Level 3: indirect statement; the accusative-infinitive [3]; predicative nominative > accusative

Look at this example:

Tū es sapiēns. │ You are wise.

The adjective sapiēns is in the nominative case after the verb ‘to be’; this is called the predicative nominative.

When the sentence becomes indirect, the predicative nominative will also go into the accusative case:

Tū es ¦ sapiēns [nominative]. │ You are ¦ wise.

> Credō ¦ tē ¦ sapientem [accusative] ¦ esse. │ I believe ¦ that you are ¦ wise.

Further examples:

Magister meus ¦ homō doctus [nominative] ¦ est. │ My teacher is ¦ an educated man.

> Crēdō ¦ magistrum meum ¦ hominem doctum [accusative] ¦ esse. │ I believe ¦ that my teacher is ¦ an educated man.

Iūlia est bona discipula [nominative]. │ Julia is ¦ a good student.

> Magister dīcit ¦ Iūliam ¦ bonam discipulam [accusative] ¦ esse. │ The teacher says ¦ that Julia is ¦ a good student.

Tellūs ¦ magna ¦ est. │ The Earth is ¦ large.

> Legimus ¦ tellūrem magnam esse. │ We read ¦ that the Earth is ¦ large.

Level 3; Zeuxis and Parrhasius

Zeuxis et Parrhasius pictōrēs celeberrimī fuērunt. Hī ōlim inter sē dē arte contendēbant. Zeuxīs prīmō ūvās pīnxit. Avēs in tabulam advolābant, ūvās comedere cupientēs. Tum Parrhasius pannum pīnxit. Zeuxis autem artificiī huius modī ignārus, Parrhasiō dīxit: "Aufer pannum; tabulam vidēre volō." Mox intellēctō errōre dīxit: "Ā tē victus sum: ego enim avēs dēcēpī, tū autem ipsum Zeuxin."

artificium, -ī [2/n]: various meanings [i] skill; knowledge; talent [ii] (negative) cunning; trick

auferō, auferre, abstulī, ablātus: take away; ferō, ferre and its compounds has an irregular imperative: aufer(te)!

ignārus, -a, -um: ignorant, unaware; artificiī [genitive] ¦ huius modī ignārus│ unaware of a trick ¦ of this kind

intellēctō errōre │ literally: with the mistake having been understood; an ablative absolute (with X having been Y-ed), but how would it more neatly translate into English? There are several possibilities.

Avēs in tabulam advolābant │ Literally: the birds were flying towards the painting; a reasonable enough translation of the imperfect tense, but in what other ways can the imperfect be rendered?

pannus, -ī [2/m]: cloth

____________________

Zeuxis and Parrhasius were very famous painters. These (men) / they once competed with each other in their art. Zeuxis first painted grapes. Birds flew / started flying / kept on flying towards the painting, wanting to eat the grapes. Then Parrhasius painted a cloth. But Zeuxis, unaware of this kind of trick, said to Parrhasius: "Take away the cloth; I want to see the painting." Soon, having realised his mistake / realising his mistake / after he’d realised the mistake, he said: "I have been defeated by you: for I deceived birds, but you (have deceived) Zeuxis himself."

Level 3; indirect statement; the accusative-infinitive [2]

The accusative-infinitive is like a ‘formula’ i.e. certain consistent changes are made to create an indirect statement from a direct one.

Direct statement: Caesar urbī appropinquat. │ Caesar is approaching the city.

To turn it into an indirect statement, two changes are made:

Nūntiī clāmant ¦ [1] Caesarem urbī [2] appropinquāre.

The messengers shout ¦ that [1] Caesar [2] is approaching the city.

[1] The subject of the indirect statement is in the accusative case; in grammar this is known as the subject accusative

[2] The verb of the indirect statement becomes an infinitive.

That’s why the construction is referred to as an accusative-infinitive.

There is no word for a ‘that’ conjunction introducing the indirect statement.

Examples:

[i] Duo fūrēs in apodyteriō sunt. │ Two thieves are in the changing room.

> Mārcus dīcit ¦ [1] duōs fūrēs [direct object: accusative] [2] esse [infinitive] in apodytēriō.

[literally: Marcus says ¦ [1] two thieves [2] to be in the changing room.]

> Marcus says ¦ that two thieves are in the changing room.

[ii] Is venit. │ He is coming.

> Sciō ¦ [1] eum [accusative] [2] venīre [infinitive]

[literally: I know ¦ [1] him [2] to be coming]

> I know ¦ that he is coming.

[iii] Discipulī student. │ The pupils are studying.

Magister dīcit ¦ [1] discipulōs [accusative] [2] studēre [infinitive]

[literally: The teacher says ¦ [1] the pupils [2] to be studying]

> The teacher says ¦ that the pupils are studying.

At first sight, the accusative-infinitive seems completely alien but, when you take a second look, there are some limited examples in English, restricted largely to expression of opinion, which give you an idea as to how it is put together.

I knew that [1] he [2] was an honest man.

