25.10.25: Level 3; ferō and its compounds [6]

Choose the appropriate verb listed below to complete each sentence.

1. Are you offering me something? │__________ mihi aliquid?
2. Bring me the two best horses. │__________ mihi duōs equōs optimōs!
3. Go to the middle of the forest, boys! │__________ vōs ad mediam silvam, puerī!
4. They take away a very large amount of money from the allies. │Ab sociīs maximam pecūniam __________.
5. Come on, pass round the wine! │Age, __________ mulsum!
6. I go to bed before sunset. │Ante sōlis occāsum mē in lectum __________.
7. You make a display of your greed! │Avāritiam __________!
8. They transfer the camp to the other side of the river. │Castra trāns fluvium __________.
9. They bring a golden crown into the Senate House. │Corōnam auream in cūriam __________.
10. I take myself back home. │Domum mē __________.
11. We go home. │Domum nōs  __________.
12. We take the statues out of the temples. │Ē templīs statuās __________.
13. I want to return this letter to him. │Hanc epistulam ad eum __________ volō.
14. Lucretius translates the book into Latin. │Lucrētius librum in linguam Latīnam __________.
15. My eyes look (round) in every direction. [ = I take (my) eyes around] │ Oculōs __________
16. Pompey gathers his troops together. │Pompēius cōpiās suās __________.
17. The Romans win [= bring back] a great victory. │Rōmānī magnam victōriam __________.
18. Sextus orders the slave to bring water. │Sextus servum aquam __________ iubet.
19. The soil and climate are not much different from Britain. │sōlum caelumque ... haud multum ā Britanniā __________.
20. He refuses to offer any help. │Ūllum auxilium __________ nōn vult.
21. They were waging war on their neighbours. │ Fīnitimīs [dative] bellum __________.

____________________ 

1. Offersne mihi aliquid?
2. Affer mihi duōs equōs optimōs!
3. Cōnferte vōs ad mediam silvam, puerī!
4. Avāritiam praefers!
5. Age, circumfer mulsum!
6. Ante sōlis occāsum mē in lectum cōnferō.
7. Ab sociīs maximam pecūniam auferunt.
8. Castra trāns fluvium trānsferunt.
9. Corōnam auream in cūriam īnferunt.
10. Domum mē referō.
11. Domum nōs cōnferimus.
12. Ē templīs statuās efferimus.
13. Hanc epistulam ad eum referre volō.
14. Lucrētius librum in linguam Latīnam trānsfert.
15. Oculōs circumferō.
16. Pompēius cōpiās suās cōnfert.
17. Rōmānī magnam victōriam referunt.
18. Sextus servum aquam afferre iubet.
19. sōlum caelumque ... haud multum ā Britanniā differunt.
20. Ūllum auxilium offerre nōn vult.
21. Fīnitimīs bellum īnferēbant.

25.10.25: Level 3; ferō and its compounds [5]

[1] per (through) + ferō > perferō: the prefix per- can convey the meaning of doing something all the way through i.e. [i] carry through; convey news i.e. get that news to somebody [ii] bear; endure to the end

[i]

tum lapis ipse virī …nec spatium ēvāsit tōtum neque pertulit ictum (Virgil) │ Then that very stone of the man … neither passed over the whole space nor carried through a blow.

Interim ad Labiēnum per Rēmōs incrēdibilī celeritāte dē victōriā Caesaris fāma perfertur (Caesar) │ Meanwhile the report respecting the victory of Caesar is conveyed to Labienus through the country of the Remi with incredible speed [i.e. the new isn’t merely announced to Labienus, but brought to him]

[ii] nec quae fugit sectāre, nec miser vīve, / sed obstinātā mente perfer, obdūrā (Catullus) │ do not keep chasing one who flees, do not live miserably, / but endure with a resolute mind, harden yourself.

[2] prō (in front of) + ferō > prōferō: [i] bring out; expose; [ii] put off; adjourn

'Prōfer, Galla, caput.' 'Nōlī vexāre, quiēscit.' (Juvenal) │ 'Bring out your head, Galla.' 'Don't disturb her, she's resting.'

[i]

Argentārius nummōs ex arcā prōfert. │ The moneychanger produces coins from the box. [ = He brings them out in front of him.]

Massiliēnsēs arma ex oppidō prōferunt. │ The Massilians bring their weapons out of the town.

[ii] quod sī laxius volent prōferre diem, poterunt vel bīduum vel trīduum vel ut vidēbitur (Cicero) │ But,  if  they want  to  put  off  the  date  still  further,  they can do so two or three days or as much as they  like [think of the opposite English expression: Can we bring the meeting forward to Tuesday?]

[3] Briefly to return to the use of dictionaries, it is common practice in the most authoritative works to list examples of the different meanings any word may have. This, however, from a learner’s perspective, can be misleading since there may only be a handful of instances where Roman authors have used the word in that specific sense.

sufferō (or subferō) is a case in point where its compound rarely occurs in a literal sense, but that definition will be included in the dictionary because it is evident in a few isolated cases; sufferō is far more common in its abstract sense:

sufferō: [i] carry / lay under; [ii] suffer; bear; endure

imbrem perpetiar, labōrem sufferam, sōlem, sitim (Plautus) │ the torrents of rain I'll submit to; labour, heat, and thirst, will I endure

nec poterant pariter dūrum sufferre labōrem (Lucretius) │ and they were able to endure, like copper, hard labour

22.10.25: Level 3; ferō and its compounds [4]

A common idiom with the verb conferō is its use with a reflexive pronoun; reflexive pronouns are so-called because they indicate that the subject and object of the action are the same e.g. English: I wash myself. The literal meaning of mē confero is ‘I betake myself’ but it is often translated as ‘I go’ with the sense of getting yourself somewhere:

mē cōnferō: I go                                                            

tē cōnfers: you [sg] go                                                   

sē cōnfert: (s)he goes                                                     

nōs cōnferimus: we go

vōs cōnfertis: you [pl] go

sē cōnferunt: they go

sī spem vīderō, aut ibīdem opperiar aut mē ad tē cōnferam (Cicero) │ if I see a ray of hope, I shall either wait here or pay you a visit [literally: I shall betake myself to you]

Profugiunt statim ex urbe tribūnī plēbis sēsēque ad Caesarem cōnferunt (Caesar) │ the tribunes of the people immediately make (made) their escape from the city, and withdraw (withdrew) to Caesar; i.e. the idea of them all going and gathering themselves together at Caesar’s location is conveyed by the verb

In gradually acquiring the translations of the compounds of ferō, pause for thought to consider the underlying meaning of the prefix and why it is used in the non-literal sense.

[1] dis-: apart; the prefix does not function as a separate preposition and frequently changes its final consonant when compounded with verbs: 

dīmittō, -ere [3]: dismiss

diffīdō, -ere [3/dep]: distrust

discēdō, -ere [3]: depart

discutiō, -ere [3-iō] disperse; (Mediaeval) discuss

Image #1 shows that, when used in a compound with ferō, there is again both a clear physical action and one that is figurative:

differō: [i] scatter different ways; spread; disperse; [ii] be different; vary

[i] Ventus nūbila differt. │ The wind scatters the clouds.

[ii] Hī omnēs linguā, īnstitūtīs, ... inter sē differunt. (Caesar) │ All these differ from each other in language, customs ....

[2] Image #2: Similarly, consider the underlying meaning of the prefix re- (back; backwards; again)

referō: [1] carry back; [2] make known; report i.e. bring information back to somebody

[i] Referte ānulum ad mē. │ Bring the ring back to me [= return]

[ii]

Nūntium bonum dē victōriā nostrā referō. │ I report [ = bring back] good news about our victory.

Iam pedem referēbant Rōmānī. │ The Romans were now retreating. [literally: carrying back the foot]

Like cōnferō, referō can also be used with a reflexive pronoun to mean ‘return’:

mē referō: I go back                                                      

tē refers: you [sg] go back                                             

sē refert: (s)he goes back                                               

nōs referimus: we go back

vōs refertis: you [pl] go back

sē referunt: they go back

Pompēius in castra sē refert. │ Pompey returns [= brings himself back] to the camp.

[3] dē-: down / away (from)

dēferō: [i] bring / carry something away (down) from a place [ii] deliver / bear news; give an account of

[i] sed ex iīs onerāriae duae eōsdem portūs quōs reliquae capere nōn potuērunt et paulō īnfrā dēlātae sunt (Caesar) │ excpt two of the ships of burden which could not make the same port which the other ships did, and were carried (away) a little lower down.

[ii] celerīs dēfer mea dicta per aurās (Virgil) │ deliver my orders through the swift winds

22.10.25: Level 3; ferō and its compounds [3]

[1] I sometimes still teach IELTS Advanced English and one of the ways, just by listening, that you can tell whether a student has a (near-) native command of the everyday spoken language is his / her ability to use one of the smallest words in the English language: get. If you (dare to) look at the verb ‘get’ in Wiktionary, you will find thirty-three definitions of that single word. Moreover, get is used in phrasal verbs, for example get on, get off, get out, get away etc. The number of meanings really is countless, but here is one example:

get on

[i] He got on a bus; a physical action that you picture in your mind of movement from one place onto another

[ii] He got on my nerves; you can see the connection with [i] although, this time, it has become figurative. Similarly: “How did we get on to that topic?”

[iii] But what about these ones …

Get on [continue] with your work!

How did you get on [cope] in that exam?

We don’t really get on [have a good relationship].

It was getting on for [approaching] midnight.

And there are others!

You can see a ‘shift’ from [i] a clear, physical idea to [ii] a figurative idea and to [iii] figurative ideas that have little, if any, obvious connection with the original physical sense.

This feature is evident in compounds of ferō although by no means as intimidating,

[2] Ferō is a very good example of why you should tread carefully with Latin dictionaries which can either be overly simplistic, providing a few superficial and unexplained meanings, or utterly intimidating: efferō, for example, may offer a choice of twelve different translations! Do not approach your study of Latin by heavy reliance on dictionaries or trying to learn too much too quickly. Focus on a few key meanings which illustrate how the verbs can refer to [1] physical movement and, often far more commonly, [2] abstract ideas. When others occur as you read, you should take note of them, and well annotated Latin texts will always give a precise translation in context. Simply be aware that various translations are possible and do not always opt for the first translation that comes to mind.

[3] Here are the same verbs shown above, but this time, further meanings are added to illustrate some of the abstract concepts that the verbs can convey; this is by no means exhaustive, and the aim is simply to make you aware that several translations of one verb are possible.

adferō; afferō: bring / carry something to a place│bring information; report; announce

auferō: take away│snatch; steal; mislead

circumferō: bring / carry around│divulge; publicise

cōnferō: bring / carry together; collect│discuss; confer

efferō: bring / carry out│raise; elevate; extol

īnferō: bring / carry in│cause; inflict [with bellum: wage / start war]

offerō: bring before│present; offer; show; exhibit

praeferō: bring / carry in front│display; prefer

trānsferō: bring / carry across│transfer; translate

[4] An important point to note: English has many derivatives from these compound verbs, but the difference is that, while the English derivative generally has a single, clear meaning, the Latin verbs from which they are derived can have multiple meanings, for example:

The judges need to confer to decide the winner.

What do you infer by that?

They offered me a refund.

Could you please translate this for me?

The examples from the authors, none of which express a literal action, show some of the meanings the Latin verbs can convey:

[i]

proptereā pāce adveniō et pācem ad vōs afferō (Plautus) │ Therefore, in peace am I come to you, and peace do I bring.

in ea adferam enim super eōs mala (Vulgate) │ for I will bring evil on them

grātōs tibi optātōsque esse quī dē mē rūmōrēs adferuntur nōn dubitō mī dulcissimē Tīrō, (Cicero) │ I am sure, dearest Tiro, that the reports about me which reach you (are reported about me) ¦ answer your best wishes and hopes [ = are pleasing to you and hoped for].

[ii]

auferimur cultū; gemmīs aurōque teguntur (Ovid) │ We’re carried away (deceived, duped) by adornment; all things are hidden in gold and gems

[iii]

interim nōlō sē iuvenēs satis īnstrūctōs, sī quem ex hīs, quī brevēs plērumque circumferuntur (Quintilian) │ For the present I will only say that I do not want young men to think their education complete when they have mastered one of the small text-books of which so many are in circulation [ = are being carried around]

[iv]

cōram inter nōs cōnferēmus (Cicero) │ we will discuss it when we meet [literally: face to face between us]

[v]

cum tē summīs laudibus ad caelum extulērunt (Cicero) │ they praised you with the highest honors to the heavens [ = they raised you / extolled you to heaven]

Cn. Lūcullus, familiāris noster, mātrem efferēbat. (Cic.) │ Our friend Cn. Lucullus was burying his mother. [ = carrying her out (of the house for burial)

[vi]

quae pars cīvitātis Helvētiae īnsignem calamitātem populō Rōmānō intulerat (Caesar) │ this part of the Helvetian state had inflicted a great calamity upon the Roman people

[vii]

vae illī, nīl iam mihi novī offerre potest (Plautus) │  Woe be unto him! Nothing new can now be inflicted upon me [= he can bring nothing new before me]

[viii] prae¦ferō: prefer i.e. to bring someone / something before someone / something else

Frūstrā mē pāstor ille … [ob eximiam speciem] tantīs praetulit deābus. (Apuleius)│ So it meant nothing when that shepherd … preferred me [for my surpassing beauty] to such mighty goddesses.

[ix]

Itaque cōnstituunt illīs locīs excēdere et in Celtibēriam bellum trānsferre (Caesar) │ They therefore resolve(d) to quit their posts, and to transfer the war to Celtiberia.

19.10.25: Level 3; ferō and its compounds [2]

Compounds of ferō can convey specific forms of physical action. Below are some examples; note the changes in the spelling of the prefix in the principal parts: 

ab [away] + ferō > auferō, auferre, abstuli, ablātus: take away; remove

ad [towards] + ferō > afferō (or adferō), afferre, attulī, allātus: bring / carry something to a place

circum [around] + ferō > circumferō, circumferre, circumtulī, circumlātus: bring / carry around

con- [together] (from cum) + ferō > cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, collātus: bring / collect together; gather

ex [out of] + ferō > efferō, efferre, extulī, ēlātus: bring / carry out

in [into] + ferō > īnferō, īnferre, intulī, illātus: bring / carry in

ob [towards] + ferō > offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus: bring before; present

prae [in front] + ferō > praeferō, praeferre, praetulī, praelātus: bring / carry in front

trāns [across] + ferō > trānsferō, trānsferre, trānstulī, trānslātus: bring / carry across

From the authors:

[1]

Et tunicam parvam faciēbat eī māter sua quam adferēbat statūtīs diēbus (Vulgate) │ And his would make him a little robe which she used to bring to him every year [i.e. on the appointed days]

multa palam domum suam auferēbat (Cicero) │ he carried many things openly off to his own house.

noctū ligna contulērunt circā casam eam (Nepos) │  at night they gathered logs together around his house

dextrā laevāque ad circumstantia agmina oculōs manūsque circumferēns (Quintus Curtius) │ and turning his eyes [i.e. he is “carrying” his eyes around] and stretching out his hands right and left to the troops who stood about him

satiātīs vīnō cibōque pōculum idem quod mihi datum fuerit circumferētur (Livy) │ When you have taken your fill of food and wine, the same goblet that is handed to me will be passed round to you.

ibi iterum Scīpiō lectīculā in aciem illātus cōnflīxit (Caesar) │ There Scipio again engaged (in combat), (having been) carried into the battle-line in a litter

Cum mihi sē … obtulit (Virgil) │ When she presented herself to me …

incitātō equō sē hostibus obtulit atque interfectus est (Caesar) │ after he had spurred on his horse, he threw himself upon the enemy, and was killed

sinistrā manū retinēbat arcum, dextrā ārdentem facem praeferēbat (Cicero) │ in her left hand she carried her bow, her right hand held a burning torch; the verb conveys the idea of holding the torch out in front of the body

relictō praetōre signa ad Curium trānsferunt atque ad eum trānseunt (Caesar) │ the praetor having been deserted, they carry (carried) their colours (across) to Curius and go over (went over) to him

[2] Examples with the passive infinitive ferrī:

impedīmenta sarcināsque in ūnum locum cōnferrī … iussit (Caesar) │ he ordered that the baggage should be brought together [ = the baggage to be brought together; passive infintive] into one place

Clāvem mī harunc aedium Lacōnicam iam iubē efferrī intus (Plautus) │ Order the master-key of the house to be brought me at once from within

[3] This example from Virgil shows that compounds of ferō do not necessarily convey something physical, but figurative:

“Ille meōs, prīmus quī mē sibi iūnxit, amōrēs abstulit │ “That man, who first joined himself to me, he has taken away all my love

Compare:

Abī atque obsōnium adfer (Plautus) │ Go and bring some provisions (here).

Thespriō, exī istāc per hortum, adfer domum auxilium mihi (Plautus) │ Thesprio, come this way through the garden. Come to my rescue at home! [literally: bring help home to me]

The next posts will look at the figurative uses of these, and other compounds of ferō.

19.10.25: Level 3; ferō and its compounds [1]

[i] The most common meaning of ferō is ‘carry’ or ‘bear’ something.

[ii] It is a 3^rd conjugation verb, the only ‘irregularity’ in the present tense being the omission of -i- in the 2^nd and 3^rd person singular, and the 2^nd person plural:

ferō

fers

fert

ferimus

fertis

ferunt

[iii]

infinitive: ferre (i.e. the -e- of the 3^rd conjugation infinitive is omitted)

imperative: fer (singular); ferte (plural)

[iv] The imperfect and future tenses are completely regular:

Imperfect

ferēbam, ferēbās, ferēbat, ferēbāmus, ferēbātis, ferēbant

Future

feram, ferēs, feret, ferēmus, ferētis, ferent

[v] However, going beyond this, we find that ferō, ferre is a rare example of a suppletive verb. This refers here to a verb, certain forms of which are from a completely different verb. The most notable example of this in English is the verb ‘go’:

I go / am going / have (had) gone / will go: all of these are from Old English gān (go)

But: I went; even though Old English had a past tense for the verb gān i.e. iċ ēode, this was replaced by the past tense of a completely different verb: OE wendan (to depart; go; change) i.e. iċ wende > Modern English: I went.

The verb ferō has undergone a similar change sharing its perfect stem and perfect passive participle with the verb tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus [3]: remove; take away

Perfect stem: tulī

Perfect passive participle: lātus

Therefore, the four principal parts are: ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus

Perfect: tulī, tulistī, tulit, tulimus, tulistis, tulērunt

Pluperfect: tuleram, tulerās, tulerat, tulerāmus, tulerātis, tulerant

Future perfect: tulerō, tuleris, tulerit, tulerimus, tuleritis, tulerint

Exercise

As way of introduction to this verb, complete the Latin sentences with the appropriate present tense of ferō. However, look at the English translations and note the different meanings that this verb can have.

1. The slave is carrying food. │ Servus cibum __________
2. The slaves carry an amphora. │ Servī amphoram __________
3. The road leads to the estate. │ Via ad vīllam __________
4. I bring help to you. │ Ego tibi auxilium __________
5. The Roman troops bear arms. │ Cōpiae Rōmānae arma __________    
6. We gain a victory; win a battle. │ Victōriam __________
7. You (pl) endure / suffer many wrongdoings. │ Multās iniūriās __________     
8. What are you (sg) carrying in the cart? │ Quid in plaustrō __________?