Ad Gallōs, quod in Etrūriam cōpiās dūxerant, lēgātī ā Rōmānīs missī sunt: tum contrā iūs gentium lēgātī arma sūmpsērunt et cum Etrūscīs contrā Gallōs pugnāvērunt. Itaque Gallī ab Etrūriā in agrōs Rōmānōs vēnērunt. Statim ab urbe exercitus contrā novum hostem missus est. Prope Alliam fluvium pugnābant. Terrēbant Rōmānōs saeva ōra, magnī clāmōrēs, ingentia corpora barbarōrum: nostrī vix prīmum impetum sustinuērunt sed urbem fugā petīvērunt. Omnium animī ingentī timōre movēbantur. Iuvenēs statim Capitōlium occupāvērunt, reliquī, praeter senātōrēs, in Etrūriam discēdēbant. Gallī urbem intrant, ad forum veniunt: mīrum ibi spectāculum oculīs ostenditur: nam senātōrēs animīs ad mortem parātīs adventum hostium expectābant: magistrātūs in eburneīs sellīs sēdērunt honōrumque īnsignia gerēbant. Diū barbarī senēs immōtōs, velut deum imāginēs, spectābant. Tum ūnus ē Gallīs M. Papiriī barbam manū permulsit: senex īrātus caput scīpiōne eburneō ferit statimque ā barbarō necātur. Tum omnēs īrā moventur reliquōsque senēs in sellīs trucīdant.
[A]
[1]
Line 1 (Ad Gallōs … missī sunt)
Why
did the Romans send envoys to the Gauls? (1)
[2]
Lines 1 - 2 (tum … pugnāvērunt)
What
is the meaning of contrā iūs gentium and why is it referred to here? (4)
[3]
Lines 2 – 5 (Itaque … missus est)
How
did the Gauls and the Romans react to this? (4)
[4]
Lines 4 – 6 (Prope … movēbantur)
Give
details about the battle (8); [i]
Prope Alliam fluvium pugnābant. [ii] Terrēbant Rōmānōs [iii] saeva
ōra, [iv] magnī clāmōrēs, ingentia corpora [v] barbarōrum: [vi] nostrī
vix prīmum impetum sustinuērunt [vii] sed urbem fugā petīvērunt. [viii] Omnium
animī ingentī timōre movēbantur.
[5]
Lines 7 – 8 (Iuvenēs … discēdēbant.
)
Who
occupied the Capitol? (1)
Who
went to Etruria? (1)
Who
stayed behind? (1)
[6]
Lines8 – 11 (Gallī … spectabant)
Describe
what the Gauls saw when they entered the forum. (6); Gallī
urbem intrant, ad forum veniunt: [i] mīrum ibi spectāculum oculīs
ostenditur: [ii] nam senātōrēs animīs ad mortem parātīs* ¦ [iii] adventum
hostium expectābant: [iv] magistrātūs in eburneīs sellīs sēdērunt [v] honōrumque
īnsignia gerēbant. Diū barbarī [v] senēs immōtōs**, [vi] velut deum
imāginēs, spectābant.
[7]
Lines 11 – end (Tum … trucīdant.)
What
provoked the first elderly man? How did he react and what happened afterwards?
(7); Tum
ūnus ē Gallīs M. Papiriī [i] barbam manū permulsit: senex [ii] īrātus [iii]
caput scīpiōne eburneō ferit [iv] statimque ā barbarō necātur. Tum [v]
omnēs īrā moventur [vi] reliquōsque senēs [vii] in sellīs
trucīdant.
>
both in the ablative: animīs [ad mortem] parātīs
>
literally: with their minds having been prepared [for death]
>
their minds having been prepared / when (after) their minds had been prepared /
mentally prepared for death
Remember
the “two stages” of translation: [i] go for the literal to be sure you grasp
the construction, and [ii] rework it to convey the same meaning but in a more
fluent manner.
