuissēs | monuisset | monuissēmus | monuissētis | monuissent |
Tē dē perīculō moneō.
I warn you about the danger.
Māter fīlium saepe monēbat.
The mother often advised her son.
Crās tē iterum monēbō.
Tomorrow I shall remind you again.
Nōs dē adventū tempestātis monuit.
He warned us of the storm’s approach.
Passive Voice
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | moneor | monēris / monēre | monētur | monēmur | monēminī | monentur |
| Imperfect | monēbar | monēbāris / monēbāre | monēbātur | monēbāmur | monēbāminī | monēbantur |
| Future | monēbor | monēberis / monēbere | monēbitur | monēbimur | monēbiminī | monēbuntur |
| Present subjunctive | monear | moneāris / moneāre | moneātur | moneāmur | moneāminī | moneantur |
| Imperfect subjunctive | monērer | monērēris / monērēre | monērētur | monērēmur | monērēminī | monērentur |
The shorter second-person singular forms in -re are genuine passive alternatives, not active infinitives: context distinguishes monēre “you are advised” from infinitive or passive imperative monēre.
The completed passive tenses use monitus, -a, -um with forms of sum. The table displays masculine forms; the participle changes for the subject’s gender and number.
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect indicative | monitus sum | monitus es | monitus est | monitī sumus | monitī estis | monitī sunt |
| Pluperfect indicative | monitus eram | monitus erās | monitus erat | monitī erāmus | monitī erātis | monitī erant |
| Future perfect indicative | monitus erō | monitus eris | monitus erit | monitī erimus | monitī eritis | monitī erunt |
| Perfect subjunctive | monitus sim | monitus sīs | monitus sit | monitī sīmus | monitī sītis | monitī sint |
| Pluperfect subjunctive | monitus essem | monitus essēs | monitus esset | monitī essēmus | monitī essētis | monitī essent |
Forms built with fuī, fueram, or fuerō also occur as alternatives to the default completed-passive paradigm.
Cīvēs dē perīculō monentur.
The citizens are warned about the danger.
Lūcia nē sōla proficīscerētur monita est.
Lucia was warned not to set out alone.
Imperatives and Non-Finite Forms
Present commands are monē, monēte; passive monēre, monēminī. The future imperative, especially at home in statutes, maxims, and instructions with future reference, has active monētō (second or third singular), monētōte (second plural), and monentō (third plural); passive monētor (second or third singular) and monentor (third plural). Latin has no ordinary second-plural future passive imperative.
| Category | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present infinitive | monēre | monērī |
| Perfect infinitive | monuisse | monitum esse |
| Future infinitive | monitūrum esse | monitum īrī |
| Participles | monēns; monitūrus | monitus; monendus |
| Gerund | monendī, monendō, monendum, monendō | — |
| Supines | monitum, monitū | — |
Dīxit sē omnēs monuisse.
He said that he had warned everyone.
Puer dē perīculō monendus est.
The boy must be warned about the danger.
In the perfect passive and future active infinitives, the participle agrees with the accusative subject of indirect statement: dīxit eam monitam esse “he said that she had been warned,” but dīxit eam monitūram esse “he said that she would warn.” The supine in future passive monitum īrī is invariable.
Person and Subject Matter
The person warned or reminded is accusative. Dē plus ablative clearly introduces the matter; Classical prose can also use a second accusative for the thing brought to mind: hoc tē moneō “I remind/warn you of this.” A genitive of the matter with simple moneō is chiefly post-Augustan and especially Tacitean, so it should not be treated as the neutral prose pattern.
Nautās dē scopulīs monuimus.
We warned the sailors about the rocks.
An ablative can express means or cause, but that is distinct from the topic. Thus dē adventū tempestātis above marks what the warning concerns; bare adventū would instead suggest the circumstance or cause.
Advice and Warning about Actions
Use ut plus subjunctive for an encouraged action and nē for an action warned against.
Tē moneō ut cautē agās.
I advise you to act cautiously.
