Level 3 (review): personal pronouns [2]; 1st / 2nd person pronouns [ii] practice

The answers are at the end of the post.

Complete the Latin quotations with the appropriate pronouns listed below:

[1]

[i] Which woman seems by far the wisest to you (sg.)? │ Quae __________ mulier vidētur multō sapientissima? (Plautus)

[ii] That’s no name of mine [ = to me] │ Nōn id est nōmen __________ (Plautus)

[iii] All that's permitted (to) us in Athens │ Licet haec Athēnīs __________ (Plautus)

[iv] Curses (to) you (all)! │ Vae __________! (Plautus)

[v] These things, my dear, make me tired of life │ Haec rēs vītae __________, soror, saturant (Plautus)

[vi] Bring (him) here with you (sg.)│ __________ addūce (Plautus)

[vii] It doesn’t seem to me that men are living here with me, but swine │ Nōn hominēs habitāre __________ mī [ = mihi] hīc videntur, sed suēs (Plautus)

[viii] (yet) we live, and that city (Rome) is standing │ __________ vīvimus, et stat urbs ista (Cicero)

[ix] And I wanted or rather longed that he should be with me [note: Cicero tends to us ‘us’ rather than ‘me’; therefore, here, with us]. │ Ego volēbam autem vel cupiēbam potius esse eum __________.

mē; mēcum; mihi; nōbīs; nōbīscum; nōs; tēcum; tibi; vōbīs

[2]

Some of these examples show the use of the genitive of the pronouns (marked in bold):

[i] If (1) I don't lay some plan to prevent it, some sly one like (similar to) (2) myself   [La: similis + genitive] │ Nisi quid (1) __________ (2) __________ simile aliquid contrā cōnsilium parō (Plautus)

[ii] None of us doubted │ Dubitābat __________ nēmō (Cicero)

[iii] (1) You pity [ = it causes you (accusative) pity] others, but have no pity for (2) yourself [genitive], or shame either. │ Miseret (1) __________ aliōrum, (2) __________ nec miseret nec pudet (Plautus)

Addressing more than one person:

[iv] … when he sees (1) you (accusative) and men like (similar to) (2) you (pl.) [La: similis + genitive] │ … cum vōs, cum vestrī similēs … vīderit (Cicero)

ego; meī; nostrum; tē; tuī; vestrī; vōs

[1]

[i] Quae tibi mulier vidētur multō sapientissima?

[ii] Nōn id est nōmen mihi

[iii] Licet haec Athēnīs nōbīs

[iv] Vae vōbīs!

[v] Haec rēs vītae mē, soror, saturant

[vi] Tēcum addūce

[vii] Nōn hominēs habitāre mēcum mī hīc videntur, sed suēs

[viii] Nōs vīvimus, et stat urbs ista

[ix] Ego volēbam autem vel cupiēbam potius esse eum nōbīscum.

[2]

[i] Nisi quid (1) ego (2) meī simile aliquid contrā cōnsilium parō

[ii] Dubitābat nostrum nēmō

[iii] Miseret (1) tē aliōrum, (2) tuī nec miseret nec pudet

[iv] … cum (1) vōs, cum (2) vestrī similēs … vīderit

Level 3 (review): personal pronouns [1]; 1st / 2nd person pronouns [i]

LINKS

(1) 25.02.24: subject pronouns

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/subject-pronouns-it-has-already-been.html

(2) 22.05.25: Level 1; readings [12] - [15]: review (1a); personal pronouns (1)

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/220525-level-1-readings-12-15-review-1a.html

Latin seems to have a staggering array of pronouns. However, the way in which they translate is generally no different from English i.e. I, me, him, them etc. The focus is more on how the different pronouns are used in different contexts.

We can divide the pronouns into two groups i.e. [1] the first / second person pronouns (e.g. I, me, we, us, you etc.) and [2] the 3^rd person pronouns e.g. he, him, them etc. It is the 3^rd person pronouns that take some time to master.

We will deal here with the 1^st/ 2^nd person pronouns.

1^st / 2^nd person pronouns

[1] The nominative of the subject pronouns is generally not used since the verb ending makes it clear who is performing the action: ambulō │ I am walking. However, they are used when there is a need to emphasise and / or make a contrast, or to clarify, or when the pronoun stands alone. In written English such a use may be indicated by italics e.g. You may think that but I have a different opinion.

Ego in Britanniā habitō, sed tū in Ītalia habitās. │ I live in Britain, but you live in Italy.

Quid agis? Bene, grātiās agō. Et tū? │ How are you? I’m fine, thanks. And you?

Vōs in agrō laborātis, sed nōs in templō ōrāmus. │ You (all) work in the field, but we pray in the temple.

[2] tū; vōs: be careful not to be influenced by other languages where there is more than one word for ‘you’. In French, for example, the second person pronouns tu and vous - derived from the Latin tū and vōs - distinguish not only between talking to one person or more than person, but the relationship between the person speaking and the person addressed, Fr. tu only used informally with one person who is, for example, a friend, a family member or somebody markedly younger whereas Fr. vous is used for all groups of people and formally to one person who is not known e.g. a shop assistant, or a stranger in the street. Similar distinctions occur in Spanish, German and Russian.