**mōtus:
having been moved; perfect passive participle from moveō, -ēre, mōvī, mōtus
[2]: move
in
+ mōtus > immōtus: unmoved
[B]
Complete the table which parses verbs from the text:
[C]
[i]
Which five of the following nouns from the text are 4th
declension? The other nouns are either 2nd or 3rd
declension:
[ii]
A dictionary or vocabulary list would distinguish between these nouns by the
inclusion of the genitive singular: -ī [2nd declension]; -is [3rd
declension + stem change (if any)]; -ūs [4th declension]
What
would the genitive singular be of the nouns listed above?
Mārcus nōn rīdet, sed murmurat: “Elephantus! Sīmia! Ubi sunt
Syrus et Barbātus? Cūr tuba nōn sonat?” Tum amīca: “Fortasse adversāriī hodiē
nōn pugnant.” Etiam populus murmurat, quod Syrus et Barbātus nōndum adsunt;
subitō autem tubae sonant, populus tacet, adversāriī intrant, stant, salūtant.
Nunc populus gaudet et clāmat, et Mārcus vocat: “Mē neque elephantī neque
sīmiae, sed lūdī et gladiī et tubae dēlectant.” Amīcī et amīcae rīdent.
I’m now going to include Level Three posts and, once again,
a reminder: this FB group was never designed to be a random series of posts. It
began on 19.02.24 at level 1 i.e. your cat knew more Latin than you did. Level
1 covered what I felt were the building bricks of the language for example: the
main declension patterns of nouns and adjectives, the key uses of the cases, the
present, imperfect and future tenses of the conjugations, essential vocabulary,
topics for speaking (not unlike the UK GCSE Modern Language oral topics as far
as was possible), pronouns, numbers.
19.05.24: after three months, a second level was introduced
which simply continued from Level 1 e.g. the perfect, pluperfect and future
tenses, present participles, comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs, and the passive. The
second level assumed that members were already confident in the features of
level 1 either by using the posts here or on the other site, or through their
own private study.
Level 1 continued and reviewed extensively points covered in
earlier posts; it still does
Now Level 3 will be added
Here I will include those features of the language which are
commonly found towards the end of a standard Latin text book, for example:
deponent verbs
gerunds and gerundives
review of ablative usage
ablative absolute
more on participles
indirect speech / accusative-infinitive
conditional clauses
the subjunctive
Some of the texts I will use here are not particularly
difficult but, at the early stages of Level 3, I have chosen sources that highlight
a particular point of language.
As with Level 1, Level 2 will continue for the purpose of
review.
Image #1: 19.05.24; crossing the line
Image #2: moving on; there are a few dark clouds in the distance but is that surprising? Any language, the further you go, will present some challenges. Don’t try to get to Vesuvius too quickly or you know what might happen!
Image #3: I’m not sure if the Woolworth’s store as I remember it as a kid still exists in the UK and whether the Australian branch is something completely different. Never mind: the orthographically challenged "pic’n’mix" is what matters i.e. take what candy you want and stick in a bag – especially, for me, if there was chocolate involved!
With a membership of almost 7,000 we have reached the “pic’n’mix” stage; take from the group what you need and, if there is something in particular you’re looking for, send a message.
Most of the sentences in this exercise contain two perfect
passive participles, for example:
[1] Oppidum [i] captum ¦ [ii] dēlētum est.
The sentence shows [i] a perfect passive participle
describing the noun and [ii] a passive verb with ‘esse’
[i] The ‘having been captured’ ¦ town ¦ [ii] was destroyed.
Very often that literal translation needs to be reworked.
There are various possibilities, but the examples below maintain the concept
that something had happened to the town before the next action.
The town, [i] after it had been captured, [ii] was
destroyed.
[i] When the town was captured [ii] it was destroyed.
[i] The town was captured [ii] and destroyed.
[i] Having been captured, [ii] the town was destroyed.
[2] Oppidum ¦ [i] ab hostibus captum ¦ [ii] dēlētum est.
The town, captured by the enemy, was destroyed.
After the town had been captured by the enemy it was
destroyed.
The town was captured by the enemy and (it was) destroyed.
Look out for tense sequences when translating
Dux barbarus ā Caesare captus Rōmam missus est.
