The verbal root, thematic vowels, and presence or absence of the stem extension
-b- are the same as were used in the future active (Unit 10).
Recall that the 1st and 2nd conjugations are characterized by the stem exten- sion -b- whereas the 3rd and 4th conjugations are characterized by the thematic vowel interchange -a- ~ -ē-.
Thematic vowels + endings
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1sg. -ābor -ēbor -(i)ar -iar
2 -āberis -ēberis -(i)ēris -iēris
3 -ābitur -ēbitur -(i)ētur -iētur
1pl. -ābimur -ēbimur -(i)ēmur -iēmur
2 -ābiminī -ēbiminī -(i)ēminī -iēminī
3 -ābuntur -ēbuntur -(i)entur -ientur
Note the short -e- in the 2nd sg. of 1st and 2nd conjugation verbs instead of expected -i-:
active amābis passive amāberis
This is the same change which occurs in the 2nd sg. of the present tense of 3rd conjugation verbs (active dūcis vs. passive dūceris).
1sg. amābor I will be loved capiar I will be seized 2 amāberis you will be loved capiēris you will be seized 3 amābitur s/he, it will be loved capiētur s/he, it will be seized 1pl. amābimur we will be loved capiēmur we will be seized
2 amābiminī you will be loved capiēminī you will be seized
3 amābuntur they will be loved capientur they will be seized
docēbor, docēberis, docēbitur, docēbimur, docēbiminī, docēbuntur dūcar, dūcēris, dūcētur, dūcēmur, dūcēminī, dūcentur
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Passive voice
Syntactic structure
As in English the agent of a passive is optional.
When the agent is a person, the preposition ā/ab is used. This is termed the ablative of agent.
Rēgīna ā mīlitibus interfi ciētur.
The queen will be killed by the soldiers.
Oppidum ā populō nōn servābātur.
The town was not being saved by the people.
When the cause is not a person, ā/ab is not used. Rather, a simple ablative of means is employed (Unit 8).
Rēgīna gladiō interfi ciētur.
The queen will be killed by the sword.
Oppidum igne nōn servābātur.
The town was not being saved by the fi re.
Advanced topic
There is an alternative 2nd sg. ending -re. For example: • amāre you are loved (amāris)
• amābāre you were being loved (amābāris) • amābere you will be loved (amāberis)
Note that this alternative is identical in form to the infi nitive in the present tense.
Exercise 1
Translate the following.
1 interfi citur 8 mūniēbātur 15 bibētur
2 iubeor 9 vidēminī 16 vocāberis
3 dūcentur 10 faciuntur 17 iungēbāris 4 audiēbar 11 excitantur 18 scrībitur
5 regētur 12 vertēbāmur 19 cupimur
6 pāscēminī 13 optor 20 claudēbantur
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Exercise 2
Change the numbers of all of the words in Exercise 1, keeping tense and person constant. That is, if a word is singular then make it plural. If a word is plural then make it singular.
Exercise 3
Translate the following.
1 Verba fortia ā clārō sapientīque poētā scrībuntur.
2 Saxum magnum ā mīlitibus contrā moenia urbis saevōrum iaciēbātur. 3 Quandō hodiē cēna parābitur?
4 Vir in tenebrīs antrī nigrī inveniētur.
5 Odor fl ōrum hortī ventō per āerem portābātur. 6 Moenia nova ā senibus et iuvenibus aedifi cantur. 7 Nōn capiar ā hostibus meīs pācis dulcis causā. 8 Avis parvus in arbore altā nunc vidētur.
9 Cīvitātibus ā rēgibus prosperīs dīvitibusque dulce mel dabitur. 10 Bellum hodiē nōn incipiētur, quod prīncipēs pācem facere potērunt. 11 Bracchium laevum meī sociī sagittā frangitur.
12 Nāvis nova tempestātibus fortibus contrā undās iaciēbātur. 13 Mīlitēs ā prīncipibus iubēbuntur pugnāre.
14 Taurus ferus sagittīs incolae interfi ciētur. 15 Fugere cōgimur.
16 Ovēs in agrīs montis ab agricolīs dīvidēbantur. 17 Verba auctōris ā fīliābus fīliīsque canentur. 18 Vīlla movēbātur ventīs tempestātis. 19 Verbīs auctōris poētaeque tangēris.
20 Lupus ex agrīs nostrīs trahitur, quod ovēs interfi ciēbat.
Exercise 4
Translate the following.
