24.02.25: Level 1; readings [4]: the fight

Iam Barbātus Syrum temptat. Gladiī crepant, populus adversāriōs incitat, nam pugnae turbam valdē dēlectant. Etiam Mārcus gaudet et clāmat, nam lūdōs et pugnās libenter spectat; Cornēliam autem lūdī nōn dēlectant: itaque sedet et tacet. Mārcus amīcam rogat: “Cūr pugna tē nōn dēlectat?” Cornēlia nōn respondet. Subitō Syrus adversārium temptat, vulnerat. Turba clāmat, sed Cornēlia lacrimās nōn iam tenet. Neque Mārcum nunc lūdus dēlectat. 

23.02.25: Level 3; reading; the four seasons [1]; spring

Dē vēre

Vēre sōl in caelō scandit. Singulī diēs longiōrēs fīunt. Singulae noctēs breviōrēs fīunt. Sōl vēris calēscit. Nix hiemis liquēscit. Auster pluviam fert. Herba ē terrā nāscitur. Nūdī agrī iterum viridēs fīunt. Arborēs folia prōdūcunt. Avēs ex austrō revertuntur. Silvae cantū sonant. Flōrēs aperiuntur.

Iuvat in agrōs silvāsque exīre. Bovēs iterum per collēs et vallēs herbā pāscuntur. Virī et puerī cum equīs exeunt. In agrīs labōrant. Agrōs arant. Sēmina et arborēs serunt. Arborēs serit dīligēns agricola, quārum adspiciet frūctum ipse numquam. Serit arborēs, quae alterī saeculō prōsint.

Vocabulary: note in particular the words in bold

scandō, -ere; scandī [3]: ascend

singulus, -a, -um: (here) one by one; one at a time

auster, -trī [2/m]: the south wind

nāscitur: is born

prōdūcō,-ere; prōdūxī [3]: produce

revertuntur: (they) return

sonō, -āre; sonuī [1]: resound

aperiuntur: (they) are being opened

iuvat [+ īnfīnītīve]: it is pleasing [to ...]

pāscuntur [+ abl.]: (they) feed [on ...]

sēmen, seminis [3/n]: seed

sērō, -ere; sēvī [3]: sow; plant

ipse: himself

alter, -a, -um: (here) the next

saeculum, -ī [2/n]: generation; century

prōsum, prōdesse; prōfuī [+ dat.]: be of benefit [to...]

[A]

1. How do the days and nights change in Spring?
2. How does the temperature change?
3. What happens to the snow?
4. What does the South Wind bring?
5. What appears from the earth?
6. What were the fields like before Spring and how are they now?
7. What do the trees do?
8. What return from the South?How do you know they are back?
9. What happens to the flowers?
10. What is it pleasant to do?
11. Where do the cattle feed?
12. Who come with horses?
13. What do they do?
14. Why will the farmer never see the trees that he plants?

[B] Review the grammar terms; the following are examples of which grammatical features listed below?

adspiciet

aperiuntur

calēscit; liquēscit

cantū; fructum

cum equīs; ē terrā; ex austrō; dē vēre

in agrōs; in agrīs

longiōrēs; breviōrēs

per collēs / per vallēs

quae; quārum

viridēs; diligēns

• 3^rd  declension adjectives
• 4^th declension nouns
• comparative adjectives
• future tense verb
• inchoative verbs (indicate the process of becoming something)
• preposition that only takes the accusative case
• preposition that takes both the accusative and the ablative case
• prepositions that only take the ablative case
• present passive verb
• relative pronouns 

23.02.25: Level 3; deponent verbs (1)

The previous text contained three verbs that were highlighted in the vocabulary list:

Avēs ex austrō revertuntur. │ The birds return from the south.

Bovēs iterum … herbā pāscuntur. │ The cattle again … graze on the grass.

Herba ē terrā nāscitur. │ Grass springs forth (is born) from the ground.

There is a group of verbs in Latin known as deponent that have passive forms but active meanings. At this stage it is best to remember two terms:

[i] An active verb is one where the subject performs the action.

The farmers harvest grain = active sentence

Agricolae frūmentum metunt.

The soldier killed the king = active sentence

Mīles rēgem interfēcit.

[ii] A passive verb is one where the subject experiences the action.

The grain is harvested by the farmers = passive sentence

Frūmentum ab agricolīs metitur.

The king was killed by the soldier = passive sentence

Rēx ā mīlite interfectus est.

With deponent verbs, however, the opposite is taking place; that’s not the be-all and end-all explanation, but it is enough for now. Deponent verbs look like passive verbs but they are active, the subject performing the action and not experiencing it.

Examples:

sequor = I follow, not I am followed!

ūtor = I use, not I am being used!

The deponent verbs only have three principal parts:

sequor, sequī, secūtus sum [3/dep]: follow

[1] sequor; first person singular present tense; I follow, not *I am followed*

[2] sequī; infintive; to follow, not *to be followed*

The third principal part is not passive in meaning but rather the meaning of a perfect tense of an active verb; it will still agree in gender and number with the subject of the verb like the perfect passive participle, but what looks like a passive is, in fact, active.

[3] secūtus, -a sum; perfect active; I (have) followed, not *I have been / was followed*

secūtus, -a est │ he / she followed

secūtī, -ae sumus │ we (m/f) followed

[1] revertor; first person singular; I return

[2] revertī; infinitive; to return

[3] reversus, -a (sum); perfect active participle; I (have) returned

The next three readings on the seasons will give further examples of deponent verbs at which point we will look at them in more detail. There is a high risk of becoming tied in knots with long-winded explanations as to why such verbs exist, some writers on Latin grammar trying to analyse each deponent verb to work out why a passive form is being used when an active sense is meant. Given that there are over 500 deponent verbs in Latin, it seems to me to be a time-consuming wild goose chase. The best approach is to note deponent verbs when they occur and, for the moment, simply note that deponent verbs are passive in form but active in meaning.

The Latin Tutorial video will give you an overview of the deponent verbs: