Understanding Latin Infinitives: A Beginner's Guide
Discover the essence of Latin infinitives and how to interpret them. Learn about their structure, conjugations, and various uses, including as subjects in sentences. Dive into examples and grasp the significance of identifying infinitives in Latin verbs. Unravel the mysteries of tense and complementary infinitives to enhance your understanding of Latin grammar.
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I. Infinitive Basics MarshLatin.wordpress.com
What is an infinitive? When you look up a Latin verb in a Latin-English lexicon or dictionary, you will see 4 entries (principal parts) for most verbs. The 2nd entry, usually abbreviated "- are," "-ere" or "-ire," is the infinitive. More specifically, it's the present active infinitive, which is translated into English as "to _____." The vowel (a, e, or i) of the infinitive indicates which conjugation it belongs to. I. II. III.
Example the dictionary entry for a verb in Latin: Laudo, -are, -avi, -atus. Praise
Looking up a verb The 1st entry in the dictionary entry is the present, active, singular, 1st person form of the verb. Note the -o ending. Laudo 'I praise' is a first conjugation verb and therefore has an infinitive ending in "- are." The entire present active infinitive of laudo is laudare, which we translate into English as "to praise.
On Interpreting the Infinitive Although it may be easy enough to translate the infinitive as "to" plus whatever the verb is (plus whatever person and tense markers may be required), it can be hard to explain the infinitive. It acts like a verbal noun, for which reason, it is sometimes taught alongside the gerund.
Tense in Latin Complementary Infinitives As an example of why tense is a difficult concept with present infinitives, Allen says that in Cicero and Caesar, 1/3 of their present infinitives follow the verb possum 'to be able'. If you are able to do something, that ability precedes the time of the statement.
Other Uses of the Infinitive An infinitive can also be used as the subject of a sentence. The subjective infinitive is found after impersonal expressions like necesse est 'it is necessary'. Necesse est dormire. it is necessary to sleep.
What do I need to know? 2ndprincipal part of the verb Ends with an -re The to _____ version of the verb Used most often with possum or volo Determines to what CONJUGATION a verb belongs
CONJUGATIONS -are 1st -Ere 2nd -ere 3rd -ire 4th
