Lesson 30: Deponent Verbs
Looking up a few verbs (actually almost 1/3 of Latin verbs) in your dictionary you notice they do not look like our regular verbs:
| hortor, hortari | to exhort | Group 1
|
| fateor, fateri | to confess | Group 2
|
| loquor, loqui | to speak | Group 3
|
| largior, largiri | to give (generously) | Group 4
|
These are Verbum Deponens, meaning:
- the verb does not have an active form - it always looks and acts passive in its form
- the verb does not have passive meanings - it's always active in its meaning
* Thus these verbs are used by making the passive form (for all six verb times), but they will have active meanings:
- hortor (T.1) = I exhort (not passive: I am being exhorted)
- locutus est (T.4) = he has spoken (not passive: it was spoken)
- largemur (T.3) = we will give (not passive: we will be given)
Now go on to do Homework 34-35
N.B.
- Besides obviously looking passive, Deponent Verbs will often be marked in your dictionary by "V. Dep." or just "Dep."
- How can I know a verb is deponent when I'm reading in Latin? 1. know the dictionary, 2. if the verb appears with an accusative noun (object), it must be deponent, since passive verbs don't have direct objects
First Experience Latin - Fr. Reginald Foster
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