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Latin grammar Part of Chapter 10

CEFR B1-B2

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Latin Gerunds and Gerundives: ars amandi, delenda est

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

Latin builds two things on one stem, the present stem plus -nd-. The gerund is a verbal noun, the English -ing. The gerundive is a verbal adjective that agrees with a noun and means to be done. One question tells them apart: does it agree with a noun?

gerund: a noungerundive: agrees with a nounWhat do the colours mean?
GerundGerundive
It isa noun: -ingan adjective: to be done
Its formsneuter singular, 4 casesevery gender, number and case
Voiceactive: lovingpassive: to be loved
Example : the art of loving : a book to be read
With a verb : for readingCarthago delenda : it must be destroyed

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

One -nd- word has the wrong ending. Tap it.

The -nd- stem

the -nd- signWhat do the colours mean?

Take the present stem and add -nd-. Third and fourth conjugation slip in an -e- first, exactly as they do for the present participle ().

ConjugationVerb-nd- stem
1stamand-
2ndvidend-
3rdducend-
3rd -iocapiend-
4thaudiend-

Inscriptions and writers aiming for an old-fashioned tone sometimes spell it -und-: faciundum is .

The gerund takes neuter singular endings on that stem. The gerundive takes the endings of , , . So can be either, and only the sentence decides.

The gerund: a verbal noun

genitivedativeaccusativeablativeWhat do the colours mean?

English turns a verb into a noun with -ing: the art of writing, by reading. Latin uses the gerund, but only in four cases:

CaseGerundExample
genitive : the art of loving
dativerare: .
accusative : for reading
ablative: by reading

The dative is the rare one. (they were present at the writing) is the formula at the foot of a Roman senate decree, naming the witnesses.

There is no nominative, because the infinitive already does that job:

  • Errare . - To err is human.

So English reading is useful is an infinitive in Latin. The gerund only appears when the -ing word is in another case.

What the gerund does

UseLatinEnglish
with a noun the hope of winning
with for the sake of seeing
purpose pugnandumfor fighting, to fight
means by reading and writing
while while reading

(for the sake of) normally follows its genitive: .

The gerundive: a verbal adjective

masculinefeminineneutergerundive: agrees with a nounWhat do the colours mean?

The gerundive declines like and agrees with its noun in gender, number and case. Its meaning is passive and looks ahead: to be read, needing to be done.

LatinEnglish
a book to be read
a thing to be done
words to be heard

English still uses a handful of them: an is things to be done, a a thing to be remembered.

Keep it apart from the present participle in -ns, which is active and happening now:

LatinEnglish
a loving man
a man to be loved

With sum: must

Add a form of and the gerundive says something has to be done. The person who has to do it goes in the dative:

  • Carthago delenda . - Carthage must be destroyed.
  • . - I have to read the book.

This is the passive periphrastic, and it has its own page.

Gerundive attraction

accusativegenitiveablativeWhat do the colours mean?

A gerund is a noun, so in principle it can take an object (the first column, rare in practice). After a preposition Latin almost never lets it. In the genitive and ablative it sometimes does, but the usual choice is to make the object the noun and turn the gerund into a gerundive agreeing with it, in the same case.

Gerund + objectWhat Latin writesEnglish
to capture the city
to take the city
in waging war

The meaning does not change, and it stays active. looks passive, but read it as to capture the city, not to the city to be captured:

  • . - They sent envoys to ask for peace.

Gerund or gerundive?

StepAskIf yes
1Does it agree with a noun?gerundive
2Is a form of beside it?must: who has to is in the dative
3Is it inside , or before ?purpose: translate actively
4Neuter, alone, no noun to match?gerund: an -ing word

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
: readingto be readthe gerundive is passive
: lovingto be loved is loving
to capture the citynot to the city to be taken
takes the accusative
the gerund agrees with nothing

What to do next

  1. Learn the four gerund cases from to .
  2. Read every -nd- word by asking whether it agrees with a noun.
  3. Then go on to the passive periphrastic, the gerundive with , and back to participles for against .

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/4

Build the -nd- form from its pieces.

  1. of loving (amo, gerund, genitive)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. for reading: ad ___ (lego, gerund)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. by hearing (audio, gerund, ablative)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. a book to be read: liber ___ (lego, gerundive)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/8

Is the -nd- word a gerund (a noun on its own) or a gerundive (agreeing with a noun)?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/3

One -nd- word has the wrong ending. Tap it.

Matching

0/5

Match the Latin to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a gerund and a gerundive in Latin?
The gerund is a noun and the gerundive is an adjective. A gerund is neuter singular and agrees with nothing: , of loving; , by reading. A gerundive declines like in all three genders and agrees with a noun: , a book to be read; , a thing to be done. The gerund is active in sense, the gerundive passive.
How do you form the Latin gerund and gerundive?
Take the present stem and add -nd-. First and second conjugation give and ; third and fourth put an -e- in first, giving , and . The gerund uses the neuter singular endings of the same stem: , , , . An older spelling in -undus (faciundum) turns up in inscriptions and archaic writers.
Why does the Latin gerund have no nominative?
Because the infinitive already does that job. Where English says reading is useful, Latin uses the infinitive as the subject: errare , to err is human. The gerund takes over only in the other cases: of reading (), for reading ( ), by reading ().
What is gerundive attraction?
Where you would expect a gerund with an object, Latin normally makes the object the noun and turns the gerund into a gerundive agreeing with it. So for capturing the city is rather than , and for the sake of taking the city is . The meaning stays active: translate it as to capture the city, never the city to be captured.
What does Carthago delenda mean?
Carthage must be destroyed. Delenda is the gerundive of deleo, feminine to agree with Carthago, and makes it a statement of obligation. This gerundive with is called the passive periphrastic, and the person who has to do the thing goes in the dative: , I have to read the book. It has its own page.