A word of advice (warning): the further you go into Latin, the more you will come across lengthy, long-winded and highly analytical articles online about certain features of the language. While the detail given by these researchers is to be admired, they are not really operating from a learner’s perspective. For me, I looked at some of these aspects on a “need to know” basis i.e. focus on the key point(s), and be aware of the existence of a certain feature.
Referring to the two immediately previous Level 2 reading passages from: https://adckl.blogspot.com/
[1] M. Valerius Corvus (349BC)
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/01/300324-h-b-level-2-reading-m-valerius.html
[2] the spirit of Ancient Rome
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/01/020425-h-b-level-2-reading-spirit-of.html
- legiōnēs utrimque pugnae interfuērunt │ the legions on both sides took part in the battle
- T. Mānlius Torquātus dextrō, P. Decius Mūs sinistrō cornū praeerat: │ T. Manlius Torquatus commanded / was in command of the right wing (of the army), P Decius Mus (in command of) the left.
- Latīnōrum paucī pugnae superfuērunt. │few of the Latins survived the battle
[i] Three verbs are marked in bold. Bearing in mind that a verb in Latin can have several meanings, we will focus on what these three specifically (and commonly) mean in the context of the passages:
- inter¦sum, interesse, interfuī: take part
- prae¦sum, praeesse, praefuī: command
- super¦sum, superesse, superfūī: survive
Those three verbs are compound verbs i.e. they are formed with the verb esse and a prefix which, when standing alone, functions as a preposition. Many compound verbs in Latin are followed by the dative case.
- pugnae interfuērunt
- T. Mānlius Torquātus dextrō … cornū praeerat
- paucī pugnae superfuērunt
The thinking that underpins this is that the verbs are not taking a direct object, a sense that is also sometimes conveyed in English:
he commanded the right wing > he was in command of the right wing
he took part in the battle
The original meaning of the prefix isn’t necessarily being conveyed:
- inter (between / among) + esse (to be): literally, (physically) to be between but has the additional meaning of participate
- prae (in front) + esse (to be): literally, to be in front > to be in charge / to command
- super (above) + esse (to be): literally, to be above > to survive
Omnibus negōtiīs nōn interfuit sōlum sed praefuit (Cicero)│ He was not only involved in all matters but took the lead in them.
This is a feature to be aware of rather than sit down and specifically learn because, as is often the case in Latin, it isn’t consistent; while many compound verbs take a dative, not all of them do, or sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t!
[1] ad¦sum, adesse, adfuī: be here, be present, be at hand
- tibi: I am near you
[2] dē¦sum, dēesse, dēfuī: be wanting, be lacking, fall short of
- tibi: I fail you
[3] prō¦sum, prōdesse, prōfuī: benefit [= be of benefit to]; profit [= be profitable to]; be useful [to]
- quid enim prō¦derit hominī sī lucrētur mundum tōtum et dētrīmentum faciat animae suae (Vulgate) │ For what shall it benefit [of what benefit / profit will it be to] a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?
While this feature is most commonly seen with compounds of esse, it does occur with other verbs, for example:
[4] ap¦propinquō, -āre, -āvī [1] (= ad ‘towards’ + propinquō ‘approach’): draw near
- nec prius ab hoste est vīsus quam locō quem petēbat appropinquāvit (Livy) │ and he was not seen by the enemy before he was close to the spot for which he was making
[5] oc¦currō, occurrere, occurrī [3] = [ob ‘towards; against’ + currō ‘run’): run into; go to meet
- atque in alteram partem item cohortandī causā profectus pugnantibus occurrit (Caesar) │ and having likewise departed in another direction for the sake of encouraging (the soldiers) he finds / comes across them fighting
[6] in¦ferō, inferre, intulī [3]: (literally) to carry / bring in > bellum urbī in¦tulērunt │ they brought war into / upon the city
[7] sub¦veniō, subvenīre, subvēnī [4]: (literally) to come under > to support (come to the aid of)
- sed, tū, bone vir, flāgitāre saepe clāmōre in forō, quom lībella nusquamst, nisi quid lēnō hic subvenit tibi. (Plautus) │ But you, my good chap, are often being hunted after in the Forum with noise enough, when you haven't a penny to your name, unless this procurer here comes to help you a bit.
[8] prae¦ficiō, praeficere, praefēcī [3/-iō]: put [somebody] in charge [of something]
Look at the logic behind the following sentence:
- Senātus ¦ Caesarem [accusative] ¦ exercituī [dative] praefēcit │ The Senate put ¦ Caesar [accusative; direct object of the action of the Senate] ¦ in charge of the army [dative: indirect object]
Caesar is the direct object of the action – the Senate appointed / made him something – and they put him in charge of the army i.e. Caesar didn’t do anything to the army: the army is not a direct object and is expressed in the dative.
Similarly:
Quem [accusative] ¦ imperator ¦ illī legiōnī [dative] ¦ praefēcit ? │Whom ¦ did the commander put in charge ¦ of that legion?
Exercise
Complete the Latin sentences with the verbs listed below:
- I am in command of the army │ exercituī __________
- I lack jewels │ gemmae __________ mihi
- I put you in charge of the army │ tē exerecituī __________
- I survived my parents │ parentibus __________
- I was involved in these things │ hīs rēbus __________
- Your advice is useful to me │ cōnsilium tuum mihi __________
- Ladies used to be among the spectators │ fēminae spectātōribus __________
- The guards were failing in their duty to the prisoners │ cūstōdēs captīvīs __________
- The brothers were coming to the aid of their sisters │ frātrēs sorōribus __________
- Now they were approaching the city │ iam urbī __________
appropinquābant; dēerant; dēsunt; intererant; interfuī; praeficiō; praesum; prōdest; subveniēbant; superfuī