The only distinction made in Classical Latin is whether one person is being addressed (tū) or more than one (vōs) i.e. the age, relationship or status of the person / people being addressed is not a factor. The use of vōs in the way that French uses vous to one person in formal / respectful situations does, however, occur in Mediaeval Latin.

[3] mihi can also be found as mī

[4] the preposition cum (with) when used with the ablative pronouns is attached to the end of the pronoun:

mēcum (with me); tēcum (with you), nōbīscum (with us), vōbīscum (with you [pl.])

pax vōbīscum │ peace (be) with you

[5] the genitive pronouns: meī; tuī; nostrum, nostrī; vestrum, vestrī

These should not be confused with the possessive adjectives the endings of which can look the same:

meus, -a, -um: my (mine); amīcus meus │ my friend; amīcī meī │ my friends

tuus, -a, -um: you [sg.] (yours); pecūnia tua │ your money;

In hīs inventae sunt quīnque imāgunculae mātrōnārum, in quibus ūna sorōris amīcī tuī (Cicero) │ In this (baggage) were found five little busts of Roman married ladies, among them one of the sister of your friend

noster, nostra, nostrum: our(s); patria nostra │ our fatherland

Nam Catōnem nostrum nōn tū amās plūs quam ego (Cicero) │ For you do not love our (friend) Cato more than I do

Nunc et nostrī hostēs ibi sunt (Cicero) │ But now our enemies are there

vester, vestra, vestrum: your [pl.] (yours); inimīcī vestrī │ your enemies

The possessive adjectives function like any other adjective, agreeing in case, gender and number with the noun.

They are by far more common and not the same as the genitive pronouns below:

[a] meī; tuī

[b] nostrum, nostrī; vestrum, vestrī

While [a] and [b] can be used to indicate possession, they generally appear in different contexts:

objective genitive

He worked hard for ¦ [i] the love [ii] of his family. (English may also use ‘for’ e.g. He was motivated by [i] hatred [ii] for his enemies)

In the examples, the objects of the love and hatred  are ‘family’ and ‘enemies’ i.e. He worked hard because he loved his family, and he was motivated because he hated his enemies. In Latin, these are expressed in the genitive case, this construction known specifically as the objective genitive.

amor patriae: love of / for the fatherland

odium hostium: hatred of / for the enemies

… ut vōbīscum ¦ dē [i] amōre [ii] reī pūblicae certent (Cicero) │ …in order to vie with you ¦ in [i] love [ii] for the republic

Imperātor ¦ [i] odiō [ii] hostium dūcitur. │ The general is guided ¦ by [i] (his) hatred [ii] of (his) enemies.

This is where these pronouns step in:

ūror [i] amōre [ii] meī (Ovid) │ I burn [i] with love [ii] of / for myself (stated,  unsurprisingly, by Narcissus!)

cāritās tuī │ affection for you [i.e. not *your* affection]

… utrum contrā nōs faciat an prō sē, [i] amōre [ii] alterīus an [i] odiō [ii] nostrī.  (Seneca the Younger) │ … whether he acts against us or for himself, and whether [i] because of love [ii] for another or [i] out of hatred [ii] for us

Habētis ducem [i] memorem [ii] vestrī │ You have a leader (who is) [i] mindful [ii] of you

partitive genitive

The alternative pronouns nostrum and vestrum are used in partitive constructions i.e. the equivalent of, for example “Which one of us will tell the king?” and “Many of you may be killed.”

Quis nostrum? │ Which of us?

Cicero tibi plurimam salutem dicit. Tu dices utriusque nostrum verbis et Piliae tuae et filiae (Cicero) │ Cicero pays you his best respects. Please give the compliments of both of us to your wife (Pilia) and daughter

Mīrum vidērī nēminī vestrum volō, spectātōrēs (Plautus) │ I don’t want to seem strange to any of you, spectators.

Level 3: Diogenes

 Diogenēs moriēns dīxit: "Prōiicite mē; nōlīte mē in sepulcrō pōnere.”

Tum amīcī: "Volucribusne et ferīs?" 

"Minimē vērō," inquit, "sed tēlum propter mē pōnitōte: hōc ferās ā mē abigam." 

"Quōmodo poteris?" illī respondērunt: "nōn enim sentiēs."

 "Quid igitur mihi nocēbunt ferārum dentēs et volucrum rōstra, nihil sentientī."

abigō, -ere, abēgī, abāctus [3]: drive away

volucris, -is [3/f]: bird

Notes:

[i] sed tēlum propter mē pōnitōte; future active imperative i.e. a command is being given, not to be performed now but in the future

13.10.25: Level 3; Artayctēs [3]; note [3]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/07/131025-level-3-artayctes-3-i-syncopated.html

[ii] Quid igitur mihi [dative] nocēbunt ferārum dentēs … nihil sentientī [dative]?"

noceō, -ēre [2]: harm; followed by the dative case

How, therefore, will the teeth of wild animals … be harmful to me ¦  feeling / perceiving nothing?

