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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 perfect passive is usually made with the perfect participle combined with sum, e.g. missus sum 'I was sent, I have been sent', ductus sum 'I was led, I have been led'. Some perfect tenses have an irregular stem, for example sum, fuī 'I am', eō, īvī 'I go', ferō, tulī 'I bring, I bear', tollō, sustulī 'I raise, I remove'.
Semi-deponent verbs form their imperfective aspect tenses in the manner of ordinary active verbs; but their perfect tenses are built periphrastically like deponents and ordinary passives; thus, semi-deponent verbs have a perfect active participle instead of a perfect passive participle.
In many areas of Latin America (especially Central America and southern South America), the second-person familiar singular pronoun tú is replaced by vos, which frequently requires its own characteristic verb forms, especially in the present indicative, where the endings are -ás, -és, and -ís for -ar, -er, -ir verbs, respectively.
Latin verbs have six basic tenses in the indicative mood. Three of these are based on the present stem (e.g. dūc- ) and three on the perfect stem (e.g. dūx- ). In addition, there are four tenses in the subjunctive mood, and two in the imperative.
Latin deponent verbs can belong to any conjugation. Their form (except in the present and future participle) is that of a passive verb, but the meaning is active. Usually a deponent verb has no corresponding active form, although there are a few, such as vertō 'I turn (transitive)' and vertor 'I turn (intransitive)' which have both active and deponent forms.
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]
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.