= I knew [1] him [direct object] [2] to be [infinitive] an honest man

I believe that [1] the story [2] is true.

= I believe [1] the story [direct object] [2] to be true [infinitive].

We believe that [1] these truths [2] are self-evident.

= We hold [1] these truths [direct object] ¦ [2] to be [infinitive] self-evident.

Whereas in English, its use is limited and, at times, can sound rather stilted, it is that construction which is the way in which an indirect statement is always expressed in Latin.

Level 3; a noble foe

Themistoclēs ōlim, pugnā nāvālī dēvictīs Persīs, Athēnīs apud conciōnem dīxit: "Cōnsilium in animō habeō: hoc ūtile reīpūblicae erit, cēlārī tamen oportet. Ūnī ē prīmōribus rem dīcere volō." Aristīdēs ad hoc mūnus dēlēctus est. Huic dīxit Themistoclēs: "Lacedaemoniōrum classis in ancorīs in portū est. Hanc clam incendere poterimus. Ita illōrum potestās nāvālis dēlēbitur." Hīs audītis, ad concilium Aristīdēs reversus in hunc modum locūtus est: "Themistoclīs cōnsilium quum ūtile, tum minimē honestum est." Itaque Athēniēnsēs nē audītum quidem cōnsilium sprēvērunt.

[1] apud [+ acc] [i] at, by, near, among; [ii] at the house of (Fr. chez); [iii] (here) in the presence of; apud conciōnem │ before the assembly

[2] conciō, -iōnis [3/f] (Mediaeval spelling); contiō, -iōnis [3/f] (CL): meeting; assembly

[3] hoc ūtile reīpūblicae erit │ this will be useful to the republic

The term ‘Roman Republic’ refers to the period in Roman history from the overthrow of the Roman kingdom (traditionally dated to 509BC) and ending in 27AD with the establishment of the Roman Empire, but it has other meanings such as ‘the state’, ‘the nation’ or ‘civil affairs’.

Image: rēspūblica is formed from two words: (1) rēs, rēi [5/f] + (2) 1^st/2^nd declension adjective: pūblica; both parts decline. It is usually written as one word but may appear as two separate words;

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/170424-respublica.html

[4] Note the use of the dative of ūnus in:

Ūnī ¦ ē prīmōribus rem dīcere volō. │ I want to communicate the matter to one ¦ of the chief men.

[5] revertor, -ī, reversus sum [3/deponent]: return; perfect participle is passive in form but active in meaning

ad concilium Aristīdēs reversus │ Aristides, having returned to the Council …

[6] quum = cum; cum (quum) can be coupled with tum to express not only … but also …

movet rēs cum multitūdinem tum ducēs (Livy) │ Thīs event not only shocked the crowd but also the commanders

From the text: "Themistoclīs cōnsilium quum ūtile, tum minimē honestum est." │ The advice of Themistocles is not only useful, but also not at all honourable. [ …both useful and not at all honourable]

[7] Itaque Athēniēnsēs (2) nē audītum quidem (1) cōnsilium sprēvērunt. │ Therefore, the Athenians rejected (1) the plan ¦ (2) [which had] not even been heard. [ = without even hearing it]

____________________

Once upon a time, after the Persians had been utterly defeated in a naval engagement, Themistocles said before the Assembly at Athens: ‘I have a plan in my mind; this will be useful to the republic, yet it must be kept secret. I wish to communicate the matter to one of the chief men.’ Aristides was chosen for this office. Themistocles said to him: ‘The fleet of the Lacedaemonians is at anchor in harbour. We shall be able to set it on fire secretly. Thus their naval power will be destroyed.’ On hearing this, Aristides having returned to the Council, spoke as follows:  The advice of Themistocles is not only useful, but also not at all honourable.’ Therefore, the Athenians rejected the plan without even hearing it.

Level 3: indirect statement; the accusative-infinitive [1]

The construction we will look at in this series of posts was first referred to here:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/070225-speaking-latin-on-campus_30.html

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/310825-level-1-readings-18-damocles.html

[1] A ‘statement’ can be [i] direct or [ii] indirect:

[i] “I’m hungry,” says John. This is a direct statement i.e. quoting the actual words that John says, which, in English, are usually indicated by speech marks “_____ ” (also known as quotation marks or inverted commas).

The Latin term is orātiō recta: direct speech / direct discourse

[ii] John says ¦ that he is hungry. This is an indirect statement i.e. it reports what John says without using his actual words. It is also known as reported speech. In English, and in other languages, this often involves a change of tense: “I’m hungry,” said John > John said ¦ that he was hungry. However, as you will see, Latin deals with this in a different way.

The Latin term is orātiō oblīqua: indirect speech / indirect discourse

[2] Neither the term ‘statement’ nor ‘speech’ gives you the full picture because both imply something that is said or written. However, the terms ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ also refer to thoughts and feelings.

