the Gerundive
deinde eum … redūcendum Faleriōs puerīs trādidit │ he then
handed him to the boys to be taken back to Falerii
[i] The gerundive was first briefly mentioned here:
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/08/260924-level-2-ora-maritima-24-and-25-6.html
[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:
No comments:
Post a Comment