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)