[3] Verbs commonly used to introduce an indirect statement are:

clāmō, -āre [1]: shout

negō, -āre [1]: deny

nūntiō, -āre [1]: announce

putō, -āre [1]: think

spērō, -āre [1]: hope

videō, -ere [2]: see

cognōscō, -ere [3]: learn; get to know

crēdō, -ere [3]: believe

dīcō, -ere [3]: say

prōmittō, -ere [3]: promise

audiō, -īre [4]: hear

sciō, -īre [4]: know

[4] The indirect statement in English often omits the conjunction that but for the sake of clarity and comparison we will keep it in. If we take an example from each of the three biggest language groups in Europe, we can see that they all do the same i.e. they use a conjunction:

He said that + indirect statement

German: Er sagte, dass …

French: Il a dit que …

Russian: On skazal, chto … [Он сказал, что …]

Late and Mediaeval Latin have an equivalent using quod as a conjunction to introduce an indirect statement. Here are some examples for reference but, since we are dealing only with Classical Latin at this point, it must be emphasised that such a construction is not part of Classical Latin apart from a few restricted situations which we will look at later:

Gosem dīxit ¦ quod tū et Iūdaeī cōgitētis rebellāre (Vulgate)│ Gosem has said ¦ that you and the Jews are thinking of rebelling

Ergō vidētur, ¦ quod tū nōn possīs in eam cōnfīdere (Gesta Rōmānōrum; late 13^th / early 14^th century) │ Therefore, it seems ¦ that you cannot trust her

dīcis, ¦ quod ego dēcēpī patrem meum proprium (Gesta Rōmānōrum; late 13^th / early 14^th century) │ You say ¦ that I have deceived my own father

[ii] Quod dēficit ūnctiō ¦ [i] prīdem intellegitis. (Lūx optāta clāruit; 13^th century)│ [i] You long since understand ¦ [ii] that the anointing failed.

[5] Classical Latin does not use the construction in [3] above. It expresses the idea in a completely different way which is known as the accusative-infinitive. Since you will be reading a great deal of 3^rd person narrative recounting not only what people do / did but also what people say / said, it is a common construction with which you need to become familiar.

Level 3; [1] an affectionate fish; [2] Philoctetes

[1] An affectionate fish

Ōlim delphīn amīcitiam cum puerō quōdam contrāxisse dīcitur. Quotīdiē autem ā puerō vocātūs, frusta pānis accipiēbat. In summam aquam veniēbat, et, acceptīs frustīs, puerum dorsō excipiēbat. Mortuō puerō, delphīn prae dolōre mortuus esse dīcitur.

contrahō, -ere, -trāxī,  -tractus [3]: several different meanings [i] collect; assemble [ii] accomplish [iii] cause; produce; (here) form (a friendship) [iv] make a contract

frū̆stum, -ī [2/n]: piece; bit; crumb; morsel; scrap (of food)

Dīcitur: he / she / it is said…; both in English and in Latin, this construction is followed by an infintive, for example:

He is said ¦ to be [present] rich.

He is said ¦ to have made [past] a lot of money.

In the short text there are two examples of this:

[i] Delphīn amīcitiam cum puerō contrāxisse dīcitur. │ The dolphin is said to have formed a friendship with the boy.

perfect active infinitive:

22.06.25: Level 3; the Labours of Hercules; [I] The infant Hercules and the serpents; note [4]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/220625-level-3-i-infant-hercules-and.html

02.09.25: Level 3; Sonnenschein; Prō Patriā [9]; Anglī et Saxonēs [1]

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

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

[ii] Delphīn prae dolōre mortuus esse dīcitur. │ The dolphin is said to have died from grief.

[2] perfect infinitive of deponent verb: this forms part of the next topic to be discussed at Level 3 i.e. indirect statement

morior, morī, mortuus sum [3-iō/ deponent]: die; passive forms but active in meaning. Therefore, mortuus sum = I (have) died > mortuus esse: to have died

[2] Philoctetes

Poētae multa dē Philoctētē nārrant. Dīcitur Herculis armiger fuisse, et ab eō sagittās, venēnātō sanguine Hȳdrae tīnctās, accēpisse. Pēs autem eius aut sagittā cadente aut serpentis dente vulnerātus est. Ex hōc vulnere odor gravissimus ortus est, itaque Graecī eum ā sē expulērunt, et in īnsulā Lemnō relīquērunt. Hīc diū sōlus in antrō vīvēbat. Graecī autem sine sagittīs illīus Troiam capere nōn potuērunt. Tum vērō Ulyssēs et Diomēdēs Lemnum missī, Philoctētēm sēcum Trōiam dūcere cōnātī sunt. Diū restitit: tandem precibus victus, Troiam abiit. Haud multō post Troiā, per decem annōs frūstrā oppugnāta, sagittārum ope capta est.

armiger, -ī [2/m]: weapon-bearer; bodyguard

ops, -is [3/f]: [i] strength; power; [ii] help; assistance; sagittārum ¦ ope │ with the help ¦ of the arrows

prex, precis [3/f]: request; prayer; entreaty;

restō, -āre, restitī / restāvī, - [1]: (here) resist

tingō, -ere, tīnxī, tīnctus [3]: wet; moisten; dip; tinge

The same structure as in [1][i] above is also used here:

