27.05.25: Level 3; the gerund [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/10/121224-level-1-topic-school-4-arts.html

[1] A gerund is a verbal noun i.e. a noun which is formed from a verb with, in English, the use of -ing; verbal nouns refer to the act / process of doing something:

I like [i] football [noun] │ I like [ii] skateboarding [verbal noun], hiking, cooking etc.

I think that boxing is a dangerous sport and I dislike foxhunting.

Seeing is believing.

[2] Latin creates gerunds by adding -ndum to the stem of the verb:

visitō, -āre [1] > visita¦ndum [= visiting i.e. the act of visiting; the gerund functions as a 2^nd declension singular neuter noun in -um].

visitō, -āre [1] > visitandum

moneō, monēre [2] > monendum

discō, discere [3] > discendum

capiō, capere [3-iō] > capiendum

audiō, audīre [4] > audiendum

[3] The gerund has no nominative case.

Nominative: -

Genitive: visitandī

Dative: visitandō

Accusative: visitandum

Ablative: visitandō

[i] In a phrase such as “seeing is believing”, which are verbal nouns in English but both of which are in the nominative case in Latin, the infinitive is used:

vidēre est credere; compare Fr. voir [infinitive] c’est croire [infinitive]; Gmn. Sehen [infinitive] ist Glauben [infinitive]

[ii] The infinitive is also used when the act of doing something is the direct object of the sentence, for example:

I love swimming [ = I love to swim] │amō natāre   

[4] Apart from the nominative, the gerund can be used in all other cases and can be followed by a direct object:

Genitive

ars loquendī [genitive]│ the art of speaking

*Cupidī erant Rōmānī insulam nostram … vīsitandī [genitive] et explōrandī [genitive] │ Literally: the Romans were desirous … of visiting and (of) exploring our island

Dative

*Dat operam agrōs colendō [dative]. │ He attends to tilling fields.

Accusative

ad + the accusative of the gerund can express purpose

Ad legendum vēnit. │ He came to read / for the purpose of reading.

*Ad legendum librōs vēnit. │ He came to read books.

Mē vocās ad scrībendum. │ You summon me to write.

Ablative

Legendō [ablative] legere discimus. │ We learn to read by reading.

*Legendō librōs legere discimus. │ We learn to read by reading books.

Terit tempus scrībendō epistulās. │ He spends time in writing letters.

Rex currendō fūgit. │ The king fled by running.

*[5] Look again at the examples above with an asterisk:

Ad legendum [gerund] + librōs [direct object; accusative] vēnit. │ He came ¦ to read books.

Legendō [gerund] + librōs [direct object; accusative] legere discimus. │ We learn to read ¦ by reading books.

Terit tempus scrībendō [gerund] + epistulās [direct object; accusative] │ He spends time ¦ in writing letters.

Cupidī erant Rōmānī insulam nostram [direct object; accusative] … vīsitandī et explōrandī [gerund]. │ The Romans were desirous … ¦ of visiting and exploring our island.

Dat operam agrōs [direct object; accusative] colendō [gerund]. │ He attends ¦ to tilling fields.

All of these have a direct object with the gerund. While the sentences are perfectly correct Latin, there is a preferred parallel construction known as the gerundive which will be the next topic.

[6] causā + the gerund; grātiā + the gerund

Both causā (+genitive) and grātiā (+genitive) mean on account of; for the sake of and they follow the noun:

urbis causā: for the sake of the city

Both can be also used with the gerund to express purpose:

pugnandī causā: for the purpose of fighting

Ulixēs in terram ¦ frūmentandī causā ¦ ēgressus est.  │ Ulysses went out onto the land ¦ for the sake of / purpose of obtaining corn.

quotannīs singula milia armātōrum ¦ bellandī causā ¦ ex fīnibus ēdūcunt (Caesar) │ they yearly send from their territories a thousand armed men ¦ for the purpose of waging war

neque longius annō remanēre ūnō in locō ¦ colendī causā ¦ licet (Caesar) │ nor are they permitted to remain more than one year in one place ¦ for the purpose of residence [ = residing].

simulandī grātiā: in order to deceive [ = for the purpose of deceiving]

[i] pābulandī [ii] lignandīque aut etiam [iii] mūniendī grātiā (Bellum Africum) │ for the purpose of [i] foraging (for food), [ii] obtaining wood, or even [iii] building fortifications