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Complimentary Infinitives Magister Henderson Latin I What are Infinitives? • The infinitive is a type of verbal noun, similar to a gerund. • It is usually preceded by the particle “to” in English, such as: “to be”, “to have”, “to go”, “to see”, etc. • “Infinitive” comes from the Latin word infinitīvus (“unlimited”) since it is often used to express the basic meaning of a verb, without limiting it to a particular pronoun such as “he”, “she”, or “they”. How are Infinitives Used? • An infinitive cannot be the main verb of a sentence, but it may be used to complete the meaning of certain verbs. • Verbs that may be followed by an infinitive include: “want”, “need”, “can”, “like”, “love”, “ought”, etc. • When it is used this way, it is called a complimentary infinitive. Infinitives in Latin Puella legere amat. = The girl loves to read. Arborem ascendere vult = He wants to climb the tree. Servus lupum repellere nōn timet. = The slave is not afraid to drive off the wolf. • The infinitive typically ends in –re. • In Latin it usually precedes the main verb, but it usually follows the main verb in English. Other Uses of the Infinitive • Since it is a verbal noun, the infinitive can also be used as the subject of a sentence. • This called the subjective infinitive. Errāre hūmānum est. = To err is human. -L. Annaeus Seneca Other Uses of the Infinitive • The infinitive can also be used together with an impersonal verb. • Impersonal verbs are verbs that are only used with the pronoun “it”. • The infinitive can also be used as the object of certain verbs, along with a direct object, to show an action performed by the direct object. • This is called the objective infinitive. • We will see both of these uses in coming lessons.