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Latin grammar Part of Chapter 10

CEFR B1-B2

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Test yourself (12 questions)

Latin Passive Periphrastic: Carthago delenda est

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

A gerundive plus a form of means must: something has to be done. The gerundive agrees with the subject, sets the tense, and the person who has to do it goes in the dative. Grammars call it the passive periphrastic.

dativegerundive: agrees with the subjectsum: sets the tenseWhat do the colours mean?
SaysLatinEnglish
must .The book must be read.
I have to .I have to read the book.
had to .The city had to be taken.
we must pugnandum .We must fight.

Quick check

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

Spot the mistake

0/3

One word is wrong. Tap it.

Gerundive plus sum

masculinefeminineneuterpluralWhat do the colours mean?

The gerundive is an adjective, so it takes the gender, number and case of its subject, like :

SubjectLatinEnglish
masculine .The book must be read.
feminine .The city must be taken.
neuter .War must be waged.
plural .The soldiers must be sent.

Carthago delenda , Carthage must be destroyed, is the same pattern: delenda is feminine to agree with Carthago.

The tense is in sum

sum: sets the tenseWhat do the colours mean?

The gerundive never changes for time. Change , and the obligation moves:

  • urbs capienda erat (had to be taken)

  • urbs capienda est (must be taken)

  • urbs capienda erit (will have to be taken)

Timeline from past to future, with now marked.

LatinEnglish
.The city had to be taken.
.The city must be taken.
.The city will have to be taken.

Who has to: the dative

dativeWhat do the colours mean?

An ordinary passive names its doer with or . The gerundive of obligation uses a plain dative instead:

WhoLatinEnglish
I .I have to read the book.
the soldiers .The soldiers had to take the city.
we .We must make peace.

Translate it actively. The book must be read by me is right and sounds like a legal notice.

When another dative is already in the sentence, Latin falls back on so that nobody mixes them up. Consulo (look after) takes a dative, so:

  • consulendum . - You must look after the citizens.

No object: the impersonal form

neuterWhat do the colours mean?

A verb with no object has nothing to agree with, so the gerundive goes impersonal: neuter singular, with and a dative for whoever has to act.

WhoLatinEnglish
I .I must write.
we pugnandum .We must fight.
the soldiers .The soldiers had to go.

Horace gives the impersonal form its most quoted outing, with left out:

desperandum Teucro auspice Teucro.

With Teucer as our leader and under Teucer's auspices, there is no call for despair. (Horace, Odes 1.7.27)

Carthago delenda est: what Cato said

Cato the Elder is said to have ended every speech in the senate demanding the destruction of Carthage. Pliny the Elder (Natural History, NH) and Florus both report it in indirect statement, an accusative with an infinitive:

SourceLatin
Pliny, NH 15.74Carthaginem delendam
Florus, Epitome 1.31delendam Carthaginem

The neat nominative Carthago delenda is the shape the phrase has taken in modern quotation. The grammar underneath is the same.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
who has to is in the dative
. .agrees with : feminine
eunda . .no object: neuter
: readingto be readthe gerundive is passive
: musthad tothe tense is in

What to do next

  1. Say three things you must do today with ... .
  2. Put each one into the past with .
  3. Then go back to gerunds and gerundives for the gerundive's other jobs, and on to the passive voice for the ordinary passive with .

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/3

Build the gerundive so it agrees with the subject.

  1. liber ___ est (lego: the book must be read)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. urbs ___ est (capio: the city must be taken)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. milites ___ sunt (mitto: the soldiers must be sent)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Complete the story

0/3

Choose the form for each gap. The English: The leader said: The city must be taken. You must fight. A bridge must be built.

Before the battle

Dux dixit: Urbs est. Vobis est. Pons est.

Gap 1 of 3

Spot the mistake

0/3

One word is wrong. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the English.

  1. Mihi liber legendus est.

  2. Urbs capienda erat.

  3. Militibus eundum erit.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the passive periphrastic in Latin?
The gerundive with a form of , meaning something must be done. is the book must be read; is the city had to be taken. The gerundive agrees with the subject in gender, number and case, and the tense comes from .
Why is the agent in the dative with a gerundive?
Because this is the construction where a plain dative, not and the ablative, normally names the person who has to act. is literally the book is to be read for me, which English says as I have to read the book. Latin switches to only when another dative in the sentence would make it unclear who is who.
How do you say I must in Latin with the gerundive?
Put yourself in the dative and the gerundive with : , I must write; , I have to read the book. For we, use : pugnandum , we must fight. with an infinitive ( ) is the other way, closer to I ought to.
What does Carthago delenda mean, and did Cato say it?
Carthage must be destroyed. The Latin sources report Cato the Elder's demand in indirect statement, an accusative and infinitive: Carthaginem delendam in Pliny the Elder (Natural History 15.74), delendam Carthaginem in Florus (Epitome 1.31). The neat nominative sentence is the form the phrase has taken in modern quotation. The grammar is the same either way.
What does desperandum mean?
There must be no despairing at all, or never despair. It is the impersonal gerundive of despero with (not at all) and left out, from Horace, Odes 1.7.27: desperandum Teucro auspice Teucro, with Teucer as our leader and under Teucer's auspices, there is no call for despair.