___________________

As Diogenes was dying he said: “Throw me away; do not place me in a tomb.”

Then his friends (said): “To birds and wild beasts?”

“Certainly not,” he said “But you must place a weapon near me: with this I shall drive away the wild beasts from me.”

“How will you be able to (do that)?” they replied to him “for you won’t perceive them.”

“What harm, then, will the teeth of wild beasts and the beaks of birds do to me ¦ if I perceive [literally: perceiving] nothing?”

Level 3: ferō and its compounds [4]

A common idiom with the verb conferō is its use with a reflexive pronoun; reflexive pronouns are so-called because they indicate that the subject and object of the action are the same e.g. English: I wash myself. The literal meaning of mē confero is ‘I betake myself’ but it is often translated as ‘I go’ with the sense of getting yourself somewhere:

mē cōnferō: I go                                                            

tē cōnfers: you [sg] go                                                   

sē cōnfert: (s)he goes                                                     

nōs cōnferimus: we go

vōs cōnfertis: you [pl] go

sē cōnferunt: they go

sī spem vīderō, aut ibīdem opperiar aut mē ad tē cōnferam (Cicero) │ if I see a ray of hope, I shall either wait here or pay you a visit [literally: I shall betake myself to you]

Profugiunt statim ex urbe tribūnī plēbis sēsēque ad Caesarem cōnferunt (Caesar) │ the tribunes of the people immediately make (made) their escape from the city, and withdraw (withdrew) to Caesar; i.e. the idea of them all going and gathering themselves together at Caesar’s location is conveyed by the verb

In gradually acquiring the translations of the compounds of ferō, pause for thought to consider the underlying meaning of the prefix and why it is used in the non-literal sense.

[1] dis-: apart; the prefix does not function as a separate preposition and frequently changes its final consonant when compounded with verbs: 

dīmittō, -ere [3]: dismiss

diffīdō, -ere [3/dep]: distrust

discēdō, -ere [3]: depart

discutiō, -ere [3-iō] disperse; (Mediaeval) discuss

Image #1 shows that, when used in a compound with ferō, there is again both a clear physical action and one that is figurative:

differō: [i] scatter different ways; spread; disperse; [ii] be different; vary

[i] Ventus nūbila differt. │ The wind scatters the clouds.

[ii] Hī omnēs linguā, īnstitūtīs, ... inter sē differunt. (Caesar) │ All these differ from each other in language, customs ....

[2] Image #2: Similarly, consider the underlying meaning of the prefix re- (back; backwards; again)

referō: [1] carry back; [2] make known; report i.e. bring information back to somebody

[i] Referte ānulum ad mē. │ Bring the ring back to me [= return]

[ii]

Nūntium bonum dē victōriā nostrā referō. │ I report [ = bring back] good news about our victory.

Iam pedem referēbant Rōmānī. │ The Romans were now retreating. [literally: carrying back the foot]

Like cōnferō, referō can also be used with a reflexive pronoun to mean ‘return’:

mē referō: I go back                                                      

tē refers: you [sg] go back                                             

sē refert: (s)he goes back                                               

nōs referimus: we go back

vōs refertis: you [pl] go back

sē referunt: they go back

Pompēius in castra sē refert. │ Pompey returns [= brings himself back] to the camp.

[3] dē-: down / away (from)

dēferō: [i] bring / carry something away (down) from a place [ii] deliver / bear news; give an account of

[i] sed ex iīs onerāriae duae eōsdem portūs quōs reliquae capere nōn potuērunt et paulō īnfrā dēlātae sunt (Caesar) │ excpt two of the ships of burden which could not make the same port which the other ships did, and were carried (away) a little lower down.

[ii] celerīs dēfer mea dicta per aurās (Virgil) │ deliver my orders through the swift winds

Level 3: ferō and its compounds [3]

[1] I sometimes still teach IELTS Advanced English and one of the ways, just by listening, that you can tell whether a student has a (near-) native command of the everyday spoken language is his / her ability to use one of the smallest words in the English language: get. If you (dare to) look at the verb ‘get’ in Wiktionary, you will find thirty-three definitions of that single word. Moreover, get is used in phrasal verbs, for example get on, get off, get out, get away etc. The number of meanings really is countless, but here is one example:

get on

[i] He got on a bus; a physical action that you picture in your mind of movement from one place onto another

[ii] He got on my nerves; you can see the connection with [i] although, this time, it has become figurative. Similarly: “How did we get on to that topic?”

[iii] But what about these ones …

Get on [continue] with your work!

How did you get on [cope] in that exam?

We don’t really get on [have a good relationship].

It was getting on for [approaching] midnight.

And there are others!

You can see a ‘shift’ from [i] a clear, physical idea to [ii] a figurative idea and to [iii] figurative ideas that have little, if any, obvious connection with the original physical sense.

This feature is evident in compounds of ferō although by no means as intimidating,

[2] Ferō is a very good example of why you should tread carefully with Latin dictionaries which can either be overly simplistic, providing a few superficial and unexplained meanings, or utterly intimidating: efferō, for example, may offer a choice of twelve different translations! Do not approach your study of Latin by heavy reliance on dictionaries or trying to learn too much too quickly. Focus on a few key meanings which illustrate how the verbs can refer to [1] physical movement and, often far more commonly, [2] abstract ideas. When others occur as you read, you should take note of them, and well annotated Latin texts will always give a precise translation in context. Simply be aware that various translations are possible and do not always opt for the first translation that comes to mind.

[3] Here are the same verbs shown above, but this time, further meanings are added to illustrate some of the abstract concepts that the verbs can convey; this is by no means exhaustive, and the aim is simply to make you aware that several translations of one verb are possible.

adferō; afferō: bring / carry something to a place│bring information; report; announce

auferō: take away│snatch; steal; mislead

circumferō: bring / carry around│divulge; publicise

cōnferō: bring / carry together; collect│discuss; confer

efferō: bring / carry out│raise; elevate; extol

īnferō: bring / carry in│cause; inflict [with bellum: wage / start war]

offerō: bring before│present; offer; show; exhibit

praeferō: bring / carry in front│display; prefer

trānsferō: bring / carry across│transfer; translate

[4] An important point to note: English has many derivatives from these compound verbs, but the difference is that, while the English derivative generally has a single, clear meaning, the Latin verbs from which they are derived can have multiple meanings, for example:

The judges need to confer to decide the winner.

What do you infer by that?

They offered me a refund.

Could you please translate this for me?

The examples from the authors, none of which express a literal action, show some of the meanings the Latin verbs can convey:

[i]

proptereā pāce adveniō et pācem ad vōs afferō (Plautus) │ Therefore, in peace am I come to you, and peace do I bring.

in ea adferam enim super eōs mala (Vulgate) │ for I will bring evil on them

grātōs tibi optātōsque esse quī dē mē rūmōrēs adferuntur nōn dubitō mī dulcissimē Tīrō, (Cicero) │ I am sure, dearest Tiro, that the reports about me which reach you (are reported about me) ¦ answer your best wishes and hopes [ = are pleasing to you and hoped for].

[ii]

auferimur cultū; gemmīs aurōque teguntur (Ovid) │ We’re carried away (deceived, duped) by adornment; all things are hidden in gold and gems

[iii]

interim nōlō sē iuvenēs satis īnstrūctōs, sī quem ex hīs, quī brevēs plērumque circumferuntur (Quintilian) │ For the present I will only say that I do not want young men to think their education complete when they have mastered one of the small text-books of which so many are in circulation [ = are being carried around]

[iv]

cōram inter nōs cōnferēmus (Cicero) │ we will discuss it when we meet [literally: face to face between us]

[v]

cum tē summīs laudibus ad caelum extulērunt (Cicero) │ they praised you with the highest honors to the heavens [ = they raised you / extolled you to heaven]

Cn. Lūcullus, familiāris noster, mātrem efferēbat. (Cic.) │ Our friend Cn. Lucullus was burying his mother. [ = carrying her out (of the house for burial)

[vi]

quae pars cīvitātis Helvētiae īnsignem calamitātem populō Rōmānō intulerat (Caesar) │ this part of the Helvetian state had inflicted a great calamity upon the Roman people

[vii]

vae illī, nīl iam mihi novī offerre potest (Plautus) │  Woe be unto him! Nothing new can now be inflicted upon me [= he can bring nothing new before me]

[viii] prae¦ferō: prefer i.e. to bring someone / something before someone / something else

Frūstrā mē pāstor ille … [ob eximiam speciem] tantīs praetulit deābus. (Apuleius)│ So it meant nothing when that shepherd … preferred me [for my surpassing beauty] to such mighty goddesses.

[ix]

Itaque cōnstituunt illīs locīs excēdere et in Celtibēriam bellum trānsferre (Caesar) │ They therefore resolve(d) to quit their posts, and to transfer the war to Celtiberia.

Level 3: the trial of Sophocles

Sophoclēs ad summam senectūtem tragoediās fēcit: vidēbātur autem rem familiārem negligere propter studium. Itaque ā fīliīs in iūs vocātus est. Hī iūdicēs ōrābant hīs verbīs: "Patrem dēsipientem ā rē familiārī removēte." Tum senex dīcitur tragoediam, illam praeclāram, Oedipum Colōnēum, recitāsse iūdicibus, et quaesīsse, "Num hoc carmen dēsipientis vidētur?" Hoc recitātō, sententiīs iūdicum est līberātus.

dēsipiēns, dēsipientis: foolish; silly

iūdex, iūdicis [3/f]: judge

iūs, iūris [3/n]: [i] law [ii] (here) court (of law)

