Dictionary formoportet, oportere, oportuit
Translation
it is necessary, one ought, it is proper
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Examples
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We must go at once.
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A king ought to be just.
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You ought to have done this.
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I do not know what one ought to do.
Rogavit .
He asked what one ought to say.
Oportet is impersonal and has no personal forms at all: the whole verb is oportet, oportebat, oportuit, oporteat, oporteret and the infinitive oportere. There is no "I ought" built from it.
The construction is an accusative with an infinitive, me ire oportet, "I ought to go", or a bare subjunctive with no ut. Latin has three ways of saying must and keeps them apart. Debeo is a personal obligation you owe to someone. Necesse est is unavoidable necessity, the thing that simply must happen. Oportet is what is fitting and proper, closer to "it behoves" than to "it is required", and English has no clean single word for it, which is why older translations reach for that ridiculous verb.
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oportet: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "oportet" (it is necessary, one ought, it is proper): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 4, lesson 1: oportet, cura, reliquus and 6 more words.