Schaum's Outline of Latin Grammar - Alan Fishbone [43]
singulaÅris, -e
singular, remarkable
luÅdus, -õÅ, m.
sport, gaming
aetaÅs, -taÅtis, f.
age, time of life
adulescentia, -ae, f.
youth
lõÅber, lõÅbera, lõÅberum
free
voluptaÅs, -taÅtis, f.
pleasure
deÅnegoÅ, deÅnegaÅre
deny, refuse
superoÅ, superaÅre
overcome
veÅrus, -a, -um
true, real
deÅrectus, -a, -um
upright, straight
ratioÅ, -oÅnis, f.
reason, reckoning
vincoÅ, vincere
conquer
aliquandoÅ (adv.)
sometimes
cupiditaÅs, -taÅtis, f.
desire
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falsus, -a, -um
false
convincoÅ, convincere
defeat, refute
societaÅs, -taÅtis, f.
alliance
numquam (adv.)
never
coeoÅ, coõÅre
enter
dirimoÅ, dirimere, direÅmõÅ, diremptus
rip apart, destroy
interpoÅno, interponere
place as an obstacle, interpose
Participles
Participles are de®ned as verbal adjectives. That is, they combine features of adjectives and verbs.
As adjectives, they modify nouns and must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case. They may also be used as substantives.
poeÅta caneÅns
the singing poet
urbs capta
the captured city
captus
the captured man
As verbs they show tenseÐpresent, perfect, or futureÐand voiceÐactive or passive.
They may also govern direct objects and take many constructions of ®nite verbs.
PoeÅta luÅnam videÅns canit.
The poet seeing the moon sings.
Here luÅnam is the direct object of the participle videÅns, which itself modi®es the subject poeÅta.
Often, as in the above example, the participle separates itself from the noun it modi®es in order to enclose anything it governsÐin this case, the direct object luÅnam.
MõÅles urbem a reÅge captam deÅleÅtuÅrus
The soldier about to destroy the city
claÅmat.
captured by the king shouts.
Note how a reÅge is enclosed by urbem captam, which is itself enclosed by mõÅleÅs deÅleÅtuÅrus.
Because participles do so much work in Latin, it is often useful to translate them more fully as relative clauses in English:
The soldier who is about to destroy the city which was captured by the king is shouting.
It is important to realize, however, that the tense of a participle is not an independent time value as it is for forms of the indicative, but is only relative to the tense of the main verb in its clause.
The time value of a present participle is simultaneous with that of the main verb:
PoeÅta caneÅns luÅnam videt.
The poet who is singing sees the moon.
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CHAPTER 8 Syntax of the Simple Sentence
The present participle caneÅns tells us that the poet is singing at the same time as he sees the moon.
PoeÅta caneÅns luÅnam videÅbat.
The poet who was singing saw the
moon.
Now the time value of the present participle must be simultaneous with that of the main verb, which is in the past, videÅbat, and so it is translated ``who was singing.'
The time value of the perfect participle is prior to that of the main verb: MõÅles urbem a reÅge captam deÅlet.
The soldier destroys the city which was
captured by the king.
The perfect participle captam tells us that the capture took place prior to the action of the main verb deÅlet.
If the main verb is itself in the past tense, the perfect participle will express a time prior to that time:
MõÅles urbem a reÅge captam deÅleÅvit.
The soldier destroyed the city which had
been conquered by the king.
If the main verb is in the future, the perfect participle will again express a time prior to that:
MõÅles urbem a reÅge captam deÅleÅbit.
The soldier will destroy the city which
has been captured by the king.
The time value of the future active participle is subsequent to that of the main verb:
MõÅles urbem deÅleÅtuÅrus claÅmat.
The soldier who is going to destroy the
city is shouting.
The destruction denoted by deÅleÅtuÅrus will take place after the present time signi®ed by claÅmat.
MõÅles urbem deÅleÅtuÅrus claÅmaÅvit.
The soldier who was about to destroy the
city shouted.
Exercise
9. Translate the following.
1. poeÅta caneÅns
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2. lõÅbertaÅs deÅleÅta
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