The barbarian commander, captured by Caesar, was sent
to Rome.
= The barbarian commander, who had been / was captured by
Caesar, was sent to Rome.
Barbarī ā Rōmānīs captī Rōmam semper mittuntur.
Barbarians, captured by the Romans, are always sent
to Rome.
= Barbarians who are / have been captured by the
Romans, are always sent to Rome.
Cīvis vehementer perterritus in carcere clausus est.
Equus ligneus, ā Graecīs aedificātus, in urbem ductus est.
Puer miser, ā cane rabiōsō morsus, cūrārī nōn poterat.
Rēx gladiō interfectus postrīdiē sepultus est.
Servī, ā dominīs laudātī, interdum līberābantur.
Terrae, ā Rōmānīs captae, bene regēbantur.
Urbs oppugnāta ab Horātiō dēfēnsa est.
One area that will be discussed at Level 3 is the style of
the Roman authors, and there are certain features to look out for. As a
“taster” here is an extract from the Jugurthine War by Sallust.
Firstly, the statements are given in groups of three words
(the “rule of three”) and note also the repetition of certain sounds
[i] Cēterum [ii] oppidum [iii] incēnsum
[i] Numidae [ii] pūberēs [iii] interfectī
[i] aliī [ii] omnēs [iii] vēnumdatī
[i] praeda [ii] mīlitibus [iii] dīvīsa
Moreover, the author omits the use of “esse” to form these passive
constructions, thus allowing a greater and almost poetic momentum with emphasis
on the final participle of each statement:
Cēterum oppidum incēnsum, │ Moreover, the town was burned
Numidae pūberēs interfectī, │ the adult Numidians (were)
killed
aliī omnēs vēnumdatī, │ all the others (were) sold
praeda mīlitibus dīvīsa. │ (and) the spoil (was) divided
among the soldiers
Nunc Mārcus et Cornēlia, Aemilia et Titus sedent et gaudent,
nam Lūcius et Gāius appropinquant; rīdent et salūtant. Cornēlia nārrat: “Hodiē
etiam Tullia et Claudia adsunt. Ecce! Ibi sedent.” Gāius rogat: “Cūr Quīntus
nōn adest?” Tum Mārcus: “Quīntus aegrōtat, sed ibi sunt Titus et Aemilia! Lūdus
nōn sōlum mē dēlectat, sed etiam…” Subitō Aemilia vocat: “Ecce elephantus, ecce
sīmia!” Claudia et Cornēlia et Aemilia gaudent et rīdent.
Hic est Mārcus, ibi est Titus. Titus in Colossēō sedet et
gaudet, nam Aemilia iam adest. Mārcus dolet, nam Cornēlia cessat.* Iam Aemilia
rogat: "Ubi est Cornēlia?" Subitō Mārcus vocat: "Ibi Cornēlia
est, ibi stat!" Rīdet et gaudet.
In this exercise the participle is in different cases;
again, compare the word order in the English and Latin sentences.
Have you read the story about the teacher ¦ [i] beaten ¦
[ii] by his own pupils? │ Lēgistīne fābulam dē magistrō [ii] __________ [i]
__________?
He had eighty cohorts ¦ [i] stationed ¦ [ii] in line of
battle. │ Cohortēs ¦ [ii] __________ LXXX [i] __________ habēbat. (Caesar)
The king easily deceived the messengers ¦ [i] sent ¦ [ii] by
(his) enemy. │ Rēx nūntiōs ¦ [ii] __________ [i] __________ facile fefellit.
The commander sent the boy home ¦ [who had been] [i] praised
¦ [ii] by everybody. │ Imperātor puerum ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] __________ ¦
domum mīsit.
For (Reginus) as tribune of the Plebs freed Caepio ¦ [i]
[who had been] thrown ¦ [ii] in jail. │ (Rēgīnus) … tribūnus enim plēbis Caepiōnem
¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] __________ … līberāvit. (Valerius Maximus)
They caught sight of the girl [i] [who had been] left behind
/ abandoned ¦ [ii] by (her) friends. │ Puellam ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i]
__________ ¦ cōnspexērunt.
The master punished all the slaves ¦ [i] caught ¦ [ii] by
the soldiers. │ Dominus omnēs servōs ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] __________ pūnīvit.
