Monday, April 6, 2026

Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [2] emotional states [i]

[i]

pudet: it shames

miseret: it moves to pity

paenitet: it causes regret

taedet: it wearies

piget: it disgusts; it annoys

[ii] The person who experiences these states becomes the object of the impersonal verb, but the impersonal construction in Latin will most often change to a personal construction in English:

pudet:  it shames

 pudet │  literally: it shames me / it causes me shame

  • I am ashamed

miseret: it moves to pity

 miseret │ literally: it moves me to pity

  • I feel pity / compassion

paenitet: it causes regret

taedet:  it wearies

taedet ipsum Pompēium vehementerque paenitet (Cicero)

  • Pompey himself is weary of it and deeply regrets it.

piget, -ēre | it disgusts; it annoys

simul  piget (Plautus)

  • At the same time it irks me.

[iii]  With these impersonal verbs (1) the person affected is in the accusative case:

(2) the cause of that emotional state is in the genitive case:

(1)  [accusative] (2) huius factī [genitive] paenitet

[literally: it causes me regret of this deed]

  • I regret (2) this deed.

(1)  [accusative] piget (2) ignāviae tuae [genitive]

  • (1) I am disgusted (2) by your laziness.

(1)  [accusative] cīvitātis mōrum [genitive] piget taedetque (Cicero)

  • (1) I am sick and tired (2) of the ways of the state.

Crasse, (1) pudet mē [accusative] tuī [genitive] (Cicero)

  • Crassus, (1) I am ashamed (2) of you.

(2) vestrī [genitive] (1)  [accusative] pudet miseretque (Tacitus)

  • (2) For you (1) I feel shame and compassion.