Oedipus Colōnēus: Oedipus at Colonus, title of a play by Sophocles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_at_Colonus

Notes:

[i] ad summam senectūtem

summus, -a, -um: greatest; highest; utmost

However, the literal translation does not always work:

summus mōns │ the top of the mountain

(here) summa senectūs │ very / extreme old age

[ii] rēs familiāris

rēs, reī [5/f]: [i] ‘thing’ (object) [ii] matter; issue; event

familiāris, -e: pertaining to the household / family / servants

> rēs familiāris: family matter(s), household affairs; ‘property’; family estate

[iii] Hī iūdicēs ōrābant: careful! It is not *these judges* but ‘these (men / boys) / they implored the judges’

[iv] senex dīcitur tragoediam … recitāsse [recitāvisse] iūdicibus, et quaesīsse [quaesīvisse] … │ the old man, therefore, is said to have recited the tragedy to the judges and to have asked …

See the previous post:

19.10.25: Level 3; Spartan boys: the contempt of pain

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/07/191025-level-3-spartan-boys-contempt-of.html

https://adckl2.blogspot.com/2025/07/level-3-spartan-boys-contempt-of-pain.html

____________________

Sophocles wrote tragedies up to extreme old age: but he seemed to be neglecting his affairs through his application to study. Therefore he was summoned before the court by his sons. These (boys / men) / they implored the judges with these words: ‘Remove our foolish father from (the care of) his property.’ Then the old man is said to have recited that splendid tragedy, the ‘Oedipus Coloneus,’ to the judges, and to have asked, ‘Does this poem seem (the work) of a fool?’ When this had been recited, he was freed by the sentences of the judges.

Oedipus at Colonus, Jean-Antoine-Théodore Giroust, 1788 (Dallas Museum of Art)

Level 3: ferō and its compounds [2]

Compounds of ferō can convey specific forms of physical action. Below are some examples; note the changes in the spelling of the prefix in the principal parts: 

ab [away] + ferō > auferō, auferre, abstuli, ablātus: take away; remove

ad [towards] + ferō > afferō (or adferō), afferre, attulī, allātus: bring / carry something to a place

circum [around] + ferō > circumferō, circumferre, circumtulī, circumlātus: bring / carry around

con- [together] (from cum) + ferō > cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, collātus: bring / collect together; gather

ex [out of] + ferō > efferō, efferre, extulī, ēlātus: bring / carry out

in [into] + ferō > īnferō, īnferre, intulī, illātus: bring / carry in

ob [towards] + ferō > offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus: bring before; present

prae [in front] + ferō > praeferō, praeferre, praetulī, praelātus: bring / carry in front

trāns [across] + ferō > trānsferō, trānsferre, trānstulī, trānslātus: bring / carry across

From the authors:

[1]

Et tunicam parvam faciēbat eī māter sua quam adferēbat statūtīs diēbus (Vulgate) │ And his would make him a little robe which she used to bring to him every year [i.e. on the appointed days]

multa palam domum suam auferēbat (Cicero) │ he carried many things openly off to his own house.

noctū ligna contulērunt circā casam eam (Nepos) │  at night they gathered logs together around his house

dextrā laevāque ad circumstantia agmina oculōs manūsque circumferēns (Quintus Curtius) │ and turning his eyes [i.e. he is “carrying” his eyes around] and stretching out his hands right and left to the troops who stood about him

satiātīs vīnō cibōque pōculum idem quod mihi datum fuerit circumferētur (Livy) │ When you have taken your fill of food and wine, the same goblet that is handed to me will be passed round to you.

ibi iterum Scīpiō lectīculā in aciem illātus cōnflīxit (Caesar) │ There Scipio again engaged (in combat), (having been) carried into the battle-line in a litter

Cum mihi sē … obtulit (Virgil) │ When she presented herself to me …

incitātō equō sē hostibus obtulit atque interfectus est (Caesar) │ after he had spurred on his horse, he threw himself upon the enemy, and was killed

sinistrā manū retinēbat arcum, dextrā ārdentem facem praeferēbat (Cicero) │ in her left hand she carried her bow, her right hand held a burning torch; the verb conveys the idea of holding the torch out in front of the body

relictō praetōre signa ad Curium trānsferunt atque ad eum trānseunt (Caesar) │ the praetor having been deserted, they carry (carried) their colours (across) to Curius and go over (went over) to him

[2] Examples with the passive infinitive ferrī:

impedīmenta sarcināsque in ūnum locum cōnferrī … iussit (Caesar) │ he ordered that the baggage should be brought together [ = the baggage to be brought together; passive infintive] into one place

Clāvem mī harunc aedium Lacōnicam iam iubē efferrī intus (Plautus) │ Order the master-key of the house to be brought me at once from within

[3] This example from Virgil shows that compounds of ferō do not necessarily convey something physical, but figurative:

“Ille meōs, prīmus quī mē sibi iūnxit, amōrēs abstulit │ “That man, who first joined himself to me, he has taken away all my love

Compare:

Abī atque obsōnium adfer (Plautus) │ Go and bring some provisions (here).