The Trojans saw a huge horse ¦ [i] left behind ¦ [ii] near
the city. │ Troiānī equum ingentem ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] __________ ¦
vīdērunt.
The master praised the dinner ¦ [i] [which had been] well
prepared ¦ [2] by the maidservant. │Dominus
cēnam ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] bene __________ ¦ laudāvit.
I will make her ¦ [i] enraged ¦ [ii] with you. │Illam ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] __________
dabō. (Terence)
Whether
the story of Camillus and the Schoolmaster has any basis in truth is, I think,
irrelevant; early Roman history is, to an extent, catch as catch can. What
matters is the mindset that underpins the story, a mindset that
reinforces Rome’s image of itself.
[1]
There is a real sense of honourable behaviour in this extract and that Roman
concept of virtūs, a noun used in the text, which can variously
translate as “courage” or “manliness”, but equally as “merit” or “character”;
it’s about doing the right thing - even when dealing with an enemy – about
fighting fairly and never being a traitor (proditor) to one’s own
people. The idea that underage boys would be used as a bargaining tool to
achieve victory utterly revolts Camillus as he lists the “weaponry” that, in
time of war, would be considered virtuous:
ego
Romanis artibus, virtute, opere, armis, sicut
Veios, vincam │ I shall vanquish them, as I vanquished Veii, by Roman arts,
by courage and strategy and weapons
[2]
Camillus speaks not only on behalf of himself but also the entire Roman people:
'non
ad similem … tui nec populum nec imperatorem … venisti. │ “You … have
come neither to a people nor a commander similar to yourself.
[3]
Note how Camillus by the use of the personal pronouns emphasises the difference
between their strategies:
eos
tu … vicisti; ego … vincam i.e. you did it in a villainous
way but I will do it the right way
[4]
eos tu … novo scelere vicisti │ you have conquered them … with a new
act of villainy
The
use of novus here can imply that this criminal behaviour is strange or
unusual, something that had never been done before (and, certainly from
the perspective of Camillus, not going to be done again).
[5]
sunt et belli sicut pacis iura │ there are rights of war just as there are
rights of peace; this underlines a consistent ethical code applicable to
both peaceful and hostile situations.
That
contrast in approaches is continued in:
iusteque
ea non minus quam fortiter didicimus gerere │ and we have learned to fight
justly no less than bravely
i.e.
we have learned to do this (even if others have not)
[6]
arma habemus non adversus eam aetatem, cui etiam captis urbibus parcitur,
sed adversus armatos et ipsos, qui nec laesi nec lacessiti a nobis castra
Romana ad Veios oppugnarunt. │ We do not use our weapons against those of an
age which is spared even when cities have been captured, but against those
who are also armed themselves, and who, neither injured nor provoked by us,
attacked the Roman camp at Veii.
i.e.
we don’t take children hostage to win our battles and, incidentally, we didn’t
start this
[7]
The relationship between schoolmaster and school pupil is reversed, the boys
now given authority to beat the man, bound and humiliated, and return him to
the city not only to face the wraith of the population but also, we can argue,
as a signal to the enemy that the Romans would never stoop so low.
A
painting is by its very nature a personal representation in the mind of an
artist. Nevertheless, the depiction in the work of Poussin (1594 – 1665)
absolutely reinforces the overall “message” which the event in the story itself
conveys; had the Ancient Romans seen this painting no doubt they would have
loved it.
The
incident depicted here is from Livy’s account of the life of Republican leader
and general Furius Camillus. While the general was besieging the town of
Falerii, a local schoolmaster lured his pupils to the Roman camp, hoping to
offer them as hostages. Finding the schoolmaster guilty of treason, Camillus
offered him up to his students for punishment. The schoolmaster’s twisted and
distorted figure becomes a symbol of immorality and evil. The ethical Camillus,
by contrast, is erect and well proportioned. Whatever the political overtones,
Poussin’s composition encourages us to contemplate the difference between
shapeless ugliness and harmonious form. (Norton Simon Museum)
The first image shows the title page of “Latin made simple” by
Rhoda Hendricks.
