FaciamusValentines

So, how do we make a passive periphrastic?

As usual, we start with the

Infinitive.

For -are, -ēre, andregular -ere verbs,

simplyremove the “re”

and add“ndus -a -um”.

amandus, habendus, agendus

If the verb is third “io”or fourth (-ire)

take off the entire infinitive ending and

add “iendus -a -um.”capiendus, audiendus

This form is known asthe future passive participle

orthe

GERUNDIVE!

We combine this gerundivewith a form of “esse”

to make the passive periphrastic

which indicatesnecessity!

Notice that the ending on the gerundive is“-ndus, -a -um”.

This indicates that it is treated like a first and second declension adjective

such as “magnus, -a. -um”.

“Well,” you’re probably thinking,“that’s just great, but how am I supposed to know

which of the thirty possible endingsto use on the darn thing?”

Well, let’s look at just what

you are trying to express.

Lets take this expressionand turn it into Latin:

I must ask the girl.The verb will become my gerundive.

The object of the verb will become my new subject.

My current subject will move to the dative of agent.

The subject:

My old object becomes my newsubject, so it will be “girl”

Puella

I am now rethinking the sentencesas

“The girl must be asked by me”

The verb:

“rogare” would becomerogandus -a -um

Since I am rethinking the sentence as“The girl must be asked by me”,

“asked “ is sort of like an adjectivedescribing the girl.

What must she be? Asked!

Well now, since adjectives need to bethe same gender, case. and number as the

nouns they modify, and since “puella”is fem. and nom. and sing.,

then “rogandus” would become“roganda”!

So now we have“Puella roganda”

“Hey, don’t we need a form of ‘esse’?”

You bet!

Since our subject is “puella”,we use “est”!

(If it were “puellae”,we’d use “sunt”. Get it?)

So now we have“Puella roganda est.”

Now we take our old subject“I”

and we change it into something calledthe dative of agent.* Instead of use “a, ab” and

the ablative, we put it in the dative“mihi”.

*a dative of agent acts just like an ablative of agent,only it doesn’t use a preposition, and it’s not in the ablative(!)

So, to make a long story, well…just as long…here are the steps:

1. Rethink the sentence to make your old objectyour new subject.

2. Create a gerundive for your verb and give itan ending that agrees with your new subject

3. Add a form of “esse” that agrees withyour new subject.

4. Change your old subject intothe dative.