CHAPTER 34
"Deponent Verbs; Ablative with Special Deponents"
DEPONENT VERBS
There are many verbs in Latin which have almost no active forms but which nevertheless must be translated as if
they were active. These verbs are called deponent, from "de + pono," because they have "set aside"
their active forms. In short, a deponent verb is a verb which is passive in form but passive in meaning.
There is a tendency for beginning students of Latin to assume that a deponent verb is so thoroughly exceptional that
nothing they have learned about Latin verbs applies. This is a mistake. Deponent verbs are unusual only in this
respect: they drop most of their active forms, and its passive forms must be translated as if they were active. Aside
from this, deponent verbs follow the rules of inflection and conjugation to the letter.
Imagine that the verb "laudo" had only passive forms. What would the dictionary entry look like? The first
dictionary entry of any verb is always the first person singular, present indicative. If "laudo" had no
active forms, then the first entry would be passive instead of active: "laudor" instead of "laudo."
The second entry of any verb is the present infinitive from which you deduce the conjugation of the verb by dropping
the infinitive ending. If "laudo" had no active forms, the present infinitive would be passive:
"laudari" instead of "laudare." Although you're working only with passive forms, by dropping the
ending infinitive ending "-ri," you could still tell that verb belongs to the first conjugation.
The third entry of any verb is the third principal part, from which is derived the perfect system active. But
because we're imagining that "laudo" has only passive forms, there would be no third principal part listed.
The third principal part is used to produce the perfect system active, and there is no active voice for
"laudor."
The fourth entry of any verb is the fourth principal part, the perfect passive participle, which is used with the
verb "sum" to form the perfect system passive. Hence the fourth entry of the "laudo," if it had no
active forms, would still be "laudatus."
Taken together, then, the dictionary entry of "laudo" with its active forms removed would look like this:
laudor, laudari, -----, laudatus
Write out the dictionary entries for the paradigm verbs of the other conjugation without their active forms.
2. moneo ________________________________________
3. duco ________________________________________
3i. capio ________________________________________
4. audio ________________________________________
In each of these cases, you can still see to which conjugations each of these verbs belong even if they had no
active forms.
A deponent verb is a verb which in fact lacks most of its active forms, so the dictionary entry for it will have to
rely only on its passive forms. Here is the dictionary entry for the deponent verb "to urge."
"hortor, -ari, hortatus sum"
>From the first entry you can tell the verb is deponent because the dictionary is giving you the passive first
person singular instead of the active. The verb has no active voice. Looking at the second entry, you can tell that the
verb belongs to the first conjugation, because "-ari" is what the passive infinitive of a first conjugation
looks like. Therefore, the stem from which you'll build the present system of tenses is "horta-."
The third entry is the perfect passive participle with a conjugated form of the verb "sum." Instead of
listing a blank where the perfect active is normally listed in a non-deponent verb, the entry for a deponent verb skips
over it and goes directly to the participal and adds "sum" to show that this is the perfect system. But the
participle "hortatus" is entirely predictable, since first conjugation verbs form their perfect passive
participle by adding "-tus" to the stem of the first principal part -- in this case "horta-."
There are deponent verbs belonging to all four conjugations. Examine this list of deponent verbs and write down
their conjugation.
1. egredior, -i, egressus sum __________
2. sequor, -i, secutus sum __________
3. patior, -i, passus sum __________
4. experior, -iri, expertus sum __________
5. fateor, -eri, fassus sum __________
6. loquor, -i, locutus sum __________
7. utor, -i, usus sum __________
8. nascor, -i, natus sum __________
9. morior, -i, mortuus sum __________
10. proficiscor, -i, profectus sum __________
11. conor, -ari, conatus sum __________
12. arbitror, -ari, arbitratus sum __________
It is important not to forget that deponent verbs conjugate in ways that are entirely consistent with other verbs
of their conjugation. The only difference is that deponent verbs have "set aside" their active finite forms
and the remaining passive forms are translated as it they are active. Just to give you more confidence about this,
let's spend some time conjugating deponent verbs.