Thespriō, exī istāc per hortum, adfer domum auxilium mihi (Plautus) │ Thesprio, come this way through the garden. Come to my rescue at home! [literally: bring help home to me]

The next posts will look at the figurative uses of these, and other compounds of ferō.

Level 3: ferō and its compounds [1]

[i] The most common meaning of ferō is ‘carry’ or ‘bear’ something.

[ii] It is a 3^rd conjugation verb, the only ‘irregularity’ in the present tense being the omission of -i- in the 2^nd and 3^rd person singular, and the 2^nd person plural:

ferō

fers

fert

ferimus

fertis

ferunt

[iii]

infinitive: ferre (i.e. the -e- of the 3^rd conjugation infinitive is omitted)

imperative: fer (singular); ferte (plural)

[iv] The imperfect and future tenses are completely regular:

Imperfect

ferēbam, ferēbās, ferēbat, ferēbāmus, ferēbātis, ferēbant

Future

feram, ferēs, feret, ferēmus, ferētis, ferent

[v] However, going beyond this, we find that ferō, ferre is a rare example of a suppletive verb. This refers here to a verb, certain forms of which are from a completely different verb. The most notable example of this in English is the verb ‘go’:

I go / am going / have (had) gone / will go: all of these are from Old English gān (go)

But: I went; even though Old English had a past tense for the verb gān i.e. iċ ēode, this was replaced by the past tense of a completely different verb: OE wendan (to depart; go; change) i.e. iċ wende > Modern English: I went.

The verb ferō has undergone a similar change taking its perfect stem and its perfect passive participle from the verb tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus [3]: remove; take away

Perfect stem: tulī

Pefect passive participle: lātus

Therefore, the four principal parts are: ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus

Perfect: tulī, tulistī, tulit, tulimus, tulistis, tulērunt

Pluperfect: tuleram, tulerās, tulerat, tulerāmus, tulerātis, tulerant

Future perfect: tulerō, tuleris, tulerit, tulerimus, tuleritis, tulerint

Exercise

As way of introduction to this verb, complete the Latin sentences with the appropriate present tense of ferō. However, look at the English translations and note the different meanings that this verb can have.

1. The slave is carrying food. │ Servus cibum __________
2. The slaves carry an amphora. │ Servī amphoram __________
3. The road leads to the estate. │ Via ad vīllam __________
4. I bring help to you. │ Ego tibi auxilium __________
5. The Roman troops bear arms. │ Cōpiae Rōmānae arma __________    
6. We gain a victory; win a battle. │ Victōriam __________
7. You (pl) endure / suffer many wrongdoings. │ Multās iniūriās __________     
8. What are you (sg) carrying in the cart? │ Quid in plaustrō __________?

Level 3: Spartan boys: the contempt of pain

Puerī Spartānī nōn gemunt flagellīs lacerātī. Adolēscentēs Spartae dēcertant manibus, pedibus, unguibus, dentibus, dēnique, māluntque interficī quam vincī. Puer etiam Spartānus dīcitur in sinū vestis vulpem cēlāsse, et bēstiae dentibus necātus esse, nec gemitum ēdidisse: praeclārum enim apud Spartānōs habēbātur aliquid clam abstrahere; dēprehendī vērō, turpissimum.

abstrahō, -ere, abstrāxī, abstractus [3]: drag / draw / pull away; carry off; (here) steal

clam: secretly

dēcertō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: fight (to the finish); contend; dispute

ēdō, ēdere, ēdidī, ēditus [3]: bring forth; produce; not edō [with short /e/], edere (or ēsse), ēdī, ēsus [3]: eat 

flagellum, -ī [2/n]: whip

gemitus, -ūs [4]: groan; sigh; sorrow

gemō, -ere, -uī [3]: groan

lacerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [2]: tear to pieces

sinus, -ūs [4/m]: fold; bosom

Notes:

[i]

The verb mālō, mālle (prefer) is often used in comparison between two verbs expressed as infinitives i.e. I prefer to do / doing X (rather) than to do / doing (Y):

māluntque (1) interficī quam (2) vincī │and they prefer (1) to be killed (rather) than (2) to be conquered

[ii]

Puer etiam Spartānus dīcitur … (i) cēlāsse, et … (ii) necātus esse, nec … (iii) ēdidisse

A Spartan boy is even said … (i) to have hidden, and (ii) to have been killed … and not (iii) to have uttered…

Two types of infinitive being used here:

[1] necātus esse; perfect passive infinitive [perfect passive participle + esse] =  to have been killed

[2] cēlasse; ēdidisse: perfect active infinitive = to have done something; look out for –(i)sse

3^rd principal part: ēdid¦ī > ēdid¦isse; perfect active infinitive: to have uttered

3^rd principal part: cēlāv¦ī > cēlāv¦isse; perfect active infinitive: to have hidden

In the text cēlāsse is an example of a syncopated verb form i.e. where certain sounds are omitted (which is common in the literature) and this often applies to past tense forms with -vi-; therefore: cēlā(vi)sse

In paenīnsulā Cimbricā rēvērā habitāvisse (or habitāsse) affirmantur │ They are claimed in fact to have lived on the Cimbrian peninsula.

