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Infinitives and Indirect
Statement
Chapter 25
Infinitives
Just like participles are verbal adjectives, infinitives
are verbal nouns.
We’ve already learned the active and passive
present infinitives, but most transitive verbs
actually have SIX infinitives: present, future, and
perfect; active and passive.
Intransitive verbs usually lack the passive.
Forming the Infinitives
We already know how to form the present
infinitives, and the perfect and future form
according to the same patterns, regardless of
conjugation:
Active
Pres -āre, -ēre, -ere, -īre
Passive
-ārī, -ērī, -ī, -īrī
Perf perfect stem + isse perf. pass. ppl + esse
Fut
fut.act. ppl. + esse
[supine in –um + īrī]
[Future Passive Infinitive]
The future passive infinitive of supine in –um + īrī
is not a common form.
The Romans preferred to substitute this expression with
fore* ut + subjunctive [result clause].
The supine in –um has the same form as the perfect
passive participle in the nom. neut. sg.
*fore = futurum esse
Forming & Translating
the Infinitives
Let’s try an example verb like amāre
Active
Pres
Perf
Fut
Passive
Forming & Translating
the Infinitives
Let’s try an example verb like amāre
Pres
Perf
Fut
Active
amāre
to love
Passive
Forming & Translating
the Infinitives
Let’s try an example verb like amāre
Pres
Perf
Fut
Active
amāre
to love
Passive
amārī
to be loved
Forming & Translating
the Infinitives
Let’s try an example verb like amāre
Pres
Perf
Fut
Active
amāre
to love
amāvisse
to have loved
Passive
amārī
to be loved
Forming & Translating
the Infinitives
Let’s try an example verb like amāre
Pres
Perf
Fut
Active
amāre
to love
amāvisse
to have loved
Passive
amārī
to be loved
amātus, a, um esse
to have been loved
Forming & Translating
the Infinitives
Let’s try an example verb like amāre
Active
Pres
amāre
to love
Perf
amāvisse
to have loved
amātūrus, a, um
esse
Fut
to be going to love
Passive
amārī
to be loved
amātus, a, um esse
to have been loved
Forming & Translating
the Infinitives
Let’s try an example verb like amāre
Active
Pres
amāre
to love
Perf
amāvisse
to have loved
amātūrus, a, um
esse
Fut
to be going to love
Passive
amārī
to be loved
amātus, a, um esse
to have been loved
[amātum + īrī]
to be going to be
loved
Usage
We’ve seen the infinitive used as a subject
e.g. errare est humanum
and a complement
e.g. homines errare possunt
It can also serve as a direct object.
One of the most common uses of the
infinitive is in indirect statement.
Indirect Statement
There are two ways to report someone
else’s speech:
1. Direct quotation:
“The girl is pretty,” said the boy.
“Puella est bella,” puer inquit.
2. Indirect quotation:
The boy said that the girl is pretty.
Indirect Statement
To report indirect speech, Latin uses an
infinitive phrase with an accusative
subject.
The boy said that the girl is pretty.
Puer dixit puellam esse bellam.
Indirect Statement
Indirect statement is used after ‘head’ verbs
(saying, thinking, knowing, feeling,
sensing, etc)
e.g. dico, nego, narro, scribo, moneo, scio,
intellego, puto, video, etc
Indirect Statement
The subject accusative is ALWAYS expressed,
even if it is the same as the subject of the main
verb.
I know that I am a good student.
Scio me esse discipulam bonam.
She knows herself to be a good student.
Scit se esse discipulam bonam.
Indirect Statement
Here is a situation where word order
matters! The accusative subject is almost
always put before the direct object of the
infinitive.
Tense of the Infinitive
Just like with participles, the tense of the
infinitive in indirect statement is RELATIVE
to the tense of the main verb.
Present: Contemporaneous
Perfect: Prior
Future: Subsequent
Compare
ille ait, 'Antōnius Cleopatram amat.’
ille dicit Antōnium Cleopatram amāre.
ille dicit Antōnium Cleopatram amāvisse.
ille dicit Antōnium Cleopatram amātūrum
esse.
Compare
inquit, 'Caesar magnam hastam habet.’
ille dixit Caesarem magnam hastam habēre.
ille dixit Caesarem magnam hastam habuisse.
ille dixit Caesarem magnam hastam habitūrum
esse.
Compare
inquit, ‘Carthago delenda est.’
ille dixit Carthaginem delendam esse.
ille dixit Carthaginem delendam fuisse.
[ille dixit Carthaginem delendam iri.]
[ille dixit fore ut Carthago delenda esset.]