I. FIRST CONJUGATION DEPONENT VERB:
arbitror, -ari abritratus sum (to think)
A. PRESENT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd aribtraris _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st _______________ aribtrabimur _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ arbitrabamini
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
B. PRESENT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st arbitrer _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ arbitaretur
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
C. PERFECT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ arbitratus eris _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st arbitrati sumus _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ arbitrati erant
D. PERFECT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
1st arbitrati simus _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ arbitrati essent
E. PARTICIPLES
ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________ __________________
F. INFINITIVES
ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________
G. IMPERATIVES
SING. _______________
PLUR. _______________
II. SECOND CONJUGATION DEPONENT VERB:
fateor, -eri, fassus sum (to confess)
A. PRESENT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd fateris _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st _______________ fatebimur _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ fatebamini
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
B. PRESENT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st fatear _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ fateretur
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
C. PERFECT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ fassus eris _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st fassi sumus _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ fassi
erant
D. PERFECT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
1st fassi simus _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ fassi essent
E. PARTICIPLES ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________ __________________
F. INFINITIVES ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________
G. IMPERATIVES
SING. _______________
PLUR. _______________
III. THIRD CONJUGATION DEPONENT VERB:
utor, uti, usus sum (to use)
A. PRESENT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd uteris uteris _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st _______________ utemur _______________
2nd utimini _______________ utebamini
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
B. PRESENT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st utar _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ uteretur
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
C. PERFECT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ usus eris _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st usi sumus _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ usi erant
D. PERFECT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
1st usi simus _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ usi essent
E. PARTICIPLES ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________ __________________
F. INFINITIVES ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________
G. IMPERATIVES
SING. _______________
PLUR. _______________
IIIi. THIRD CONJUGATION I-STEM DEPONENT VERB:
patior, pati, passus sum (to endure, permit)
A. PRESENT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd pateris _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st _______________ patiemur _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ patiebamini
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
B. PRESENT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st patiar _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ pateretur
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
C. PERFECT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ passus eris _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st passi sumus _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ passi
erant
D. PERFECT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
1st passi simus _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ passi essent
E. PARTICIPLES ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________ ____________________
F. INFINITIVES
ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________
G. IMPERATIVES
SING. _______________
PLUR. _______________
IV. FOURTH CONJUGATION DEPONENT VERB:
experior, -iri, expertus (to try)
A. PRESENT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd experiris _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st _______________ experiemur _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ experiebamini
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
B. PRESENT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT FUTURE IMPERFECT
1st experiar _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ experiretur
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
C. PERFECT SYSTEM INDICATIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ expertus eris _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ _______________
1st experti sumus _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________ experti
erant
D. PERFECT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st _______________ _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ _______________
1st experti simus _______________
2nd _______________ _______________
3rd _______________ experti
essent
E. PARTICIPLES ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________ __________________
F. INFINITIVES ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT ____________________
PERFECT ____________________
FUTURE ____________________
G. IMPERATIVES
SING. _______________
PLUR. _______________
VOCABULARY PUZZLES
utor, uti, usus sum: The verb takes the ablative case to complete its meaning. "Usus sum multis libris"
(I used many books.) Wheelocks remark that the ablative is really an ablative of means is pure speculation.
audeo, -ere, ausus sum: A handful of verbs are regular in the present system, but become deponent in perfect
system. As you can see by this dictionary entry, the verb "audeo" skips over the perfect system active
entirely and goes directly to the participle "ausus." This is telling you that in the perfect system this
verb is deponent, hence "ausus sum" means "I dared." These verb are called semi-deponent.
DRILLS
Try a few easy drills before you turn to Wheelock's self-help tutorial. Translate the following.
1. loquitur ____________________
2. sequemini ____________________
3. secuti eramus ____________________
4. usus ero ____________________
5. naturus ____________________
6. conabimini ____________________
7. patitur ____________________
8. secuturum esse ____________________
9. morieris ____________________
10. moreris ____________________
Copyright: Dale A. Grote