Tē moneō nē huic hominī crēdās.
I warn you not to trust this man.
The addressee is already accusative tē; it does not become the grammatical subject of the subordinate clause in case, because finite agās/crēdās contains its own understood nominative subject. See indirect commands.
Reminding Someone of a Fact
A statement recalled to mind may use accusative-and-infinitive or an explicit noun phrase. Moneō tē diem appropinquāre means “I remind you that the day is approaching.” This is not an order to the day.
Tē moneō tempus fugere.
I remind you that time is passing.
Distinguish this from tē moneō ut discedās “I advise you to leave”: infinitive reports a fact; ut plus subjunctive recommends an action.
Moneō, Hortor, and Iubeō
Moneō advises, reminds, or warns; hortor encourages; iubeō orders. The social force rises roughly from counsel to encouragement to command, but context can strengthen or soften any verb. Their complement patterns remain a firmer diagnostic than English tone.
Compounds
Admoneō “remind, warn,” commoneō “remind emphatically,” and praemoneō “warn beforehand” preserve -monuī, -monitum. Their complements overlap with simple moneō, though lexical preferences vary.
Custōs viātōrēs dē tempestāte praemonuit.
The guard warned the travelers of the storm beforehand.
Aspect and Whether Advice Is Followed
Imperfect monēbat presents repeated reminders or continuing counsel; perfect monuit presents a particular warning as delivered. Neither form says whether the addressee remembered or obeyed.
Māter eum cotīdiē monēbat, sed ille nōn audiēbat.
His mother reminded him every day, but he did not listen.
Nautās dē tempestāte monuit; illī tamen profectī sunt.
He warned the sailors about the storm; nevertheless they set out.
This separation between warning and response distinguishes moneō from result verbs such as persuādeō when persuasion succeeds. Even persuādeō does not always guarantee the action without context, but its focus is different: moneō supplies notice, memory, or counsel.
Source of a Warning
A sign, report, or experience can itself prompt the warning or serve as its grammatical source. In the passive, ā/ab plus ablative names a personal warner.
Nūbēs nautās dē tempestāte monent.
The clouds warn the sailors of a storm.
Nautae ā gubernātōre dē scopulīs monitī sunt.
The sailors were warned by the helmsman about the rocks.
The first sentence personifies the clouds as an active warning sign; the second explicitly names a human agent with ā gubernātōre.
Parsing Diagnostic
Identify monē-, monu-, or monit-. Locate the accusative person, then classify the remainder as a topic, fact, advised action, or prohibited action. Distinguish ut/nē plus subjunctive from accusative-and-infinitive, and preserve participial agreement in the passive perfect.
Common Mistakes
Inventing a regular perfect
❌ Tē monēvī.
Incorrect — the perfect is monuī.
✅ Tē monuī.
I warned you.
Making the warned person dative
❌ Tibi dē perīculō moneō.
Incorrect — the person warned is accusative.
✅ Tē dē perīculō moneō.
I warn you about the danger.
Using nōn for a negative warning
⚠️ Tē moneō ut nōn abeās.
Grammatically interpretable, but marked for a regular Classical negative indirect command.
✅ Tē moneō nē abeās.
I warn you not to leave.
Confusing advice with recalled fact
❌ Tē moneō ut tempus fugeret.
Incorrect for ‘I remind you that time is passing.’
✅ Tē moneō tempus fugere.
I remind you that time is passing.
Key Takeaways
- Memorize moneō, monēre, monuī, monitum.
- The warned person is accusative; dē plus ablative can mark the topic.
- Ut/nē gives advised or discouraged action; accusative-and-infinitive can recall a fact.
- Compounds preserve the irregular monu- and monit- stems.
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- Indirect CommandsB2 — Form and interpret reported orders, requests, advice, and persuasion with ut or nē plus the subjunctive.
- Perfect Stems in -v- and -u-A2 — Recognize productive v-perfects and u-perfects, derive their perfect-system forms, and handle Classical contraction accurately.