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.
