LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation

spērō

spērō (present infinitive spērāre, perfect active spērāvī, supine spērātum)
Classical[ˈspeː.roː]Ecclesiastical[ˈspɛː.ro]
№ 648 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. to hope, expect
    Spērō fore ut pācem habeant semperI hope that they will always have peace.
    dissimulare etiam sperasti, perfide, tantum posse nefas tacitusque mea decedere terra?Did you hope to even be able to conceal such a great wrong, treacherous man, and to leave my lands silently?29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.305–6
  2. to await, anticipate
  3. to fear, be apprehensive
  4. to assume, suppose

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

spem habeō; bona futūra exspectō.
spērō -āre — in Mille Verba, Animus et Adfectūs

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.spērōspērābamspērābōspērāvīspērāveram
spērāram		spērāverō
spērārō
2nd sg.spērāsspērābāsspērābisspērāvistī
spērāstī		spērāverās
spērārās		spērāveris
spērāris
3rd sg.spēratspērābatspērābitspērāvit
spērāt		spērāverat
spērārat		spērāverit
spērārit
1st pl.spērāmusspērābāmusspērābimusspērāvimus
spērāmus		spērāverāmus
spērārāmus		spērāverimus
spērārimus
2nd pl.spērātisspērābātisspērābitisspērāvistis
spērāstis		spērāverātis
spērārātis		spērāveritis
spērāritis
3rd pl.spērantspērābantspērābuntspērāvērunt
spērārunt, spērāvēre		spērāverant
spērārant		spērāverint
spērārint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.spēremspērāremspērāverim
spērārim		spērāvissem
spērāssem
2nd sg.spērēsspērārēsspērāverīs
spērārīs		spērāvissēs
spērāssēs
3rd sg.spēretspērāretspērāverit
spērārit		spērāvisset
spērāsset
1st pl.spērēmusspērārēmusspērāverīmus
spērārīmus		spērāvissēmus
spērāssēmus
2nd pl.spērētisspērārētisspērāverītis
spērārītis		spērāvissētis
spērāssētis
3rd pl.spērentspērārentspērāverint
spērārint		spērāvissent
spērāssent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.spērorspērābarspērābor
2nd sg.spērāris
spērāre		spērābāris
spērābāre		spērāberis
spērābere
3rd sg.spērāturspērābāturspērābitur
1st pl.spērāmurspērābāmurspērābimur
2nd pl.spērāminīspērābāminīspērābiminī
3rd pl.spēranturspērābanturspērābuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.spērerspērārer
2nd sg.spērēris
spērēre		spērārēris
spērārēre
3rd sg.spērēturspērārētur
1st pl.spērēmurspērārēmur
2nd pl.spērēminīspērārēminī
3rd pl.spērenturspērārentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.spērāspērāre
pres. 2nd pl.spērātespērāminī
fut. 2nd sg.spērātōspērātor
fut. 3rd sg.spērātōspērātor
fut. 2nd pl.spērātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.spērantōspērantor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivespērārespērārī
perfect infinitivespērāvisse
spērāsse		spērātum esse
future infinitivespērātūrum essespērātum īrī
present participlespērāns
spērante, spērantem, spērantēs, spērantī, spērantia, spērantibus, spērantis, spērantīs, spērantium		—
perfect participle—spērātus
spērāta, spērātā, spērātae, spērātam, spērātārum, spērātās, spērātī, spērātōrum, spērātōs
future participlespērātūrus
spērātūra, spērātūrā, spērātūrae, spērātūram, spērātūrārum, spērātūrās, spērātūre, spērātūrī, spērātūrīs, spērātūrō, spērātūrōrum, spērātūrōs, spērātūrum		spērandus
spēranda, spērandā, spērandae, spērandam, spērandārum, spērandās, spērande, spērandīs, spērandōrum, spērandōs
gerundspērandī, spērandō, spērandumsupinespērātum, spērātū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

sperare videor
I flatter myself with the hope...
bene, optime (meliora) sperare de aliquo (Nep. Milt. 1. 1)
to hope well of a person.
adulescens alios bene de se sperare iubet, bonam spem ostendit or alii de adulescente bene sperare possunt
he is a young man of great promise.

