Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
There are four participles: present active, perfect passive, future active, and future passive (= the gerundive). The present active participle is declined as a 3rd declension adjective. The ablative singular is -e, but the plural follows the i-stem declension with genitive -ium and neuter plural -ia.
The 'active infinitive' mode is often realised by a simple accusative future participle. The 'passive infinitive' mode can be realised by the ' īrī infinitive' paradigm of the perfect periphrasis, but this option is comparatively rare. [3] There are three additional future infinitive periphrases for both active and passive/deponent verbs.
Certain verbs in Latin have the form of a passive verb, but the meaning is active. These verbs are known as deponent verbs. [10] An example is the verb sequor 'I follow': (a) Infectum tenses Present: sequor 'I follow, I am following' Future: sequar 'I will follow, I will be following' Imperfect: sequēbar 'I was following, I used to follow' (b ...
The active future perfect periphrastic tense is not found, but the passive occurs: cum aedificandum fuerit, ante biennium ea saxa eximantur (Vitruvius) [13] 'whenever (at some future time) it is necessary for a building to be made (using local stone), the stones for it should be quarried two years in advance'
In Late Latin, the distinction between gerundive and future participle was sometimes lost. So, gerundive moriendi is found for morituri 'about to die'. Conversely, future participles recepturus and scripturus are found for recipiendus and scribendus/scribundus. More regularly, the gerundive came to be used as a future passive participle.
A future passive infinitive can be made using the supine with īrī (the passive infinitive of the verb eō 'I go'). Since the supine is a verbal noun, the ending -um does not change with gender or number: rūmor venit datum īrī gladiātōres (Terence) [153] 'a rumour comes that a gladiatorial show is going to be given'
Latin word order is relatively free. The verb may be found at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence; an adjective may precede or follow its noun (vir bonus or bonus vir both mean 'a good man'); [5] and a genitive may precede or follow its noun ('the enemies' camp' can be both hostium castra and castra hostium; the latter is more common). [6]
Often, however, a future conditional uses the future perfect indicative, to refer to an event that must take place first before the consequence happens: haec sī attulerīs, cēnābis bene (Catullus) 'if you bring (lit. will have brought) these things, you will dine well' egō ad tē, sī quid audierō citius, scrībam. (Cicero) [53]