The title neatly shows a participial phrase i.e. a
participle + additional word(s)
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus [3-iō]: make
lingua Latina ¦ facilisfacta │ the Latin
language ¦ (which has been) madeeasy
The vodka martini ¦ shakenby the waiter ¦ was
much to Bond’s liking.
Here the participle still describes the vodka martini but
has been extended to include by whom that action was performed; we call that a participial
phrase = the vodka martini ¦ which had been shaken by the waiter …
The man ¦ arrestedby the police ¦ on Tuesday
night ¦ will appear in court tomorrow. That equals “The man ¦ who had been
arrested by the police on Tuesday night …
The participles as adjectives or as part of a participial
phrase refer to something that already had or was / has already been done to
the subject; bear in mind the term ‘perfect’ i.e. completed
The ¦ recentlydiscovered ¦ fresco in Pompeii
is causing a lot of interest = the fresco which was / has been recently
discovered …
Participial phrases are very common in original literature.
The soldiers rebuilt the town, ¦ destroyed by the
enemy.
This is a participial phrase comprising the
participle (destroyed) + additional information which, in Latin, is usually ‘by
whom / what’ the action was done:
Mīlitēs oppidum ¦ ab hostibusdēlētum ¦
restituērunt.
The soldier, ¦ injuredby a sword, ¦ was lying
beneath a tree.
Mīles ¦ gladiōvulnerātus ¦ sub arbore
iacēbat.
Both Latin and English could have expressed these by using
clauses and a full passive verb:
The soldiers rebuilt the town ¦ which had been destroyed
by the enemy. │ Mīlitēs oppidum ¦ quod ab hostibus dēlētum erat ¦
restituērunt.
The soldier ¦ who had been injured by a sword ¦ was
lying beneath a tree. │ Mīles ¦ quī gladiō vulnerātus erat ¦ sub
arbore iacēbat.
In practice, however, it is the participial
construction which is most common in Latin:
Agrōs ¦ ab hostibusvastātōs ¦ vīdimus. │ We
saw the fields, ¦ [which had been] laid wasteby the enemy.
Epistulam ¦ ab imperātōrescrīptam ¦ in mēnsā
posuit. │ On the table he placed the letter ¦ [which had been] writtenby
the emperor.
Translations, as always, can vary and depend on style and
context:
Vir ¦ ab uxōre suā venēnātus ¦ mox recuperāvit.
The man, poisoned by his wife, soon recovered.
The man who had been poisoned by his wife soon recovered.
Having been poisoned by his wife, the man soon recovered.
The man, after he’d been poisoned by his wife, soon
recovered.
Complete each phrase or sentence with both the participle
and additional word(s) that form the participial phrase; note that, in Latin,
the participle will normally come last; compare the numbering of the English
and the Latin.
In this exercise, the participle is in the nominative case
Henry the Second, ¦ [i] killed ¦ [ii] by a lance│ Henricus Secundus [ii] __________ [i]
__________
Claudius, ¦ [i] poisoned ¦ [ii] by Agrippina │ Claudius [ii]
__________ [i] __________
The murderer ¦ [i] thrown down ¦ [ii] from the Tarpeian rock
│ Interfector [ii] __________ [i] __________
The soldier ¦ [i] injured ¦ [ii] by an arrow │ Mīles [ii]
__________ [i] __________
The women ¦ [i] carried off ¦ [ii] by the Romans │ Fēminae
[ii] __________ [i] __________
The townspeople ¦ [i] slaughtered ¦ [ii] by the enemy │
Oppidānī [ii] __________ [i] __________
Regulus [i] [who had been] handed over ¦ [ii] to the enemy
was killed. │ Regulus ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] __________ ¦ interfectus est.