(1) Dīcitur Herculis armiger (2) fuisse [perfect active infinitive], et ab eō sagittās, venēnātō sanguine Hȳdrae tīnctās, (2) accēpisse [perfect active infinitive].

sum, esse, fuī [perfect active] > fu¦isse: to have been

accipico, -ere, accēpī [perfect active] > accēp¦isse: to have received

He (Philoctetes) (1) is said (2) to have been the armour-bearer of Hercules, and (2) to have received from him arrows dipped in the poisoned blood of the Hydra

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

The isolation of Philoctetes on Lemnos (Jean-Charles-Joseph Rémond;1818)

____________________

[1] Once, a dolphin is said to have formed a friendship with a certain boy. Every day, having been called by the boy, he used to receive pieces of bread. He used to come to the surface of the water and, after receiving the pieces, would take the boy onto his back. After the boy died, the dolphin is said to have died from grief.

[2] The poets recount many things about Philoctetes. He is said to have been the armour-bearer of Hercules, and to have received from him arrows dipped in the poisoned blood of the Hydra. His foot, however, was wounded either by a falling arrow or by the tooth of a serpent.  From this wound a very foul smell arose, and so the Greeks expelled him from their company and left him on the island of Lemnos. The Greeks, however, could not capture Troy without his arrows. Then indeed, Ulysses and Diomedes, having been sent to Lemnos, tried to lead Philoctetes to Troy with them. He resisted for a long time; at last, overcome by prayers / requests / entreaties, he went away to Troy. Not long after, Troy, having been besieged in vain for ten years, was captured with the help of the arrows.

Level 3; review; 2013 ACL/NJCL NATIONAL LATIN EXAM LATIN II [ii]: questions (1) – (20); answers and notes

1. D 2. C 3. D 4. B 5. A 6. C 7. A 8. C 9. A 10. D 11. B 12. C 13. D 14. D 15. D 16. A 17. A 18. C 19. A 20.B

[1] D) sordidissimus; superlative < sordidus, -a, -um i.e. dirtiest but can also translate as very dirty

[2] C) to his little brother Marcus; parvō frātrī Marcō [dative case; indirect object] …inquit│ he spoke to his little brother …

[3] D) while walking; ambulāns: present active participle used to indicate an action that is / was happening at the same time as the main action in the sentence

Ad thermās ambulāns, Iūlius mercātōrem … cōnspicit │ While (he is) walking to the baths, Iulius catches sight of the merchant …

[4] B) Is it permitted for me; licet: impersonal verb literally meaning ‘it is permitted’ + the dative mihi ‘for me’ > licetne mihi? │ Is it permitted for me = May I …

[5] A) than; quam: used to introduce the object of comparison

meliōrēs quam omnēs cēterae │ better than all the rest

[6] C) abīre: the only infinitive that can work in the context; necesse est: impersonal construction i.e. ‘it is necessary’ + the dative mihi ‘for me’ = I need to …

Iūlius togās tangit sed emere nōn vult; itaque exclāmat, “Necesse est mihi abīre.” │Iulius touches the togas but he doesn’t want to buy (them); therefore, he shouts out “It is necessary for me to go away / = I need to leave”

[7] A) intrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: enter > intrātūrus, -a, -um: about to enter

[i] the ending -ūrus, -ūra, -ūrum is very distinctive and indicates a future active participle; these participles describe what a person is about to do / going to do / intending to do; Wiktionary lists them with the translation ‘about to …’

[ii] The future active participle is formed from the 4^th principal part of the verb:

intrō, intrāre, intrāvī, intrāt¦us > intrāt¦ūrus, -ūra, -ūrum

[iii] In the question the participle is functioning like an adjective:

… Gaīus Iūlium …. intrātūrum videt │ … Gaius sees Julius, [who is] about to enter …

[iv] In combination with esse the participle creates verbs. Here are a few examples:

[1] narrō, narrāre, narrāvī, narrātus

Tibi fābulam narrātūrus sum │ I’m going to tell you a story;

Dē quibus rēbus nārrātūrus est Lūcius? │ What things is Lucius going to tell (us) about?

[2] doceō, docēre, docuī, doctus

Nōn modo discipulōs … sed etiam discipulās … doctūrus sum. │ I’m about to teach not only schoolboys … but also schoolgirls.

[3] faciō, facere, fēcī, factus

Cūr fōrmōsissimum Iūppiter factūrus erat rēgem? │ Why was Jupiter going to / intending to make the king very handsome?

