Infinitives and Indirect Statement

Chapter 25

InfinitivesJust 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 InfinitivesWe already know how to form the present

infinitives, and the perfect and future form according to the same patterns, regardless of conjugation:

Active PassivePres -āre, -ēre, -ere, -īre -ārī, -ērī, -ī, -īrīPerf perfect stem + isse perf. pass. ppl + esseFut 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 PassivePres

Perf

Fut

Forming & Translating the Infinitives

Let’s try an example verb like amāre

Active PassivePres amāre

to lovePerf

Fut

Forming & Translating the Infinitives

Let’s try an example verb like amāre

Active PassivePres amāre

to loveamārī

to be lovedPerf

Fut

Forming & Translating the Infinitives

Let’s try an example verb like amāre

Active PassivePres amāre

to loveamārī

to be lovedPerf amāvisse

to have loved

Fut

Forming & Translating the Infinitives

Let’s try an example verb like amāre

Active PassivePres amāre

to loveamārī

to be lovedPerf amāvisse

to have lovedamātus, a, um esseto have been loved

Fut

Forming & Translating the Infinitives

Let’s try an example verb like amāre

Active PassivePres amāre

to loveamārī

to be lovedPerf amāvisse

to have lovedamātus, a, um esseto have been loved

Futamātūrus, a, um

esseto be going to love

Forming & Translating the Infinitives

Let’s try an example verb like amāre

Active PassivePres amāre

to loveamārī

to be lovedPerf amāvisse

to have lovedamātus, a, um esseto have been loved

Futamātūrus, a, um

esseto be going to love

[amātum + īrī]to be going to be

loved

UsageWe’ve seen the infinitive used as a subject

e.g. errare est humanumand a complement

e.g. homines errare possuntIt can also serve as a direct object. One of the most common uses of the

infinitive is in indirect statement.

Indirect StatementThere 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 StatementTo 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 StatementIndirect 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 StatementThe 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 StatementHere is a situation where word order

matters! The accusative subject is almost always put before the direct object of the infinitive.

Tense of the InfinitiveJust like with participles, the tense of the

infinitive in indirect statement is RELATIVE to the tense of the main verb.

Present: ContemporaneousPerfect: PriorFuture: Subsequent

Compareille ait, 'Antōnius Cleopatram amat.’

ille dicit Antōnium Cleopatram amāre.

ille dicit Antōnium Cleopatram amāvisse.

ille dicit Antōnium Cleopatram amātūrum esse.

Compareinquit, 'Caesar magnam hastam habet.’

ille dixit Caesarem magnam hastam habēre.

ille dixit Caesarem magnam hastam habuisse.

ille dixit Caesarem magnam hastam habitūrum esse.

Compareinquit, ‘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.]