Sumus

Sumus is the first-person plural present indicative form of the Latin verb esse, meaning "we are." As a copular verb, esse links a subject to a predicate, expressing state, identity, or existence.

Esse is irregular, with present indicative forms sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt. Sumus is therefore used with a wide range of predicates, including adjectives such as felices (we are happy) and nouns such as Romani (we are Romans). Latin word order is flexible, but forms of sum typically appear near the subject and can also occur after an emphatic pronoun for emphasis, as in Nos sumus.

Sumus can be used with prepositional phrases to indicate location as well, for example domi sumus (we are at home) or in urbe sumus (we are in the city). The form also occurs in ordinary narrative, dialogue, and inscriptions to state a collective condition or identity.

Examples include:

Sumus amici (We are friends).

Sumus Romani (We are Romans).

Sumus parati (We are ready).

Historical and linguistic notes: Sumus appears widely in Classical Latin and continues to occur in medieval and religious Latin texts. It is a basic, frequently occurring verb form essential for constructing clauses about identity, state, and existence. Related entries include esse (the verb itself) and the broader Latin copula used to connect subjects with predicates.

See also: esse; Latin verb; copula; list of Latin verbs.