Now Laodamia ¦ [i] conquered by ¦ [ii] grief ¦ was not able
to live longer. │ Nunc Laodamia ¦ [ii] __________ ¦ [i] __________ ¦ diutius
vivere non poterat
There, ¦ [ia] broken ¦ [iia] by sickness ¦ [iiia] and hunger
¦ and ¦ [ib] clothed ¦ [iib] in rags ¦ he fed himself with birds. │ Ibi [iia]
__________ ¦ [iiia] __________ ¦ [ia] __________ et ¦ [iib] __________ [ib]
__________ avibus se alebat.
Below is a text describing a classroom. The sentences, or
parts of sentences are in the wrong order. Match the sentences with the images.
The correct text is at the end.
… atque attentās aurēs eī praebent.
… atque eō scrībit in libellō suō.
… et ad cathedram venī.
… et subsellia discipulōrum.
Ātrāmentum est eōdem colōre ac tabula, id est nigrum.
Discipulī et discipulae in subselliīs sedent.
Discipulī, ex subselliīs, oculīs magistrum spectant, …
Ex cathedrā spectat discipulōs et discipulās omnēs et cum iīs
loquitur.
In conclāvī scholārī sunt cathedra magistrī (vel magistrae)
…
In mediō conclāvī scholārī sunt subsellia;
Magister (vel magistra) sedet in cathedrā, quae est alta.
Magister calamum ātrāmentō intingit, …
Optimē; nunc redī ad subsellium.
Puer, exī ē tuō subselliō, …
Sub cathedrā est gradus quī eam sustinet.
Super cathedram est ātrāmentārium, in quō ātrāmentum est, et
calamus.
____________________
[1] In conclāvī scholārī sunt cathedra magistrī (vel
magistrae) [2] et subsellia discipulōrum.[3] Magister (vel magistra) sedet in cathedrā, quae est alta; [4] ex
cathedrā spectat discipulōs et discipulās omnēs et cum iīs loquitur. [5] Super
cathedram est ātrāmentārium, in quō ātrāmentum est, et calamus. [6] Magister
calamum ātrāmentō intingit, [7] atque eō scrībit in libellō suō. [8] Ātrāmentum
est eōdem colōre ac tabula, id est nigrum. [9] Sub cathedrā est gradus quī eam
sustinet. [10] In mediō conclāvī scholārī sunt subsellia; [11] discipulī et
discipulae in subselliīs sedent. [12] Discipulī, ex subselliīs, oculīs
magistrum spectant, [13] atque attentās aurēs eī praebent. [14] Puer, exī ē tuō
subselliō, [15] et ad cathedram venī. [16] Optimē; nunc redī ad subsellium.
[ii] The gerundive, which we can also refer to as a future
passive participle, is formed from the stem of the present tense with a
distinctive -nd- ending + the adjective endings -us, -a, -um; below are its
forms with its basic meaning
laudō, laudā¦re [1] > lauda- > lauda¦nd¦us, -a,
-um │ which is to be praised (future passive participle i.e. something that is
to be done in the future)
timeō, timē¦re [2] > time- > timendus, -a, -um│
which is to be feared
dūcō, dūce¦re [3] > dūc- > dūcendus, -a, -um│
which is to be led
3-iō and 4th conjugation have -ie- before the
ending is added
capiō, cape¦re [3-iō] > capie¦nd¦us, -a, -um│
which is to be captured
audiō, audī¦re [4] > audiendus, -a, -um│ which is to be
heard
[iii] The ‘dictionary’ translation, however, is usually
expressed in other ways. The gerundive most often refers to something that needs
to be or has to be done to the noun which is why the expression
‘gerundive of obligation’.
English has something similar e.g. “That wall needs to be
painted” or “that work has to be finished by 4pm”
[iv] The gerundive is adjectival; it agrees in gender,
number and case with the noun it describes.
redūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductus [3]: bring back > redūcendus,
-a, -um: which is / needs / has to be taken back; must be taken back
deinde eum … redūcendum Faleriōs puerīs trādidit │ he then
handed him to the boys to be taken back to Falerii
He handed him ¦ literally: who was to be taken back to
Falerii ¦ to the boys
That clumsy literal translation will not work and so it needs
to be rewritten:
The man who was to be taken back to Falerii he handed over
to the boys.
