29.12.25: Level 1; Carolus et Maria [22][i] text, vocabulary, notes; review: perfect passive

Carolus et Maria XXII

Nunc post multōs diēs Carolus ūnum amīcum novum in Germāniā habet. Amīcus est servus quī tēctum medicī cūrat. Servus linguam Carolī intellegit nam ōlim in Americā habitāvit. Hodiē nōn labōrat, sed cum Carolō per silvam errat. Puerī duōs equos nigrōs habent. Eī celeriter ad silvam currunt. Carolus equum suum incitat quod īre celeriter cupit. Via est lāta et facilis et mox puerī in silvā sunt. Nūllae bēstiae perīculōsae hīc errant nam silva nōn est locus perīculōsus. Bēstiae ferae, sed parvae per tōtam silvam errant. Servus nōmina omnium bēstiārum scit. Grātum est Carolō cum amīcō novō per silvam errāre. Ubi rūrī est, laetus est.

Tōtum diem servus et Carolus in silvā manent. Cum est tempus domum īre, puerī aliā viā eunt. Servus locum quī ōlim erat domus barbarōrum mōnstrat. Ubi barbarī dormiēbant, oppidum antīquum expugnātum et dēlētum est. Multī barbarī vulnerātī et necātī sunt. Cēterī quī servātī sunt in vincula iactī sunt. Carolus hās fābulās laudat et servō aliās fābulās dē barbarīs quī ōlim in patriā suā habitābant nārrat.

Nunc equī nigrī sē nōn celeriter movent. Diēs longus fuit sed grātus. Servus ā Carolō ad Americam invītātur. Facile nōn erit ad Americam īre, nam servus magnam pecūniam nōn habet.

Nocte Carolus epistulam ad Cassium scrībit. Haec dīcit: “Mox Italiam vīsitābimus. Italia erit mihi omnium terrārum grātissima. Cēterās terrās laudō, sed Italiam amō. Amīcus meus novus est puer Germānus quem laudō. Nunc est tempus ad Italiam īre parāre. Valē, Cassī.”

bēstia, -ae [1/f]: beast

servus, -ī [2/m]: (here) servant (not *slave*)

tempus, temporis [3/n]: time

ferus, -a, -um: wild

cēterī, -ae, -a: the others; the rest [Engl. etc. = et cetera]

tōtus, -a, -um: the whole; all

facilis, -e: easy

errō, -āre [1]: wander

incitō, -āre [1]: spur on (e.g. a horse) [Engl. deriv. incite]

Notes:

[1] equī … sē nōn celeriter movent │ the horses are not moving quickly; literally: the horses are not moving themselves quickly

[2] Valē, Cassī: Good-bye, Cassius; the vocative case i.e. Cassius is being addressed directly; -ius > -ī

[3] The verbs below from the text are all perfect passive, referring to what was / has been done

Oppidum antīquum expugnātum et dēlētum est │ The ancient town was taken by storm and destroyed.

Multī barbarī vulnerātī et necātī sunt  │ Many barbarians were wounded and killed.

Cēterī quī servātī sunt in vincula iactī sunt │ The others / rest who were saved were thrown into chains.

[i] The perfect passive was first referred to here

21.11.25: Level 1; Carolus et Maria [16][vi] Grammar Notes (2) Perfect Passive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/08/211125-level-1-carolus-et-maria-16vi.html

[ii] That post contained several links. The link giving the most important information is:

13.01.25: Level 2; the passive voice [20]: the perfect passive [1]; three-in-one: the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect passive; the fourth principal part / the perfect passive participle

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/10/130125-level-2-passive-voice-20-perfect.html

[iii] A verb in Latin is listed in, for example, a dictionary or a grammar book based on its principal parts:

Most Latin verbs have four principal parts:

(1) First principal part: dēleō; the first person singular present tense

(2) Second principal part: dēlēre; the present active infinitive

(3) Third principal part: dēlēvī; the first person singular perfect tense; at the link below you saw that the third principal part is used to form the perfect tense:

26.10.25: Level 1; Carolus et Maria [12][iii] principal parts

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/07/261025-level-1-carolus-et-maria-12iii.html

[iv] And now we have the fourth - and final - principal part:

(4) delētus, -a, -um: the perfect passive participle and, so as not to lose sight of what it means, we’ll translate it not just as ‘destroyed’ because that might lead you to believe it is identical to its English equivalent with more than one function, but as having been destroyed i.e. it is used only in passive constructions and refers to an action that was / has been completed or had been completed or will have been completed.

[v] The perfect passive participle agrees with the subject in gender and number:

mīles (masculine) vulnerātus est │ the soldier was (has been) injured

urbs (feminine) expugnāta est │ the city was (has been) captured / taken by storm

oppidum (neuter) dēletum est │ the town was (has been) destroyed

multī barbarī (masculine plural) vulnerātī sunt │ many barbarians were (have been) injured

multae urbēs (feminine plural) expugnatae sunt │ many cities were (have been) captured / taken by storm

multa oppida (neuter plural) dēleta sunt │ many towns were (have been) destroyed

[vi] Remember that the perfect passive participle is very often used with the verb esse to create passive sentences but Latin uses the present tense of esse + the perfect passive participle to convey ‘was / has been (done)’; in the examples below, there is no need to repeat ‘est’ and ‘sunt’; as in English, the verb esse applies to both perfect passive participles.

Oppidum antīquum (1) expugnātum et (2) dēlētum est │ The ancient town was (1) taken by storm and (2) [was] destroyed.

Multī barbarī (1) vulnerātī et (2) necātī sunt  │ Many barbarians were (1) wounded and (2) [were] killed.

The image shows the principal parts of verbs from this text. Note: in some listings, the 4^th principal part will appear with the ending -um rather than -us; that is referring to a different form of the verb but – at this stage – it makes no difference since it still has the same -us, -a, -um endings.