[a] negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1] [i] deny; [ii] refuse
This verb is also used to create a negative statement [literally: say … not] for example:
He does not understand. │ Nōn intellegit.
> He says ¦ that he does not understand. │ Negat ¦ sē intellegere.
i.e. the concept of ‘not’ in the indirect statement is already contained in the verb negat; nōn is not required
Examples; sometimes ‘deny’ is an alternative translation:
Haec negat sē tuam esse mātrem. (Plautus)│ She denies that she is your mother = She says that she is not your mother.
Negāvī mē scīre (Cicero) │ I said that I did not know.
Hostēs negāvērunt sē arma dissimilia habēre. │The enemies denied that they had different weapons = the enemies said that they did not have different weapons.
Magister negāvit sē discipulum verberāvisse. │ The teacher denied that he had beaten the pupil = the teacher said that he had not beaten the pupil.
Negāvit sē mihi pecūniam dedisse. │ He denied that he had given me the money = he said that he had not given me the money.
Nōn it, negat sē itūram [esse]* (Plautus) │ She’s not going, she says that she will not go.
*Note the omission of esse; this is a feature to look out for in original literature.
Marītus negāvit sē Rōmae mānsūrum esse. │ The husband said that he would not stay at Rome.
[b]
Look at the following English example and the different ways in which the same idea can be expressed:
[i] He said that he hadn’t ever [not + ever] seen a more faithful servant than her.
[ii] He said that he had never seen a more faithful servant than her.
Latin conveys the idea using the equivalent of [i] above:
quicquam / quidquam: anything
quisquam: anybody
ūllus, -a, -um: any
umquam: ever
usquam: anywhere
By using negō, -āre, which already contains the idea of ‘not’, those pronouns and adverbs become negative i.e. in translation they change to nothing, nobody, no (not any), never, nowhere.
Examples:
Negat ¦ sē umquam in Ītaliā fuisse │ He denies that he has ever been in Italy = He says that he has not ever been in Italy = he says that he has never been in Italy.
Negāvit sē umquam vīdisse servam fidēliōrem quam hanc. │ He denied that he had ever seen = He said that he had not ever seen = he said that he had never seen ¦ a more faithful servant than her.
Negāvit umquam sē bibisse iūcundius. (Cicero) │ He said that he had not ever drunk = he said that he had never drunk ¦ (anything) more pleasant.
Negāvit quemquam esse in cīvitāte praeter sē quī id efficere posset (Cicero) │ He said that there was not anybody = he said that there was nobody ¦ in the city apart from himself who could carry it out.
Negat quicquam esse … efficācius (Seneca) │ He says that there is not anything more effective = he says that there is nothing more effective.
Negat ūllum esse tempus … (Cicero) │ He says that there is not any time = he says that there is no time …
Negō usquam umquam fuisse maiōrēs (Cicero) │ I say that there never was a time or place where they had more = Literally: I say that there was not ever (and) not anywhere, where they had more.
Exercise: complete the Latin with the words listed below.
[1] He says that he did not do this. │ Hoc sē __________ negat.
[2] [i] I say that [ii] he has not done this. │ [i] __________ [ii] __________ hoc fēcisse.
[3] He says that [i] he (referring to himself) is not [ii] ready. │ [i] __________ [ii] __________ esse negat.
[4] He says he has done nothing. │ Negat sē __________ fēcisse.
[5] He said that he would [i] never [ii] do this. │ Sē hoc [i] __________ [ii] __________ negāvit.
[6] He says that it was not by this man that your brother [i] was [ii] killed. │ Ab hōc homine [ii] __________ [i] __________ frātrem tuum negat.
[7] [i] He denies that Caesar [ii] has been in Gaul. │[i] __________ Caesarem in Galliā [ii] __________.
[8] He said that Caesar had not been in Gaul. │ __________ Caesarem in Galliā fuisse.
[9] [i] We deny that [ii] we [iii] have received a benefit. │ [i] __________ [ii] __________ beneficium [iii] __________ (Seneca)
[10] He denies that he has [i] ever [iii] seen such wonders [ii] anywhere. │ Negat sē [i] __________ [ii] __________ tanta mīra [iii] __________. (Plautus: adapted)
[11] The Carthaginians [i] said that they would not [ii] accept unfair terms of peace. │ Carthāginiēnsēs [i] __________ sē inīquās condiciōnēs pācis [ii] __________ esse.
[12] They denied that they had heard about the arrival of the king. │ Negāvērunt sē dē rēgis adventū __________.
[13] [i] Surely you don’t [ii] deny that [iii] you [iv] did not know these things? │ [i] __________ [ii] __________ [iii] __________ haec [iv] __________?
negāmus; negās; negat; negāvērunt; negāvit; negō
eum; nōs; sē; tē
accēpisse; acceptūrōs; audīvisse; esse; factūrum; fēcisse; fuisse; interfectum; parātum; scīvisse; vīdisse
num; quidquam; umquam; umquam; usquam
____________________
[1] Hoc sē fēcisse negat.
[2] [i] Negō [ii] eum hoc fēcisse.
[3] [i] Sē [ii] parātum esse negat.
[4] Negat sē quidquam fēcisse.
[5] Sē hoc [i] umquam [ii] factūrum negāvit.
[6] Ab hōc homine [ii] interfectum [i] esse frātrem tuum negat.
[7] [i] Negat Caesarem in Galliā [ii] fuisse.
[8] Negāvit Caesarem in Galliā fuisse.
[9] [i] Negāmus [ii] nōs beneficium [iii] accēpisse (Seneca)
[10] Negat sē [i] umquam [ii] usquam tanta mīra [iii] vīdisse.
[11] Carthāginiēnsēs [i] negāvērunt sē inīquās condiciōnēs pācis [ii] acceptūrōs esse.
[12] Negāvērunt sē dē rēgis adventū audīvisse.
[13] [i] Num [ii] negās [iii] tē haec [iv] scīvisse?
