08.02.25: Level 2; the passive voice [32]: the perfect passive [13]; the perfect passive participle as adjective [1]: nominative forms

Image #1: I fully admit to stealing this idea from the Latin tutorial video to which I’ll give a link at the end of this series of posts. I just thought it was such a neat way of conveying the idea.

Compare:

[1]

• The building was shaken by an earthquake.
• Once the cake mix has been slowly stirred, put it onto a baking tray.

Both of those are passive sentences; they describe what is done to the subject.

[2] What about this one?

• James Bond ordered a vodka martini – shaken, not stirred.

“shaken” and “stirred” are not creating passive sentences i.e. they are not used with verb ‘to be’; they function as adjectives describing the vodka martini

Latin can do exactly the same

[1] passive sentences, the perfect passive participle agreeing in gender and number with the subject, and working together with esse:

• Mīles vulnerātus est │ the soldier was / has been wounded
• Puer ā magistrō monitus erat │ the boy had been warned by the teacher
• Servus captus est │ the slave was captured
• Cēna parāta erit │ the dinner have been prepared
• Urbs oppugnata est │ the city was attacked
• Templum in forō aedificatum erat │ a temple had been built in the forum
• Nōs ad convīvium rogātī sumus │ we were invited to the banquet
• Multae navēs dēlētae sunt │ many ships were destroyed

[2] As in English, the perfect passive participle can function without ‘esse’ and act exactly like an adjective

[i] injure – ¦ injured > an injured soldier

vulnerō, vulnerāre, vulnerāvī, ¦ vulnerātus > mīles vulnerātus │ an injured soldier; mīlitēs vulnerātī │ injured soldiers

mīles vulnerātus = an injured soldier [i.e. a soldier ¦ who was / had been injured]

[ii] break – broke – ¦ broken > a broken window

frangō – frangere – frēgī – ¦ frāctus > fenestra frācta │ a broken window; fenestrae frāctae │ broken windows

[iii] destroy – ¦ destroyed > a destroyed town

dēleō – dēlēre – dēlēvī – ¦ dēlētum > oppidum dēlētum │ a destroyed town;  oppida dēlēta │ destroyed towns

They function as adjectives but the key point is that they describe something that already has / had happened to the noun.

An important rule of thumb: when translating anything from Latin into any other language, the translation should adhere to the style of that language. The exercise below does match precisely English and Latin participles. However, that doesn’t always work:

Puella vocāta timēbat │ literally: the summoned girl was afraid; in English it isn’t ‘wrong’ but just sounds ‘odd’ whereas in Latin it doesn’t. It is perfectly possible to rework that into a more fluent style which still conveys the same idea. Context may determine what the best rendering is. Examples:

• Having been summoned, the girl was afraid.
• The girl who had been summoned was afraid.
• The girl, when / after she had been summoned, was afraid.

Again, remember the ‘two stages’ of translation: first go for the literal to ensure you know what the word / phrase actualy means and then pause and think about how it would be best translated in your own language.

Exercise:

Below are ten verbs; focus on the fourth principal part; from the word cloud choose the appropriate participle to complete the Latin phrase and remember that the participle will agree in gender and number

arō, arāre, arāvī, arātus [1]: plough

cēlō, cēlāre, cēlāvī, cēlātus [1]: hide

dēleō, dēlēre, dēlēvī, dēlētus [2]: destroy [deriv. delete]

doceō, docēre, docuī, doctus [2]: educate [deriv. doctor]

frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctus [3]: break [deriv. fraction]

incendō, incendere, incendī, incēnsus [3]: burn [deriv. incensed]

mūniō, mūnīre, mūnīvī, mūnītus [4]: fortify [deriv. ammunition]

sepeliō, sepelīre, sepelīvī, sepultus [4]: bury

terreō, terrēre, terruī, territus [2]: frighten

vincō, vincere, vīcī, victus [3]: conquer

1. a broken wagon │ plaustrum __________
2. a broken wheel │ rota __________
3. a burned town │ oppidum __________
4. a destroyed temple │ templum __________
5. a fortified town│ urbs __________
6. a ploughed field │ ager __________
7. an educated man  │ vir __________
8. burned towns │ oppida __________
9. conquered soldiers │ mīlitēs __________
10. destroyed cities │ urbēs __________
11. educated men │ virī __________
12. fortified walls │ moenia __________
13. frightened horses │ equī __________
14. hidden gold │ aurum __________
15. hidden money │ pecūnia __________
16. ploughed fields │ agrī __________
17. the buried bodies │ corpora __________
18. the buried body │ corpus __________
19. the conquered commander │ dux __________
20. the frightened boy │ puer __________

arātī; arātus; cēlāta; cēlātum; dēlētae; dēlētum; doctī; doctus; frācta; frāctum; incēnsa; incēnsum; mūnīta; mūnītum; sepulta; sepultum; territī; territus; vīctī; vīctus