Indirect StatementPart I

LFA I Lesson 59Dec. 1-8, 2014

Direct vs. Indirect

• A “direct statement” quotes the exact words of a speaker, and uses quotation marks.

• Dicit, “Pueri pugnant!”• He says, “The boys are fighting!”

Pueri pugnant!

Direct vs. Indirect Statement

• Indirect statement just reports the words of another person.

• Dicit pueros pugnare.• He says (that) the boys are fighting.

Pueri pugnant!

Dicit pueros pugnare.

Direct vs. Indirect Statement

• For indirect statement, Latin converts the form of the direct statement’s verb into an infinitive, and its subject from the nominative to the accusative case.

• The indirect statement is considered the object of the main verb.

Pueri pugnant!

Dicit pueros

pugnare.

Tenses of Indirect Statement• There are 3 tenses of infinitives, and each

tense is used to show when the indirect statement is happening:– Present infinitive: indirect statement happens at

the same time as the main verb– Perfect infinitive: indirect statement happens

before the main verb– Future infinitive: indirect statement happens after

the main verb

Examples of Infinitive Tenses

• He says the boys are fighting.• Dicit pueros pugnare.• He says the boys were fighting.• Dicit pueros pugnavisse.• He says the boys will fight.• Dicit pueros pugnaturos esse.

Important Words to Remember

• “esse” is the infinitive of “to be” and is often used in indirect statement:

• Dicunt puerum esse fortem.• They say the boy is brave.• “Intro” words for indirect statement include

puto (think), dico (say), scio (know), sentio (feel), spero (hope), and others.

Try these sentences!All the main (first) verbs are present tense.

• Dicunt puellam esse pulchram.• Putamus magistram esse sapientem.• Puer scit patriam esse magnam.• Dicit servos fugisse.• Dicit servos fugituros esse.• We think the girl is carrying water.

Indirect StatementPart II: Sequence of Tenses

LFA I Lesson 60Dec. 1-8, 2014

Sequence of Tenses• Review: there are 3 tenses of infinitives, and

each tense is used to show when the indirect statement is happening:– Present infinitive: indirect statement happens at

the same time as the main verb– Perfect infinitive: indirect statement happens

before the main verb– Future infinitive: indirect statement happens after

the main verb

Sequence of Tenses…Time To Get Your Logic On

• The translation of the infinitive is dependent on the tense of the main verb.

• Dicit pueros pugnare.• Main verb: present tense• Infinitive: present tense• Present tense infinitive=happens at the same

time as the main verb.• Therefore: the infinitive is also translated

presently. He says that the boys are fighting.

Sequence of Tenses…Time To Get Your Logic On

• The translation of the infinitive is dependent on the tense of the main verb.

• Dixit pueros pugnare.• Main verb: past tense (perfect tense)• Infinitive: present tense• Present tense infinitive=happens at the same

time as the main verb.• Therefore: the infinitive is also translated past-ly.

He said that the boys were fighting.

Sequence of Tenses…Time To Get Your Logic On

• The translation of the infinitive is dependent on the tense of the main verb.

• Dicet pueros pugnare.• Main verb: future tense• Infinitive: present tense• Present tense infinitive=happens at the same

time as the main verb.• Therefore: the infinitive is also translated future-

ly. He will say that the boys are fighting.• ***You don’t need to say “will fight” b/c the

future is already implied by the English here.

Try these sentences!All the infinitives are present tense=same time as main verb.

• Dixit puellas aquam portare.• Dicit puellas aquam portare.• Dicet puellas aquam portare.• Vir putat servos fugere.• Vir putabat servos fugere.• Vir putabit servos fugere.

Sequence of Tenses…Time To Get Your Logic On

• The translation of the infinitive is dependent on the tense of the main verb.

• Dixit pueros pugnavisse.• Main verb: perfect tense• Infinitive: perfect tense• Perfect tense infinitive=happens before the

main verb.• Therefore: the infinitive is translated

pluperfectly (past-past). He said that the boys had fought.

Sequence of Tenses…Time To Get Your Logic On

• The translation of the infinitive is dependent on the tense of the main verb.

• Dixit pueros pugnaturos esse.• Main verb: perfect tense• Infinitive: future tense• Future tense infinitive=happens after the

main verb.• Therefore: the infinitive is translated “would”:

He said that the boys would fight.

Try these sentences!

• Dixit puellas aquam portavisse.• Dicit puellas aquam portaturas esse.• Dixit puellas aquam portare.• Vir putat servos fugisse.• Vir putabat servos fugisse.• Vir putabit servos fugituruos esse.

• invenisse• amitti• amissurus esse• invenire• amissus• amisisse• inventurus esse• inveniri• amittere• inventus esse

• to be about to lose• to have been lost• to find• to have found• to be found• to have lost• to lose• to be about to find• to be lost• to have been found