Thursday, April 9, 2026

25.09.26: Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [3] emotional states [ii] further examples

[i]

Nōn audeō id dīcere equidem, et mē pudet tam cito dē sententiā esse dēiectum (Cicero)

  • I do not indeed dare to say that, and I am ashamed to have been so quickly cast down from my opinion.

nōn paenitet mē (Cicero)

  • I don’t regret it.

valdē  paenitēbat (Cicero)

  • I was very sorry [literally: it caused me regret]

[ii]

The impersonal verb may be used without a pronoun:

periī, pudet (Plautus)

  • I’m done for, Im ashamed.

[iii]

The impersonal verb may be followed by an infinitive or with a neuter pronoun as the subject

Taedet nōs in lūdō sedēre.

  • We are bored with sitting in school [literally: It tires us to sit in school].

, mī Pompōnī, valdē paenitet vīvere (Cicero)

  • My dear Pomponius, I am heartily sick of life [literally: I regret to live / living]

Iam dūdum pudet tam multa scrībere (Cicero)

  • For some time past I have been ashamed to write so many things.

Mē hoc paenitet.

  • I am ashamed of this.

[iv] accusative of person affected and genitive of the cause:

taedet omnīnō eōs [accusative] vītae [genitive] (Cicero)

  • These people are completely tired of life.

Pudet mē patris (Cicero)

  • I’m ashamed of (his) father,

mea māter, tuī mē miseretmeī piget (Ennius)

  • My mother, I pity youI am disgusted with myself.

Quārē voluntātis  meae numquam paenitēbit, cōnsiliī paenitet. (Cicero)

  • So I shall never regret my resolve; but I regret the plan.

pudēbit tē, inquam, illīus tabulae  (Cicero)

  • You will be ashamed, I say, of that picture

[v] accusative of person omitted, leaving only the genitive

Chirurgiae [genitive] taedet (Cicero)

  • I have grown tired of surgery.

Taedet mentiōnis (Caecilius)

  • The mention of it is wearisome [ = I don’t like to talk about it]

Crēdō iam omnium taedēbat (Terence)

  • I think he was finally tired of them all.

No comments: