Latin III
Instructor:
James Ransom
March 18, 2014
Infinitive: One Page Outline
[adapted from:]
·
General: An infinitive is, strictly speaking, an
abstract verbal noun.
o The
infinitive is used in Latin, as in English, as a noun:
§
Errare
humanum est = To err is human.
§
When so used, the Latin infinitive is an indeclinable neuter noun.
o The
infinitive is also used in Latin, as in English, to complete the meaning of
anotherverb (complementary infinitive):
§
Possum
videre = I am able to see.
o Unlike
English, Latin rarely uses an infinitive to indicate purpose.
·
The infinitive is most widely used in Latin in Indirect Speech (Oratio Obliqua), which
combines
o an
accusative subject with
o an
infinitive in subordinate clauses
after verbs of:
§
saying,
§
thinking, and
§
perceiving.
o EXAMPLE
§
Puto eum
sapientem esse = I think that he is wise.
·
Because the infinitive is widely used in Indirect
Speech, it must in Latin show
o Tense,
o Voice,
and
o Gender.
THE
FORMS OF THE INFINITIVE
|
|
ACTIVE
|
PASSIVE
|
|
PRESENT
|
amare (to love)
|
amari (to be
loved)
|
|
PERFECT
|
amavisse (to
have loved)
|
amatus esse (to
have been loved)
|
|
FUTURE
|
amaturus esse (to be about to love)
|
amatum iri (to
be going to be loved) [RARE]
|
Notes:
1)
The present passive infinitive is formed by dropping the -e from the active
infinitive
and adding -ï. But in the third conjugation, the entire infinitive ending
(-ere)is dropped before adding the -ï: ducere ducï (to be led).
2)
The perfect passive and future active infinitives will show gender where
appropriate:
Puto eam me amaturam esse = I think she will love me. Puto eos eam ad oppidum
ducturos esse = I think they will lead her to the town.
3)
The future active infinitive, rare in English, is widely used in Latin for
Indirect
Speech
constructions (see 2 above).
4)
The future passive infinitive is rarely seen
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