The English noun / adjective future is derived from the Latin future active participle of esse: futūrus, -a, -um │ about to be

[v] A very good example of the future active participle is in the diēs īrae (lines 3-6); I’ve deliberately translated the participles in three different ways but, regardless of the translation, the future active participle expresses intention, an action that will happen in the near future:

l1: Dies iræ, dies illa │ The day of wrath, that day
l2: Solvet sæclum in favilla │ will dissolve the world in ashes
l3: Teste David cum Sibylla │ with David as witness together with the Sibyl
l4: Quantus tremor est futūrus │ How great is the quaking going to be
l5: Quando iudex est ventūrus │ when the Judge is about to come,
l6: Cuncta stricte discussūrus │ (intending) to investigate all things strictly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKJur8wpfYM

Link: 25.09.25: Level 3; the grammar of things to come: diēs īrae (Requiem); the future active participle

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/06/250925-level-3-grammar-of-things-to.html

[8] C) for two hours; duās hōrās: accusative used to express duration of time i.e. for how long an action has / had been going on

[9] A) Marce: vocative case; Marcus is being addressed directly

[10] D) on account of thieves; propter: preposition with the accusative case ‘on account of’

[11] B) will play; sē exercēbunt: future tense of 2^nd conjugation verb

[12] C) for us; “Quaere nōbīs [dative case] pilam!” │ Look for the ball for us; here the dative expresses the person for whom or for whose benefit something is done

[13] D) they have exercised; sē exercuērunt: perfect tense of 2^nd conjugation verb

[14] D) in which; in quō: ablative singular of relative pronoun quī / quae / quod

[15] D) were being washed; lavābantur: imperfect passive

[16] A) Pete; pete: 2^nd singular imperative / command form of the verb

** [17] A) Subitō Marcus … dīcit duōs fūrēs esse in apodytēriō. │ A) are

Literally: Suddenly Marcus … says two thieves to be in the changing room

> Suddenly Marcus … says that two thieves are in the changing room

See the next Level 3 topic: indirect statement

[18] C) having been disturbed; commōtī: perfect passive participle used like an adjective

Hīs verbīs ¦ commōtī, amīcī ... │The friends, [having been] / [who had been] disturbed by these words …

[19] A) have been stolen; surrepta sunt: perfect passive

[20] B) rather violently; vehementius: comparative adverb < vehementer i.e. more violently but can also translate as rather violently

Level 3; review; 2013 ACL/NJCL NATIONAL LATIN EXAM LATIN II [i]: questions (1) – (20)

There is one question in the test (Q17) marked with ** because, although it has been discussed in the group, it has not yet been covered in depth; it is the next topic in Level 3. However, everything else has been done and so this paper gives you a good indicator as to how far you’ve reached.

1. Iūlius, quī sordidissimus est, ad thermās īre cōnstituit. │A) rather dirty B) dirty C) hardly dirty D) very dirty

2. Iūlius parvō frātrī Marcō, “Portā,” inquit, “rēs meās ad thermās!” │ A) of his little brother Marcus B) his little brother Marcus C) to his little brother Marcus D) with his little brother Marcus

3. Ad thermās ambulāns, Iūlius mercātōrem, quī togās vēndit, cōnspicit. │ A) about to walk B) after he walked C) since he walked D) while walking

4. “Licetne mihi,” Iūlius inquit, “togās novās tangere?” │ A) Do I want B) Is it permitted for me C) Will I be able D) Is it necessary for me

5. “Ita vērō!” respondet mercātor. “Hae togae meliōrēs quam omnēs cēterae sunt!” │ A) than B) how C) which D) whom

6. Iūlius togās tangit sed emere nōn vult; itaque exclāmat, “Necesse est mihi _____.” │ A) esse B) ferre C) abīre D) posse

7. Tum Gāius Iūlium in thermās intrātūrum videt. │ A) about to enter B) entering C) having entered D) to enter

8. Gāius, amīcus Iūliī, exclāmat, “Tē duās hōrās exspectābam!”  │ A) at the second hour B) after two hours C) for two hours D) in two hours

9. Amīcī intrant et exclāmant, “Cūrā, _____, vestīmenta nostra!” │ A) Marce B) Marcī C) Marcō D) Marcus

10. “Nōlī dormīre propter fūrēs!” │ A) next to thieves B) among the thieves C) according to the thieves D) on account of thieves

11. Mox amīcī pilā lūdent et sē exercēbunt. │ A) play B) will play C) were playing D) played

12. Amīcī Marcō clāmant, “Quaere nōbīs pilam!” │  A) for me B) for them C) for us D) for yourself

13. Postquam sē exercuērunt, in tepidāriō sedent. │ A) they will exercise B) they were exercising C) they are exercising D) they have exercised

14. Tum in caldārium intrant, in quō aqua calidissima est. │ A) in itself B) in that C) in this D) in which

15. Amīcī in caldāriō lavābantur; tum in frīgidārium dēscendunt. │ A) are washed B) to wash C) will be washed D) were being washed

16. Amīcī frātrī exclāmant, “_____, Marce, vestīmenta! Vestīmenta nostra cupimus!” │ A) Pete B) Petite C) Petere D) Petunt

** 17. Subitō Marcus, quī accurrit, dīcit duōs fūrēs esse in apodytēriō. │ A) are B) have been C) were D) will be

18. Hīs verbīs commōtī, amīcī ad apodytērium currunt. │ A) disturbing B) to disturb C) having been disturbed D) about to disturb

19. “Ēheu! Nostra vestīmenta ā fūribus surrepta sunt!” │ A) have been stolen B) had been stolen C) are being stolen D) will be stolen

20. Ob Marcī neglegentiam, amīcī vehementius clāmant. │ A) violently B) rather violently C) most violently D) as violently as possible

Level 3; indefinites [20]: practice

The answers are at the end of the post.