spēro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a.
I. To hope (something desirable), to look for, trust, expect; to promise or flatter one's self (the predom. signif. of the word; syn.: confido, exspecto).
(a). Absol.: spero, si speres quicquam prodesse potes sunt, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 333 Müll. (Ann. v. 410 Vahl.): quoad Pompeius in Italiā fuit, sperare non destiti, Cic. Att. 9, 10, 3: sperat animus, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 2, 36: ut neque accusator timere neque reus sperare debuerit, Cic. Clu. 7, 20: jubes bene sperare et bono esse animo, id. Deiot. 14, 38: Attica nostra quid agat, scire cupio: etsi tuae litterae recte sperare jubent, id. Att. 13, 17: tu jam, ut spero et ut promittis, aderis, id. ib. 16, 3, 4: omnia experiar et, ut spero, assequar ... Sed, ut spero, valebis, id. ib. 7, 2, 6: ut mihi detis hanc veniam accommodatam huic reo, vobis, quemadmodum spero, non molestam, id. Arch. 2, 3: Argyrippus exorari spero poterit, ut sinat, etc., Plaut. As. 5, 2, 67; cf.: Ch. Non usus veniet, spero. Sy. Spero hercle ego quoque, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 42: interea fiet aliquid, spero, id. And. 2, 1, 14: salvus sit; spero, id. Ad. 3, 3, 57.—
(b). With acc.: his omnibus victoriam sperantibus pacis nomen adferemus, Cic. Phil. 12, 5, 10: consulatum, id. ib. 12, 6, 14: gloriam sperabit a latronum gregibus, id. ib. 12, 10, 26: magis adversos rerum exitus metuens quam sperans secundos, id. Fam. 6, 14, 1: id ego et speraram prudentiā tuā fretus, et, ut confiderem, fecerunt tuae litterae, id. ib. 12, 18: a quo nihil speres boni rei publicae, quia non vult; nihil metuas mali, quia non audet, id. Att. 1, 13, 2: a quo genere hominum victoriam sperasset, Caes. B. C. 3, 96 fin.: omnia ex victoriā et ex suā liberalitate sperarent, id. ib. 3, 6; cf. id. ib. 3, 60: quibus (tormentis) ipsi magna speravissent, id. ib. 2, 16 fin.: spero meliora, Cic. Att. 14, 16, 3: aliquid sibi, id. Tusc. 1, 36, 86; Sall. C. 37, 6: bona alicuius, Cic. Phil. 11, 6, 13: hoc sperans, ut, etc., Caes. B. C. 3, 85: sperare victoriam ab aliquo, id. B. C. 3, 96: quod sapienter speravimus, perseveranter consectari, have expected, Col. praef. § 29: sperata gloria (opp. parta), Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 15; Liv. 28, 41, 6: sperata praeda, Caes. B. G. 6, 8: spem speratam quom optulisti, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 2: civitatem optandam magis quam sperandam quam minimam posuit, Cic. Rep. 2, 30, 52; Liv. 4, 15, 5: exitum malis sperare, Sall. C. 40, 2: amicitiam, regnum, id. J. 24, 5: mortem honestam, id. H. 2, 41, 2 Dietsch: salutem, id. C. 58, 16: spes, Curt. 5, 10, 1: mali poenam, Lact. de Ira, 16, 8: perpetuam felicitatem, Suet. Aug. 94; id. Vesp. 12; Sen. Ira, 3, 31, 2; Just. 21, 2, 5: sperat infestis, metuit secundis Alteram sortem bene praeparatum Pectus, Hor. C. 2, 10, 13: grata superveniat, quae non sperabitur hora, id. Ep. 1, 4, 14 et saep.: dis sum fretus, deos sperabimus, we will hope or trust in the gods, Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 38; cf. id. Mil. 4, 5, 10; id. Cist. 2, 3, 52.—
(g). With obj.-clause (so most freq.; usually with inf. fut.; less freq. but class. with inf. pres. or perf.).—With inf. fut.: ego me confido liberum fore, tu te numquam speras, Plaut. Pers. 2, 4, 15; Cic. Rep. 1, 20, 33: ex quibus sperant se maximum fructum esse capturos, id. Lael. 21, 79: quod amicitiae nostrae memoriam spero sempiternam fore, etc., id. ib. 4, 15: tu fac animo forti magnoque sis, speresque fore, ut, etc., id. Fam. 1, 5, 6 fin.; cf.: spero fore, ut contingat id nobis, id. Tusc. 1, 34, 82 et saep.