He then handed him to the boys [and he was] to be taken back
to Falerii.
[v] Here are some other examples of the gerundive.
The first one is very well known and is a reworking of a
statement made by Cato the Elder during the Third Punic War: Carthāgō dēlenda
est. │ Carthage is to be destroyed.
Vir laudandus est. │ The man must / needs to / has to / be
praised.
Haruspex timenda est. │ The soothsayer is to be feared.
Pontēs capiendī erant. │ The bridges were / had to be
captured.
Castra (pl.) capienda sunt. │ The camp is to be / must be
taken.
Nunc est bibendum. │ The time has come to drink [literally:
it needs to be drunk; now one must drink].
Sometimes, there can be a sense of “worthiness”:
Hic liber legendus est. │ This book is to be read / has to
be read / is worth reading.
Mīles fortis laudandus est. │ The brave soldier is praiseworthy
i.e. he needs to be praised.
[vi] The gerundive is used in constructions with ad +
the accusative that express future purpose.
Compare these two English sentences that will give you an
idea of how it works:
The estate agent says:
“This is a handy cupboard for ¦ cleaning materials¦ to
be stored.”
or
“This a handy cupboard for you ¦ to store ¦ your
cleaning materials.”
Here are examples from previous posts:
[1] Mēnsē proximō ībō prīmum ad Iowa ¦ ad amīcum vīsitandum.
The literal translation is:
Next month I shall go to Iowa ¦ to a friend who is to be
visited.
The participle agrees in gender, number and case with the
noun.
However, English would most often rephrase this, turning the
participle into an infinitive:
Next month I shall go to Iowa ¦ to visit a friend.
[2] Similarly:
Venīte mēcum ¦ ad eōs spectandōs.
Come with me ¦ to them that need to be looked at (the
speaker was referring to reptiles in a lake).
Rephrased: Come with me ¦ to look at them.
[3] Inter Dubrās et Rutupiās est locus ad nāvigia applicanda idōneus
Between Dover and Richborough is a place suitable for ¦ vessels to
be brought to land [i.e. English can sometimes closely translate the Latin
original]
or
Between Dover and Richborough is a place suitable ¦ to
land vessels.
[4] Locus idōneus est ad cōpiās explicandās.
It’s a suitable place for ¦ forces to be deployed.
or
It’s a suitable place ¦ to deploy forces.
[5] If you’re in business, you may well be surrounded by
gerundives …
…at a meeting when you are given an agenda i.e.
things that need to be done
… when you receive a memo by email i.e. a memorandum
(something that needs to be remembered) or maybe you have several things
you need to remember: memoranda
… when the boss forgot to include something in a document
which needs to be added, and sends you an addendum (or several addenda)
Less so nowadays, but a book may contain a corrigendum
or, more commonly, a list of corrigenda i.e. this is added to the book /
document after its publication to refer to errors that have been noted and,
presumably, are to be corrected in the next edition or which need to
be corrected by the reader when they appear. That word often occurs together
with errāta (from the perfect passive participle) referring to errors that
have been made.
If you’ve watched Britain’s Got Talent, no doubt you know
who Amanda Holden is, and her name is telling you that she needs to
be loved: amandus, -a, -um
And the formidable boss of Runway in “The Devil wears Prada”
is Miranda Priestly, she who is to be wondered / marvelled at:
mirandus, -a, -um. And it is a perfect choice of name for her character.
[6] Again, there is more to discuss regarding the gerundive
and it will reappear at Level 3. However, if you want to explore it in more
depth now, then the Latin Tutorial video will give you more information:
Because the participles are now acting purely as adjectives,
they decline not only in gender and number, but also in case because they are
agreeing with whatever case the noun is in:
[i] rēx necātus est = perfect passive sentence = the king
was killed
[ii] rēgem necātum vīdimus = participle as
adjective = Literally: we saw the killed king.