[1] Complete the English with the appropriate indefinites below.

[i] Aliquis mihi litterās scrīpsit. Quīcumque eās scrīpsit, ille auctor bonus est. │ Somebody wrote me a letter. Whoever wrote it, he’s a good author.

[ii] Dēbēs aliquid nōbīs facere. │ You must do __________ for us.

[iii] Rogābimus quendam, quī hīc erat. │ We’ll ask __________ who was here.

[iv] Quidcumque, quod noxae est, interficere possumus. │ __________ that is harmful, we can kill.

[v] Quidque terret meum amīcum. │ __________ terrifies my friend.

[vi] Ab aliquō territus est meus amīcus. │ My friend was frightened __________.

[vii] Cuique est aliquis, quī eum amat. │ __________ has __________, who loves him.

[viii] Quidquam nōn poterāmus cernere. │ We couldn’t decide __________.

a certain person / man; anything; by something; each one (literally: to each one); each thing; somebody / someone (x2); something; whatever (thing); whoever

[2] Complete the Latin with the appropriate indefinite below.

[i] (1) Someone sees (2) someone │ (1) __________ (2) __________ videt

[ii] (1) Something was seen (2) by someone │ (1) __________ (2) ab __________ vidēbātur

[iii] I hardly saw anything │ Vix __________ vīdī

[iv] (1) Each one / person believed (2) [+ dative] someone │ (1) __________ (2) __________ crēdidit

[v] She loves each thing! │ __________ amat!

[vi] Whoever comes today, will be happy │ __________ hodiē advenit, fēlīx erit.

[vii] A certain (woman) is unhappy │ __________ misera est.

[viii] Whatever it is, tell me quickly │ __________ est, ēloquere mihi cito.

alicui; aliquem; aliquid; aliquis; aliquō; quaedam; quīcumque; quidquam; quidque; quidquid; quisque

[1]

[i] Somebody wrote me a letter. Whoever wrote it, he’s a good author.

[ii] You must do something for us.

[iii] We’ll ask a certain person / man who was here.

[iv] Whatever (thing) that is harmful, we can kill.

[v] Each thing terrifies my friend.

[vi] My friend was frightened by something.

[vii] Each one has someone, who loves him.

[viii] We couldn’t decide anything.

[2]

[i] (1) Aliquis (2) aliquem videt.

[ii] (1) Aliquid (2) ab aliquō vidēbātur.

[iii] Vix quidquam vīdī.

[iv] (1) Quisque (2) alicui crēdidit.

[v] Quidque amat!

[vi] Quīcumque hodiē advenit, fēlīx erit.

[vii] Quaedam misera est.

[viii] Quidquid est, ēloquere mihi cito.

Level 3; the best sauce

Dionȳsius tyrannus, epulātus apud Lacedaemoniōs dīxit, "Equidem iūre hōc nigrō minimē dēlector." Nam apud mēnsās pūblicās Spartae iūs nigrum, pānem, frūctūs comedunt; lac et aqua bibitur. Tum coquus respondit, "Minimē mīrum est: condīmenta enim dēsunt. Haec autem condīmenta sunt labōrēs, cursūs, famēs, sītis. Sine hīs nēmō hōc iūre dēlectārī potest."

dēsum, dēesse, defuī, dēfutūrus: be lacking / wanting

Impersonal use: Dominus pāscit mē et nihil mihi dēerit │ The Lord is my shepherd and I shall want nothing [literally: the Lord feeds / nourishes me (as a shepherd) and nothing will be lacking for me.

epulor, -āri, -ātus sum [1]: feast; dine; eat > epulātus │ having dined (deponent verb: passive in form but active in meaning)

equidem: [i] truly; indeed; certainly [ii] (when referring to oneself) for my part; as far as I am concerned; for me

iūs, iūris [3/n] this noun has two entirely separate meanings: [i] law; (legal) right [ii] (here) soup; juice; gravy; bear in mind that the Romans talk far more about law than they do about soup!

sitis, -is [3/f] (singular only): thirst; one of a small group of 3^rd declension i-stem nouns that has an accusative in -im  

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/140625-level-3-sonnenschein-cunobelinus.html

Note [2](ii)]

____________________

The tyrant Dionysius, having dined with the Lacedaemonians, said, ‘I, for my part, am not at all pleased with this black soup.’ For at the public tables at Sparta they eat black soup, bread, (and) fruit; milk and water are drunk. Then the cook replied: ‘It is not at all surprising, for the sauces are missing. Now these sauces are toil, running, hunger, (and) thirst. Without these no one can be pleased with this soup.’

