PARTICIPLES

A participle is a form of a verb which acts as an adjective (or noun).

It agrees with its noun in number, gender and case!

There are four types of participles to learn:

  • Present Active Participle

  • Future Active Participle

  • Perfect Passive Participle

  • Future Passive Participle

PRESENT ACTIVE PARTICIPLE:

The present active participle describes an action/state that happens at the same time as the action/state of the main verb.

It is often translated as ‘—ing’. E.g. ‘The loving girl’. It can also be translated as a relative clause - e.g. ‘the girl who is loving’ (amans puella)

To form the present active participle, remove the -re from the present infinitive and add -ns. (3rd/4th conjugation add an -i-, 4th conjugation add an -e-.

(1st) amo, amare, amavi, amatus = amans

(2nd) deleo, delere, delevi, deletus = delens

(3rd) emo, emere, emi, emptus = emens

(3rd/4th) capio, capere, cepi, captum = capiens

(4th) audio, audire, audivi, auditus = audiens

The stem of a present active participle ends -nt- and has the same endings as 3rd declension adjectives:

*The ablative becomes amanti if it is used only as an adjective.

** The masc/fem nominative and accusative plurals can end -is as well as -es.

FUTURE ACTIVE PARTICIPLE:

A future participle describes an action/state which will happen after the action/state of the main verb

A future active participle is translated as ‘about to ——’ or ‘going to —-’

E.g. femina dictura virum vidit = The woman, about to speak, saw her husband.

It is formed by removing -um from the 4th principal part (Perfect passive participle) and adding -urus.

E.g. amo, amare, amavi, amatus —> amaturus

They decline like 1st and 2nd declension adjectives like bonus, -a, -um (E.g. amaturus, amatura, amaturum)

PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE:

A perfect passive participle describes an action/state that happens before the action/state of the main verb.

It is often translated as ‘having been ——’ or ‘after being ——’.

E.g. puer vocata cucurrit =

  • ‘the boy, having been called, ran’

  • ‘After being called, the boy ran’

  • ‘When he had been called, the boy ran’

  • The boy, who had been called, ran’

It is formed by taking the fourth principal part of a verb (perfect passive participle) and adding its endings.

E.g. audio, audire, audivi, auditus —> auditus, audita, auditum

They decline like 1st and 2nd declension adjectives like bonus, -a, -um.

FUTURE PASSIVE PARTICIPLE:

The future passive participle is translated as ‘about to be ——’ or ‘going to be —-’.

It’s most common usage is a gerundive - go to the gramma section on gerundives for more detail!

It is formed by removing -ns from the end of a present participle and adding -ndus.

E.g. deleo, delere, delevi, deletus —> delens —> delendus

They decline like 1st and 2nd declension adjectives like bonus, -a, -um (e.g. delendus, delenda, delendum)

USES OF PARTICIPLES:

  • As adjectives - as seen in the various examples on this page

  • Gerundives with the future passive participle (see the grammar section on this)

  • Ablative Absolutes (see the grammar section on this)