Ch 8 · Lesson 10Latin · Chapter 8 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
Se or eum, and infinitives that report nothing
, the king says he himself is coming; , someone else. Then the infinitives that report nothing: , errare .
The short version
.
Why?Hide
In reported speech, points back to the subject of the main verb, and (or , ) to anyone else. English he says he is coming leaves you guessing; Latin does not. has no gender and no separate plural, so a participle beside it shows who: , the girl said she would come.
se or eum: who is coming?
When the reported subject is the same person as the main subject, Latin uses . Someone else is (or , ):
| Who | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
| the king | . | The king says that he (the king) is coming. |
| another | . | The king says that he (another man) is coming. |
English he says he is coming leaves you guessing. Latin settles it.
has no gender and no separate plural, so it means she and they too. A participle beside it shows who:
.- The girl said that she would come..- The soldiers said that they had taken the city.
Catullus uses it for a promise he does not trust:
nubere .- My woman says she would rather marry nobody than me. (Catullus 70.1-2)
Infinitives that report nothing
Not every infinitive reports a statement. Two common uses take no accusative subject:
| Use | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
| completing a verb | . | I can come. |
| completing a verb | . | The king wants to stay. |
| a noun (the subject) | Errare . | To err is human. |
, and , like can, want and ought, take a plain infinitive with the same subject. In errare (a proverb) the infinitive is the subject itself, which is why is neuter.
sits in between: , he orders the soldiers to come. That is an order, not a statement, and English keeps its to.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
. | . | the reported subject is accusative |
| | its adjective is accusative too |
| | the present infinitive is the same time |
duceri | | 3rd conjugation passive: a bare -i |
| | the main subject is |
Going further: The six infinitives and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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