Level 3; practical philosophy

Iuvenis quīdam diū apud Zēnōnem philosophum vīxerat. Domum tandem rediit. Tum pater eum percontātur hīs verbīs: "Quid didicistī, mī fīlī?" Contrā fīlius, "Hoc tibi, pater, mōribus meīs mōnstrābō." Hoc respōnsum aegerrimē ferēns, pater, eum flagrīs lacerāvit. Inquit fīlius, "īram patris ferre didicī."

aeger, aegra, -um: [i] sick; ill [ii] difficult; reluctant > aegrē (adv.) painfully (i.e. emotionally rather than physically) > aegerrimē (superlative adverb): hoc respōnsum aegerrimē ferēns │ taking this reply very badly

flagrum, -ī [2/m]: whip; lash

lacerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1] tear to pieces; mutilate; Engl. deriv. laceration; in this context ‘lash’ would convey the idea more appropriately

percontor, -ārī, -ātus sum [1/deponent]: inquire; investigate; interrogate; question strictly

____________________

A certain youth had lived for a long time at the house of the philosopher Zeno. Finally he returned home. Then his father questions him with these words  ‘What have you learned, my son?’ The son (said) in reply, ‘I shall show you this by my conduct, father.’ Taking this reply very badly the father lashed him with whips. The son said, ‘I have learned (how) to bear a father’s anger.’

Level 3; indefinites [19] reduplication

Reduplication: this is a general grammatical term to describe a process whereby a word, or part of a word, is repeated either exactly or with some spelling change; in English we see examples of this in “bye-bye” [exact reduplication], “flip-flop” [vowel change], and “helter-skelter” [rhyming]. English does not use reduplication in grammatical constructions except in emphasis e.g. “I would never ever do that”.

In Latin reduplication occurs, albeit in a limited way:

[i] with some verbs

canō (I sing) > cecinī (I sang)

crēdō (I believe) > credidī (I believed)

currō (I fall) > cucurrī (I fell)

discō

dō (I give) > dedī (I gave)

fallō (I deceive) > fefellī (I deceived)

tangō (I touch) > tetigī (I touched)

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Latin_reduplicative_verbs

[ii] certain pronouns to create emphasis, the first two being rare:

mēmē: myself

tētē: yourself

sēsē: him / her / itself / themselves

[iii] Full or partial reduplication also occurs in creating certain indefinites:

quisquis; quidquid / quicquid: whoever; whatever

Since the word is a repetition, both parts decline, but, in practice, only the nominative forms are commonly found as well as:

quōquō: to wherever / to whatever place

quotquot: however many

Look out for: quamquam, a reduplicated form like quisquis and quicquid which, possibly, originally had an indefinite idea but specifically means although and is a conjunction, not an indefinite

Purely out of interest: 7000 miles from Rome, another language does exactly the same …

Malay: siapa (who) > siapa-siapa (whoever); La: quisquis

Malay: apa (what) > apa-apa (whatever); La: quidquid / quicquid

Malay: ke mana (to where) > ke mana-mana (to wherever); La: quōquō

Malay takes it much further, but the same indefinite idea is conveyed:

jalan (go; walk) > jalan-jalan (walk about)

The language can also reduplicate words in the same way as the Latin verbs in [i] above:

berapa (how much) > beberapa (several)

Sanskrit is an Indo-European language that uses reduplication, and the language did influence Malay in terms of vocabulary e.g. raja (king), istana (palace). However, Malay is an Austronesian language and reduplication was a feature long before any contact with Sanskrit. Therefore, it appears coincidental that Latin and Malay – from completely different language groups – share the same features with the same underlying purposes and ideas.

Examples:

Quisquis es, quidquid tibi nōmen est, senex, summum Iovem deōsque dō testēs (Plautus) │ Whoever you are, whatever your name is, old gentleman, I call Heaven and God on high to witness

pūrās sibi esse volt aedis: domī quidquid habet, ēicitur (Plautus) │ He wants his house to be pure: whatever he has at home is thrown out

Hoc quidem hercle, quōquō ībō, mēcum erit (Plautus) │ This, indeed, by Hercules, wherever I will go, will be with me

Quia certum est mihi, quasi umbra, quōquō tū ībis, tē semper sequī (Plautus) │ Because I have made up my mind always to follow you, like a shadow, wherever you go.