1 The letters were being sent by the boys.
2 The kingdom of the nymphs was ruled by the god of the seas. 3 The white sheep will be killed by the farmer.
4 The land was covered by the shade of the clouds. 5 Help will be sought by the sad inhabitants. 6 The danger of the city is not seen by the children. 7 The good food will be seized by the cruel enemies.
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8 The sweet wine will be drunk by the happy men and women. 9 The radiant gold on the land was seen by the birds in the air. 10 Why will you (pl.) be driven out of your own fi elds?
Exercise 5
Each of the following unedited Latin passages contains a passive verbal form. Match each passage with the English translation which follows. To assist you, try to think of English derivatives which stem from some of the Latin words.
1 scelus herbāriōrum aperiētur in hāc mentiōne (Pliny the Elder) 2 sed suō tempore tōtīus huius sceleris fōns aperiētur (Cicero Phil.) 3 quaerite et inveniētis pulsāte et aperiētur (St Jerome) 4 nōn ea quae fi nguntur aut optantur (Cicero Amic.) 5 et sī esse vīs fēlīx, deōs ōrā, nē quid tibi ex hīs,
quae optantur, ēveniat (Seneca Ep.)
6 saepe etiam salsē, quae fi erī nōn possunt, optantur (Cicero de Orat.) 7 ubi dīvidēbātur, eōque minus altō alveō trānsitum
ostendere (Livy)
8 inter concordēs dīvidēbātur (Seneca Ep.)
9 quī annus ōlim in duās tantum partēs dīvidēbātur (Servius Honoratus) 10 tetigīque puellam, sīc etiam tunicā tangitur illā suā (Ovid Am.)
11 nec bene prōmeritīs capitur neque tangitur īrā (Lucretius) 12 ex eō cum tangitur ūmōre (Vitruvius) (a) the crime of herbalist will be disclosed in this mention (b) where it was divided, there the passage showed less with
respect to a deep riverbed
(c) but the source of all this wickedness will be revealed in its own time
(d) neither is he well seized by merits nor touched by anger (e) it was divided between harmonious men
(f) and if you wish to be happy, ask the gods that what is desired does not turn out for you
(g) the year was formerly divided into only two parts (h) seek and you will fi nd, knock and it will be opened (i) not as those things are imagined or desired
(j) from this when it is touched by moisture
(k) often even humorously, those things which are not able to be done are desired
(l) I touched a girl, in the same way even that she is touched by her own undergarment
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Exercise 6
Several passives (or at least passive-looking forms) have occurred in previous units. Locate the passive forms in the previous units. The number and order of their occurrence in each unit is listed below. One of these forms is a deponent verb (see Intermediate Latin) and is only passive in form but active in meaning. Can you determine which verb this is?
• Unit 3, Exercise 4: 3rd pl. present of the 2nd conjugation • Unit 4, Exercise 5: 3rd sg. imperfect of the 2nd conjugation 3rd sg. present of the 1st conjugation • Unit 5, Exercise 4: 3rd pl. present of the 3rd conjugation • Unit 8, Exercise 2: 3rd sg. present of the 3rd conjugation • Unit 10, Exercise 5: 3rd sg. future of the 1st conjugation 2nd sg. future of the 3rd conjugation • Unit 11, Exercise 3: 3rd sg. present of the 2nd conjugation • Unit 15, Exercise 5: 3rd pl. imperfect of the 2nd conjugation • Unit 16, Exercise 4: 3rd sg. present of the 3rd conjugation • Unit 17, Exercise 4: 3rd sg. future of the 4th conjugation • Unit 18, Exercise 2: 3rd sg. present of the 3rd conjugation
Reading: The Augean Stables (Labor V), part 1
Eurystheus nunc labōrem diffi cilem quīntum iussit. Illō tempore rēx, nōmine Augēās, tria mīlia boum habēbat. Animālia in stabulō ingentis magnitūdinis inclūdēbantur. Stabulum squālōre terribilī erat quia nōn purgābātur. Eurystheus Herculem ad rēgem Augēam mīsit. Rēx nescīvit Herculem. Causa adventūs ā rēge nōn sciēbātur.
“Quid dabis, sī stabulum intrā vīgintī hōrās purgābitur?” interrogāvit Herculēs. Rēx nōn crēdidit. Opus tam celeriter nōn cōnfi ciētur.
“Bene,” inquit, “dabō decimam partem omnium boum quī in stabulō sunt.”
tria three [acc. pl. nt.]
adventūs of (his) arrival [gen. sg.] quī which [nom. pl.]
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