Download Tenses of Infinitives

INFINITIVES
WHAT IS AN INFINITIVE?
• An infinitive is a verbal consisting of
the word “to” plus a verb and
functioning as a noun. The
term verbal indicates that an
infinitive, like the other two kinds of
verbals, is based on a verb and
therefore expresses action or a
state of being. However, the
infinitive may function as a subject,
direct object, or subject
complement in a sentence.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/03/
PRESENT (SAME TIME) INFINITIVES
Present Active Infinitive: 2nd principal part of a verb; typically ends in -re
Present Passive Infinitive: formed by adding –rī to the present stem;
**3rd conjugation drops the entire –ere
and adds just an –ī**
Active
Passive
portāre
to carry
portārī
to be carried
monēre
to warn
monērī
to be warned
dīcere
to say
dīcī
to be said
capere
to take
capī
to be taken
audīre
to hear
audīrī
to be heard
PERFECT (BEFORE TIME) INFINITIVES
Perfect Active Infinitive: formed by adding –isse to the perfect active stem
Perfect Passive Infinitive: formed by adding esse next to the P.P.P.
**N.B. – The ending on the P.P.P. will change to
modify the subject**
Active
Passive
portāvisse
to have carried
portātus esse
monuisse
to have warned
monitus esse
dīxisse
to have said
dictus esse
cēpisse
to have taken
captus esse
audīvisse
to have heard
audītus esse
to have been
carried
to have been
warned
to have been
said
to have been
taken
to have been
heard
FUTURE (AFTER TIME) INFINITIVES
Future Active Infinitive: formed by adding esse next to the future active
participle; its literal translation is almost never used
Future Passive Infinitive: This form exists, but is so rare that is often not taught.
Active
Passive
portātūrus esse to be going to carry
monitūrus esse
to be going to warn
dictūrus esse
to be going to say
captūrus esse
to be going to take
audītūrus esse
to be going to hear
INDIRECT STATEMENT
• A common usage of Latin infinitives is in indirect
statement
• Indirect statements often involve verbs of saying,
feeling, hoping, wishing, knowing, or perceiving. An
indirect statement indirectly simply reports indirectly
(i.e. not in direct quotation) what somebody has
said, thought, felt, etc. In English, an indirect
statement is usually put into a clause introduced by
the word “that”.
DIRECT VS INDIRECT STATEMENT
• Direct:
The teacher says, “Antonia is a good student.”
• Indirect:
The teacher says that Antonia is a good student.
INDIRECT STATEMENT IN LATIN
• In Latin, however, there is no introductory word for
“that”, but instead it uses:
• a verb of speech/mental action/feeling
• + an infinitive
• + accusative subject.
• The teacher says that Antonia is a good student.
Magister dicit Antoniam esse discipulam bonam.
Main verb of
speech, mental activity,
or feeling.
Infinitive
Acc. subj.
INFINITIVE TENSES
• Infinitive tenses are not stationary the way verb
tenses are. They are instead relational to the tense
of the main verb and must be thought of in these
terms:
Present Infinitives = SAME TIME
Perfect Infinitives = BEFORE TIME
Future Infinitives = AFTER TIME
• This means that the same infinitive will be translated
differently as the tense of the main verb changes.
EXEMPLI GRATIA
Magister dicit Antoniam esse discipulam bonam.
The teacher says that Antonia is a good student.
EXEMPLI GRATIA
Magister dixit Antoniam esse discipulam bonam.
The teacher said that Antonia was a good student.
EXEMPLI GRATIA
Magister dicit Antoniam fuisse discipulam bonam.
The teacher says that Antonia was a good student.
EXEMPLI GRATIA
Magister dixit Antoniam fuisse discipulam bonam.
The teacher said that Antonia had been a good
student.