Quotquot autem recēpērunt eum dedit eīs potestātem (Vulgate) │ but as many as / however many received him, he gave them power …

From: Lux Optata Claruit (13^th century)

Quicquid fuit mysticum testāmentō veterī │ Whatever was mystical (mysterious; symbolic) in the Old Testament

Quicquid fuit typicum Moysēs et cēterī │ Whatever was typical (about) Moses and the rest of them

Two indefinites in the same sentence:

illīs perit quidquid datur, neque ipsīs appāret quicquam (Plautus) │ Whatever is given to them is lost, and they themselves don’t have anything to show for it [ = nor does anything appear to them themselves]

Level 3; indefinites [18] -vīs; -libet

[1] -vīs; -libet (-lubet); these two are easy to spot because there are English equivalents which, like the Latin, have the same meaning

Consider English: Do whatever you want, do whatever you like, do whatever you please etc. They all mean the same thing: it’s up to you what you do. Both quīvīs and quīlibet convey that idea i.e. whoever / whatever (you please); nomatter who / what

[i] quīvīs, quaevīs, quidvīs / quodvīs i.e. from vīs (you want)

Etenim ille, cuius hūc iussū veniō, Iuppiter nōn minus quam vostrum quīvīs formīdat malum (Plautus) │ For, in fact, this Jupiter, by whose command I am come, dreads a mishap not less than any one of you.

Pater, adsum, imperā quidvīs (Plautus) │ Here I am, father, command (me) as you please [whatever (thing) you want]

Eō modō quodvīs genus arborum facere poteris … (Cato) │ In this way you will be able to make any variety of trees …

Look out for: quamvīs [i] as much as you like; however much [ii] although

[ii] quīlibet, quaelibet, quidlibet / quodlibet i.e. from libet (it pleases)

Quīlibet nautārum vectōrumque tranquillō marī gubernāre potest (Livy) │ Anyone of the sailors and (of) the passengers can steer a ship on a quiet sea

Examples [i] -vīs

dīcere hīc quidvīs licet (Plautus) │ Now one can talk freely [ = say whatever one wants]

Tibi optiōnem sūmitō Leōnidam, fabricāre quidvīs, quidvīs comminīscere (Plautus) │ Take Leonida as your helper, make up / devise something [anything you want], contrive something

Pīnus⁠ eō, quia⁠ sēmen viride et mātūrum habet (id sēmen dē cupressō, dē pīnō quidvīs annī legere possīs), item quidvīs annī mātūra est et tempestīva (Cato) │ The pine, because it has both green and ripe seed (such seed may be gathered from the cypress and the pine at any season) is ripe and ready at any season [i.e. at any time you want]

certō sciō oppidum quodvīs, sī dētur, posse expugnārī dolīs (Plautus) │ I know for sure that any town, if it’s given to us, can be captured by our tricks (trickery / deceit)

ō Cupīdō, quantus es. nam tū quemvīs cōnfīdentem facile tuīs factīs facis (Plautus) │ O Cupid, how great you are! For with your actions you easily embolden whomever you want

Examples [ii]: -libet

Abeāmus igitur inde quālibet nāvigātiōne (Cicero) │ (The translator conveys it well) So let me depart on any kind of voyage

sī … quaelibet dēnique vel minima rēs reperiētur (Cicero) │ if, in short, any, even the least thing is found

Fīat in Hispāniā quidlibet (Cicero) │ Literally: Let whatever happen in Spain = Whatever happens in Spain, so be it.

et quī tangit rēptile et quodlibet inmundum cuius tāctus est sordidus … (Vulgate) │ … and (he) who [whoever also expresses the idea] touches a crawling thing and anything unclean the touch of which is dirty …

Quōslibet ¦ ex hīs ¦ ēlige (Seneca) │ Choose whomever you want ¦ from these ones

Level 3; peace or war

Rōmānī lēgātōs Carthāginem mīsērunt. Hōrum ūnus, sinum vestis mōnstrāns, tālia dīxit: "Sunt mihi in hōc sinū pāx et bellum; utrum pācem an bellum māvultis?" Respondērunt Carthāginiēnsēs, "Utrumlibet accipiēmus." Tum dīxit Rōmānus, "Bellum dō vōbīs." Contrā Carthāginiēnsēs: "Lubenter bellum accipimus."

sinus, -ūs [4/m]: curve; fold; hollow

[1] utrum pācem an bellum māvultis? │ Do you prefer peace or war?

utrum … an …: introduces an alternative or double question e.g. Is it X or Y? Do you have A or B? In this type of question utrum is not translated into English.

LINK: 25.07.25: Level 3; pronominal adjectives [6](2); utrum … an …; double questions

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/04/250725-level-3-pronominal-adjectives-62.html

[2] Utrumlibet accipiēmus │ We will accept whichever (of the two) you please.

[i] LINK: 25.07.25: Level 3; pronominal adjectives [6]; uter, utra, utrum: which (of two); whichever / either

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/04/250725-level-3-pronominal-adjectives-6.html

[ii] uterlibet, utralibet, utrumlibet: whichever / either of the two you please

-libet and -vīs, which both have the same function, are discussed in the next post

____________________

The Romans sent ambassadors to Carthage. One of these, showing the fold of his dress, said as follows: ‘I have in this fold peace and war: do you prefer peace or war?’ The Carthaginians replied: ‘We will accept whichever you please.’ Then the Roman said, ‘I give you war.’ In reply, the Carthaginians (said), ‘We accept war willingly.’