Monday, June 23, 2025

01.10.25: Level 3 (review); irregular verbs [6]: possum, posse [ii]: practice

Answers are in the second post

[A]  present, imperfect, future tenses of possum, posse

Complete the Latin sentences with the appropriate form of possum, posse

[i] Can you (sg.) show me the way? │ __________ mihi viam mōnstrāre?

[ii] He was unable to summon help because he wasn’t strong enough. │ Auxilium vocāre nōn __________ quod nōn satis validus erat.

[iii] I can send you the money. │ __________ tibi pecūniam mittere.

[iv] I couldn’t do this alone.│ Nōn sōlus hoc facere __________.   

[v] I shall soon be able to play │ Mox lūdere __________.

[vi] Indeed, you (pl.) will never be able to help me. │ Mē quidem numquam __________ adiuvāre.

[vii] Is he able? │ __________?

[viii] Nobody will be able to sleep. │ Nēmō dormīre __________.

[ix] They cannot go with you. │ Tēcum īre nōn __________.

[x] They were able to see the ships, but saw nobody. │ Nāvēs vidēre __________ sed nēminem vidēbant.

[xi] They won’t be able to pay the money. │ Pecūniam solvere nōn __________.

[xii] We can’t. │ Nōn __________.

[xiii] We were not able to wait. │ Exspectāre nōn __________.

[xiv] We’ll be able to do everything. │ Omnia facere __________.

[xv] Were you (pl.) able to conquer the enemy? │ __________ hostēs vincere?

[xvi] Were you (sg.) able to go out the house this morning?│ __________ domō exīre hodiē manē?

[vxii] Who can do this? │ Quis hoc facere __________?

[xviii] Will you be able to come tomorrow? __________ crās venīre?

[xix] You (pl.) cannot understand what I’m saying to you. │ Intellegere nōn __________ quod vōbīs dīcō.

[xx] You (sg.) will barely be able to escape misfortune. │Vix __________ effugere īnfortūnium.

possum; possumus; possunt; poteram; poterāmus; poterant; poterāsne; poterat; poterātisne; poterimus; poteris; poterisne; poterit; poteritis; poterō; poterunt; potesne; potest; potestis; potestne

[B]  perfect tense of possum, posse

Complete the Latin texts with single verbs or phrases listed below

(1) I have sometimes included [in brackets] very literal translations where appropriate to show the different tenses

(2) In some these sentences, the translation ‘could have [done]’ is possible. However, Latin has other ways in which that concept can be expressed (i.e. using the subjunctive) and so, for the moment, simply recognise that, for example, id facere potuit can mean, depending upon context, “he could have done it” rather than “he was able to / could do it” i.e. it is a statement of potential rather than fact.

(3) Most of the quotations are from Cicero; other authors are indicated

[i] he could not ring a word out of anybody │ vōcem exprimere _______________

[ii] I (have) stirred up Brutus out of his dejection as much as I could [ = have been able]. │ Brūtum abiectum, _______________, excitāvī.

[iii] and you were the person best qualified to do so [ = because you alone were especially able to do this] │ quod ūnus tū facere _______________

[iv] Nothing could be [could have been] more delightful. │ Nihil _______________ iucundius.

[v] I have done everything that I could accomplish in my own province │Omnia fēcī, _______________  aut in meā prōvinciā perficere

[vi] There was no alternative [ = it could not have become otherwise] │ _______________ aliter

[vii] I' faith, that's the very reason why we, wretched creatures, have never been able to find you out here. │ Istoc pol nōs tē hīc invenīre miserae _______________. (Terence)

[viii] But you (referring to more than one person) were able to see clearly [understand] │ sed intellegere _______________

[ix] They were unable to bear the attack │ impetum ferre _______________ (Caesar)

[x] You’ll say “So, you haven’t seen the man?” How could I fail to [ = was I able not to] see (him)  …? │“Nōn vīdistī igitur hominem?” inquiēs. Quī _______________ vidēre …?

fierī nōn potuit; maximē potuistī; nōn potuērunt; nōn potuit; numquam potuimus; potuī nōn; potuistis; potuit esse; quae potuī; quantum potuī

[C] Image: Crossword; Distinguish between [i] the future and [ii] the future perfect


[D] Pluperfect tense

Again, focus not only on the forms of the verb, but also the way in which it is translated, the pluperfect in Latin emphasising that something had been done before something else happened. English may not specifically use ‘had’, but I have included it in all of the translations.

[i] The few honest folk among them, that he had not managed [ = been able] to remove in his selection … │ Paucī tamen bonī inerant, quōs reiectiōne fugāre ille _______________

[ii] …nor had the woman been able to keep quiet │ … nec mulier tacēre _______________

[iii] and now this (disaster) of which ¦ we had been in daily fear [ = we had been able to fear] has suddenly happened │  ea … quam cotīdiē timēre _______________, subitō exorta est.

[iv] Couldn’t you have said so at first? [ = Had you not been able to say … ?] │  _______________ hoc igitur ā principiō … dīcere?

[v] Therefore, after they had not been able to take (possession of) the camp …  │ Itaque posteāquam castra _______________ potīrī (Caesar)

[vi] Yesterday I wrote myself to the best of my ability [in whatever way I had been able] a letter containing predictions, which I hope may prove false. │ Nam prīdiē quidem, quōquō modō _______________, scrīpseram ipse eās litterās, quārum vāticinātiōnem falsam esse cupiō. (Cicero)

nōn potuerant; nōn potuerās; nōn potuerat; potueram; potuerāmus; potuerat

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