As mentioned in the previous post English cannot always be
so concise, the literal translation sounding odd or clumsy. Therefore, English
may need to rework it: “We saw the king who had been killed.”
Agrī vastātī saepe iterum colī nōn possunt. │ Destroyed
fields [= fields that have been destroyed] often cannot be cultivated again.
mīlitem vulnerātum cūrāvimus │ we cared for the wounded
soldier [= the soldier who had been wounded = the soldier after he had been
wounded]
Urbem dēlētam hostēs incendērunt │ the soldiers set fire to
the destroyed city [= the city which had been destroyed]
Tum Pompēius ¦ pīrātās captōs ¦ in urbibus et agrīs procul ā
marī collocāvit. │ Pompey then located the captured pirates in towns and fields
far from the sea.
in lītore dēsertō stābāmus │ we were standing on the
deserted shore
The table shows the declension of the participle captus
(captured; taken). It is only there for quick reference since the participles
decline in exactly the same way as any other 1st / 2nd
declension adjective.
Exercise.
Choose the appropriate participle. This time, the
translations are less literal and some alternatives are given to show that the
Latin participle can be conveyed in several ways. If the Latin cannot be translated
by a neat, single equivalent in English, then the aim is to retain the idea
that something had / has already happened to the person / thing.
[1]
Vōcem sorōris __________ audīvit. │ He heard the voice of
(his) frightened sister.
Vōcem frātris __________ audīvit. │ He heard the voice of
(his) brother who had been frightened.
Reliquī Rōmānī cīvēs __________ per viās currentēs
occīdērunt. │ The remaining Romans killed the terrified citizens as they were
running through the streets.
Clāmōrēs cīvium __________ audiēbantur. │ The cries of the
terrified citizens could be heard.
[2]
Vōcēs puerōrum __________ audīvimus. │ We heard the voices
of the captured boys.
Vōcēs fēminārum __________ audīvimus. │ We heard the voices
of the captured women.
Urbem __________ incendērunt. │ They set fire to the city which
had been captured.
[3]
Cēnam __________ sōlus ēdit. │ He ate the prepared dinner
alone [very literal: how about ‘he was / sat alone eating the dinner that had
been prepared’ or ‘the dinner had been
prepared and he ate it alone’; the last version is possible i.e. you can break
the sentence into two separate clauses provided it is clear that one event was
done before the other happened]
Sociī nāvēs __________ ad Menelāum mīsērunt. │ The allies
sent to Menelaus ships which they had prepared.
[4]
Pecūniam __________ reddam. │ I’ll return the money that
has been found.
Librum __________ reddam. │ I’ll return the book that has
been found.
[5]
Mihi epistulam __________ dedit. │ He gave me the letter which
had been read [= which he had read = after he’d read it]
Librōs __________ tibi dabō. │ I’ll give you the books that
have been read.
[6]
Librum __________ invēnī. │ I’ve found the lost book.
Pecūniam __________ invēnī. │ I’ve found the money that was
lost.
[7]
Uxōrēs mīlitum __________ diū lacrimāvērunt. │ The wives of
the soldiers who had been killed [= after they had been killed] cried
for a long time.
Fīlia mīlitis __________ flēvit. │ The daughter of the
soldier who had been killed wept.
[8]
Iuvenēs mīlitem __________ cōnspexērunt. │ The young men
caught sight of the wounded soldier.
Iuvenēs fēminam __________ cōnspexērunt. │ The young men
caught sight of the wounded lady.
Iuvenēs mīlites __________ cōnspexērunt. │ The young men
caught sight of the soldiers who had been wounded.
[9]
Troiānī nāvēs cōnscendere mālunt quam in urbe __________
manēre. │ The Trojans would rather board the ships than stay in the destroyed
city.
Inter urbis __________ ruīnās stābat. │ He stood among the
ruins of the destroyed city.
[10]
Pontem __________ refēcimus. │ We repaired the broken
bridge.
Pontēs __________ refēcērunt. │ They repaired the broken
bridges.