The link gives further information on point [2] here:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/020925-level-3-sonnenschein-pro-patria.html

____________________

Spartan boys do not groan when / having been torn with whips. At Sparta youths fight with their fists, feet, nails, even with their teeth, and prefer being killed to being conquered. A Spartan boy is even said to have hidden a fox in the fold / bosom of his garment, and to have been killed by the teeth of the beast, without uttering [literally: and not to have uttered] a murmur: for to steal anything without being caught [literally: carry off secretly] was held / considered to be glorious among the Spartans; but to be caught (was considered) most disgraceful.

Level 3; irregular verbs [18]: eō, īre and its compounds; practice

Complete the Latin with the appropriate form of eō, īre; all of these short extracts are from the authors; the verbs are listed after each section; the answers are at the end of the post

[A]

[1] Present tense

1. They cross the Rhine in ships and rafts │ __________ Rhenum navibus ratibusque
2. They reach (arrive at) the frontiers of the Eburones │ Prīmōs Eburōnum fīnēs __________
3. In that case, I’m off (going away) to the forum │ __________ ad forum igitur.
4. When we go out from the harbour … │ Ubi portū __________ …
5. You (pl.) are earning my gratitude [ = you are entering into favour from me / my good graces] │ Ā mē __________ grātiam

[2] Imperfect tense

1. I was going out of the house │ __________ domō
2. I was going away unwillingly │ __________ invītus
3. I saw (him) when he was perishing │ Ego cum  __________ vīdī
4. We were going past the mother’s grave │ __________ praeter sepulchrum mātris
5. Pieces of evidence were coming out of the same workshop │ Indicia ex eādem officīnā __________

[3] Future tense

1. I’ll be off [go away] from here │ __________ hunc
2. She’ll go to somebody else, however │  Illa aliō __________ tamen

abeō; abībam; adeunt; adībō; exībam; exībant; eximus; ībāmus; ībit; inītis; perībat; transeunt

[B]

[1] Perfect tense

1. A part perished, surrounded by the barbarians │ Pars ā barbarīs circumventa __________
2. He went away from here to the army │ __________ hinc in exercitum
3. When he died [ = he met death]  │ Ubi is __________
4. Have you made friends again now? [ = literally: have you come back into harmony / agreement] │ Iam vōs __________ in concordiam?
5. They have encountered (suffered) dangers and weapons │ Perīcula ac tēla __________
6. In the same attack the cohorts surrounded the left wing │ Eōdem impetū cohortēs sinistrum cornū … __________

[2] Pluperfect tense

1. They had crossed the Rhine │ Rhēnum __________
2. He had returned  with the matter no accomplished │ Īnfectā rē __________
3. He had entered into the plan │ Cōnsilium __________

abiit; circumiērunt; inierat; obiit mortem; periit; redierat; rediistis; subiērunt; trānsierant

[A]

[1]

1. Transeunt Rhenum navibus ratibusque
2. Prīmōs Eburōnum fīnēs adeunt
3. Abeō ad forum igitur.
4. Ubi portū eximus …
5. Ā mē inītis grātiam

[2]

1. Exībam domō
2. Abībam invītus
3. Ego cum perībat vīdī
4. Ībāmus praeter sepulchrum mātris
5. Indicia ex eādem officīnā exībant

[3]

1. Adībō hunc
2. Illa aliō ībit tamen

[B]

[1]

1. Pars ā barbarīs circumventa periit
2. Abiit hinc in exercitum
3. Ubi is obiit mortem
4. Iam vōs rediistis in concordiam?
5. Perīcula ac tēla subiērunt
6. Eōdem impetū cohortēs sinistrum cornū … circumiērunt

[2]

1. Rhēnum trānsierant
2. Īnfectā rē redierat
3. Cōnsilium inierat

Level 3; irregular verbs [17]: fīō, fierī

fīō, fierī, factus sum: be made; become; happen; take place

[i] The verb fīō, fieri provides the passive of the verb facio, facere [3-iō]: make

faciō, facere, fēcī, factus: make

faciō: I make

fīō, fierī, factus sum: be made

fiō: I am made = I become

[ii] Image #1: Although the verb is classified as irregular, the endings in the present, imperfect and future tenses are very similar to a 4^th conjugation added to a stem in f-

[iii] Images #2 - #4: The perfect, pluperfect and future perfect is the same as any other passive verb:

[iv] What a person is made or becomes is in the nominative case

Cicerō cōnsul fit. │ Cicero is made / becomes a consul.

Mārcūs rēx factus est. │ Marcus was made / became the king.

Mox stilī tabellaeque dēpōnuntur et silentium fit. │ Soon the pencils and boards are put down and it becomes silent [literally: silence is made]

Fortasse vōs quoque, meī discipulī, fīētis magnī ducēs. │ Perhaps you also, my pupils, will become great leaders.