— With inf. pres.: qui istoc te speras modo Potesse dissimulando infectum hoc reddere, Plaut. Most. 4, 3, 22: spero me habere, qui hunc excruciem, Ter. Eun. 5, 3, 11: sperat se a me avellere, id. ib. 3, 3, 14: totius Galliae sese potiri posse sperant, Caes. B. G. 1, 3: spero, quae tua prudentia est, et hercule, ut me jubet Acastus, confido te jam, ut volumus, valere, Cic. Att. 6, 9, 1: sperabam tuum adventum appropinquare, id. Fam. 4, 6, 3: speremus, nostrum nomen volitare et vagari latissime, id. Rep. 1, 17, 26: spero te mihi ignoscere, si, etc., id. Fam. 1, 6, 2: spero esse, ut volumus, id. Att. 12, 6 b, 4: ita quiddam spero nobis profici, cum, etc., id. ib. 1, 1; Sall. H. 4, 61, 2 Dietsch: speramus carmina fingi posse, Hor. A. P. 331: neque ego hanc abscondere furto Speravi, ne finge, fugam, I did not hope or expect, Verg. A. 4, 338.—So esp. when used like Engl. hope, in the sense trust, believe: spero nostram amicitiam non egere testibus, Cic. Fam. 2, 2: id enim deos immortalis spero aequissimum judicare, id. Phil. 11, 15, 39; cf. infra, II. fin.—With inf. perf.: speravi miser Ex servitute me exemisse filium, Plaut. Capt. 3, 5, 99: me ejus spero fratrem propemodum Jam repperisse, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 123: sperabam jam defervisse adulescentiam, id. Ad. 1, 2, 72: spero tibi me causam probasse; cupio quidem certe, Cic. Att. 1, 1, 4: spero cum Crassipede nos confecisse, id. Q. Fr. 2, 4, 2: et tum mirifice sperabat se esse locutum, Cat. 84, 3: sperasse libertatem se civium suorum emisse, Liv. 4, 15, 6: sperabam ita notata me reliquisse genera, etc., Cic. Fam. 7, 32, 1; id. Att. 2, 21, 2; 10, 7, 3. —Ellipt.: qui semper vacuam, semper amabilem Sperat (sc. te fore), Hor. C. 1, 5, 11.—
(d). With ut and subj.: quoniam, ut salvum vellent tyrannum, sperare non poterat, Liv. 34, 27, 3: ut patiatur ... nec sperandum ulli nec concupiscendum est, Sen. ad Polyb. 18, 6; Just. 5, 3, 3.—( ) In a Greek construction, with fut. part.: visura et quamvis numquam speraret Ulixen, etc. (for se visuram esse), Prop. 2, 9, 7 Paley ad loc.—(ζ) With de (very rare): neque de otio nostro spero jam, Cic. Att. 9, 7, 5; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 2, § 6: de eo bene sperare (with obj.clause, cf. γ supra), Nep. Milt. 1, 1.—
II. To look for, expect, apprehend that which is undesired, ἐλπίζω (rare, and mostly poet.; in Cic. only with non, and ironically): nam quod tu speres, propulsabo facile, Ter. And. 2, 3, 21: mihi non hoc miserae sperare jubebas, Sed conubia laeta, Cat. 64, 140: haec merui sperare? dabis mihi, perfida, poenas, Prop. 2, 5, 3: hunc ego si potui tantum sperare dolorem, Et perferre, soror, potero, Verg. A. 4, 419 (cf. Quint. 8, 2, 3); cf. Flor. 3, 1, 1: haec adeo ex illo mihi jam speranda fuerunt Tempore, cum, etc., Verg. A. 11, 275: mene efferre pedem, genitor, te posse relicto Sperasti? id. ib. 2, 658; cf. Suet. Caes. 60: si genus humanum et mortalia temnitis arma, At sperate deos memores fandi atque nefandi, expect, fear, Verg. A. 1, 543: exstinguine mea Speravi te posse manu, Val. Fl. 3, 295: aliquod in Africā bellum, Flor. 3, 1, 1: jam quartanam sperantibus aegris, Juv. 4, 57.—With a negative particle: Sc. Moneo ego te: te deseret ille aetate et satietate. Ph. Non spero. Sc. Insperata accidunt magis saepe quam quae speres, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 40: id quod non spero, Afran ap. Charis. p. 195 P.: sin a vobis, id quod non spero, deserar, Cic. Rosc. Am. 4, 10: te tam mobili in me meosque esse animo non sperabam, Q. Metell. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 1, 2: non speravi te sequi, Stat. Th. 6, 139.—Ironically: quoniam haec satis spero vobis molesta videri, Cic. de Or. 3, 13, 51.—Hence, spērātus, a, um, P. a., that is hoped or longed for; as subst.: spērātus, i, m.; spērāta, ae, f., a betrothed, intended, a lover; a bride (ante- and post-class.): curre et nuntia Venire me et mecum speratum adducere, Afran. ap. Non. 174, 31: sperata, salve, Plaut. Poen. 5, 4, 97; so, sperata, id. Fragm. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, 7, 71; Afran. ap. Non. 174, 33; Arn. 4, 140; Hyg. Fab. 31; 33.—Once also of a wife not seen for a long time: Amphitruo uxorem salutat laetus speratam suam, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 53.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*speh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*spéh₁s
  3. Proto-Italic*spēs
  4. Old Latinspēs
  5. Latinspērō