Propter magnās victōriās imperātor factus est. │ On account of his great victories he became / he was made commander.

Exercise: complete the Latin quotations with the appropriate form of fīō, fierī; the answers are at the end of the post

[i] I become so wretched with hunting after money to borrow. │ Ita __________ miser quaerendō argentō mūtuō (Plautus)

[ii] This is done in a like manner as the other things have been done. │ Pariter hoc __________ atque ut alia __________. (Plautus)

[iii] From being rightminded they become most deceitful, and most dishonest │ Ex bonīs pessimī et fraudulentissimī __________ (Plautus)

[iv] Are you becoming mellower, and more decent, as old age nears? │ Lēnior et melior __________ accēdente senectā? (Horace)

[v] We have become even more languid │ Nōs etiam languidiōrēs posteā __________ (Cicero)

[vi] Caesar was informed [ = literally: was made more certain (certior); a common phrase] through scouts │ Per explōrātōrēs Caesar certior __________ (Caesar)

[vii] I was frequently so informed [ = literally: I was becoming more certain] in my friends’ letters │ __________ crēbrō ā meīs per litterās certior (Cicero)

[viii] Nor was an end being made to this insult and barbarity │ Neque tamen fīnis huic iniūriae crūdēlitātīque __________ (Cicero)

[ix] What will happen to me then? │ Quid mihi __________posteā?

[x] There when those many playful things were happening │ ibi illa multa tum iocōsa __________ (Catullus)

fīunt; fit; fīs; fīō; fīet; fīēbat; fīēbant; fīēbam; factus est; factī sumus; facta sunt

[i] Ita fīō miser quaerendō argentō mūtuō (Plautus)

[ii] Pariter hoc fit atque ut alia facta sunt. (Plautus)

[iii] Ex bonīs pessimī et fraudulentissimī fīunt (Plautus)

[iv] Lēnior et melior fīs accēdente senectā? (Horace)

[v] Nōs etiam languidiōrēs posteā factī sumus (Cicero)

[vi] Per explōrātōrēs Caesar certior factus est (Caesar)

[vii] Fīēbam crēbrō ā meīs per litterās certior (Cicero)

[viii] Neque tamen fīnis huic iniūriae crūdēlitātīque fīēbat (Cicero)

[ix] Quid mihi fīet posteā?

[x] ibi illa multa tum iocōsa fīēbant (Catullus)

Level 3: Crocodile hunting

Vēnātiō crocodīlōrum multīs atque variīs modīs īnstituitur. Suis tergus, prō ēscā hāmō īnsertum, in medium flūmen dēmittit vēnātor. Ipse in rīpā flūminis vīvum porcellum ferit. Crocodīlus, audītā vōce, ad sonum accurrit. In tergus vērō suis incīdēns, illud dēglūtit, moxque in terram attrahitur. In terrā extractī crocodīlī oculōs lutō oblinit vēnātor. Tum facillimē interficitur.

dēglūtiō, -īre [4]: (rare) swallow

esca, -ae [1/f]: [i] food; [ii] (here) bait

feriō, -īre, -iī [4]: strike

hamus, -ī [2/m]: hook

incidō, -ere, incidī [3] [i] fall (into / upon something) [ii] attack

īnserō, -ere, īnseruī, īnsertus [3]: (here) fasten

īnstituō, -ere, īnstituī, īnstitūtus [3]: (here) practise i.e. referring to what is customarily done

lutum, -ī [2/n]: mud; dirt

oblinō, -ere, oblēvī, oblitus [3]: smear; daub; plaster

sūs, -is [3m/f]: pig

tergus, tergoris [3/n]: skin; hide

Notes:

[i] Crocodīlus, audītā vōce, ad sonum accurrit; ablative absolute i.e. literally: The crocodile, with the voice having been heard, runs towards the sound.

Although an ablative absolute is not connected to the subject of the sentence, nor should it be interpreted as such, it can – if the context is clear – be reworked in English: “Having heard the voice, the crocodile runs towards the sound,” or “The crocodile, after it has heard the voice …” i.e. it is obvious from the context that it is the crocodile that is hearing the sound.

[ii] look out for agreements of perfect passive participles:

Suis tergus … hāmō īnsertum │ the skin of a pig [having been / which has been] fastened onto a hook

In terrā extractī crocodīlī oculōs … │ … the eyes of the crocodile [having been / which has been] drawn onto the land

____________________

Crocodile hunting is practised in many (and) different ways. Into the middle of the river the huntsman lowers a pigskin, fastened on a hook for a bait. He himself strikes a young pig on the river bank. The crocodile, once the voice has been heard [ = after it hears the voice], runs towards the noise. But falling onto / attacking the pigskin, he swallows it, and is soon hauled to land. With mud  The huntsman plasters the eyes of the crocodile [having been] drawn on land / once it has been drawn onto land. It is then very easily killed.