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Old Latin -ō Old Latin *spēsō Latin spērō From Old Latin *spēsō, from spēs (“hope”) + -ō (verbal suffix).

Insular Romance
  • Sardinianisperai
  • Sardinianisperare
  • Sardiniansperai
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italiansperare
  • Romaniansperafrom Italian sperare
  • Sicilianspirari
  • Siciliansprari
  • Venetansperar
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanesperar
  • Occitanesperar
  • Old Frenchesperer
Ibero-Romance
  • Portugueseesperarfrom Old Galician-Portuguese esperar
  • Spanishesperarfrom Old Spanish esperar
  • Aragoneseasperar
  • Asturianesperar
  • Mirandesesperar
  • Galicianesperarfrom Old Galician-Portuguese esperar
  • Galicianasperarfrom Old Galician-Portuguese esperar
  • Ladinoesperarfrom Old Spanish esperar
  • Ladinoאיספירארfrom Old Spanish esperar
  • Ladinoasperarfrom Old Spanish esperar
Elsewhere
  • Englishsperate
  • Romanianspera
  • Albanianshpresoj
  • Esperantoesperi
  • Idoesperar
  • Interlinguasperar
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friuliansperâ
  • Romanshsperar
  • Romanshsperer

Quick answers

What does spērō mean in Latin?
spērō, a verb, means “to hope, expect; to await, anticipate; to fear, be apprehensive”.
What are the principal parts of spērō?
spērō, spērāre, spērāvī, spērātum (first conjugation).
How do you pronounce spērō?
In classical Latin, [ˈspeː.roː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈspɛː.ro].
Where does spērō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- → Proto-Indo-European *spéh₁s → Proto-Italic *spēs → Old Latin spēs → Latin spērō.