Participles - Quia



The Participle

1. Definition

A participle is a verbal adjective.

2. Formation

The present active participle is derived from the present tense stem. It is declined as a third declension i-stem adjective.

The perfect passive participle is the fourth principal part. It is declined as a first/second declension adjective.

The future active participle is also formed from the fourth principal part. It is declined as a first/second declension adjective.

| | |active |

|loquor, loqui, locutus sum, 3 dep. |loquens speaking |locūtus having spoken |

|hortor, hortārī, hortātus sum, 1 dep. |hortans encouraging |hortātus having encouraged |

|confiteor, -ērī, -fessus sum, 2 dep. |confitens confessing |confessus having confessed |

Note 2. A few deponent and semi-deponent verbs have perfect participles with present tense meanings:

|(semi-)deponent verb |perfect passive participle: |

| |present meaning |

|reor, rērī, 2 dep. |ratus considering |

|arbitror, arbitrāri, 1 dep. |arbitrātus thinking |

|vereor, verērī, 2 dep. |veritus fearing |

|fidō, -ere, 3 semi-dep. |fīsus trusting |

|audeō, -ēre, 2 semi-dep. |ausus daring |

|sequor, sequī, 3 dep. |secūtus following |

3. Voice of the Participle

A participle shows voice:

• if active, the participle shows that the agreeing (pro)noun or proper name is performing or is about to perform the action contained in that participle; the present participle and the future participle are active:

spectatores ridentes laughing spectators

(the spectators are performing the action laughing, the action in the participle)

venit leaena depositura sitim a lioness comes, about to quench her thirst

(the lioness is about to perform the action quenching, the action in the participle)

• if passive, the participle shows that the action contained in that participle has been performed on that (pro)noun or proper name; the perfect participle is passive:

pecunia inventa money (having been) found

(some [unnamed] person[s] has performed the finding, the action in the participle; the money is that on which the action of finding has been performed)

4. Relative Tense of the Participle

A participle shows relative tense, i.e., tense in relation to the main verb:

• present participle: the action happens during the action of the main verb:

ille audit te dulce loquentem, dulce ridentem

that man is listening to you while you are sweetly talking, sweetly laughing

• perfect participle: the action happens before the action of the main verb:

poeta Catullus mihi donavit suum libellum novum pumice modo expolitum

the poet Catullus gave me his little new book, polished recently with pumice

• future participle: the action happens after the action of the main verb:

mox profecturus in Galliam, Caesar amicos visere cupivit

about to depart for Gaul, Caesar wished to visit his friends

5. Adjectival and Verbal Characteristics

1. As a verbal adjective, a participle exhibits characteristics of an adjective:

A participle modifies a (pro)noun, agreeing in case, number, and gender.

(Sometimes a participle is used independently, i.e., as a substantive.)

Thisbe amplectitur corpus amatum Thisbe embraces the beloved corpse

(part. amatum and noun corpus both acc. s. n.)

radix tingit pendentia mora the root stains the hanging berries

(part. pendentia and noun mora both acc. pl. n.)

2. As a verbal adjective, a participle also exhibits characteristics of a verb:

A participle has voice and tense (see table above), may take a direct and/or indirect object, and can itself be modified by an adverb or adverbial phrase.

leaena venit depositura sitim a lioness approaches, about to quench her thirst

(part. depositura has a direct object sitim)

oscula non pervenientia contra dederunt they gave kisses, not going through to the other side

(part. pervenientia is modified by the adverbs non and contra)

6. Attributive Use of the Participle

When a participle is used merely as an adjective, it is used attributively (also called adjectivally); this use is relatively rare:

radix tingit pendentia mora the root stains the hanging berries

liberatus erat falso nomine he had been liberated by means of a false name

(part. falso is strictly used as an adjective meaning ‘false’, not meaning ‘having been deceived’)

multos annos cives fuerant parati the citizens had been ready for many years

(part. parati is used as an adjective meaning ‘ready’, not as part of an impossible predicate fuerant parati)

7. Predicative Use of the Participle

When a participle takes a direct or indirect object or is modified by an adverb or adverbial phrase, or in other words, when a participle’s verbal characteristics are emphasized, it is used predicatively.

The participle together with its object(s) and its adverb(s) or adverbial phrase(s) is called a participial phrase. It is not always possible to determine with certainty how a participle is used; however, most participles are used predicatively.

leaena venit depositura sitim (part. depositura has a direct object sitim)

a lioness approaches, about to quench her thirst

oscula non pervenientia ccntra dederunt (part. pervenientia is modified by the adverbs non and contra)

they gave kisses, not going through to the other side

8. Adverbial Force (‘Special Flavor’) of the Predicative Participle

A predicative participle has adverbial force, i.e., it shows time, cause, concession, or condition, to name only the most important. That adverbial force can generally be determined by careful analysis of the context. Some examples:

• circumstantial or temporal:

volventes cadavera amicum reperiebant while rolling over the corpses, they found

a friend

electus consul, statim amicis maximas gratias egit

after he had been elected consul, he immediately thanked his friends profusely

• causal:

pati non iam cupiens, patrem veniam rogavit

because he didn’t want to suffer any more, he asked his father for forgiveness

• concessive:

salutem insperantibus* reddidisti (* part. used as subst.)

you have restored safety to [people] even though they weren’t hoping

oculos iam morte gravatos Pyramus erexit

Pyramus opened his eyes, even though they had already been weighed down by death

• conditional:

damnatum* poenam sequi oportebat (* part. used as subst.)

punishment must follow [him] if condemned

Note 3. The future participle (except futūrus and ventūrus) is rarely used in simple agreement with a noun. It is chiefly used with the forms of esse (often omitted in the infinitive) in the active periphrastic conjugation, e.g., paratūrus sum I am about to prepare.

Note 4. A noun and a passive participle are sometimes so united that the participle and not the noun contains the main idea:

ante conditam urbem before the founding of the city

post nātōs hominēs since the creation of man

ab urbe conditā from the founding of the city

Formal Analysis of a Participial Phrase

If you find a participial phrase, copy the entire clause into the table, and type ‘PP’ in the box to the left of the clause; then:

1. underline the participle and the (pron)noun/proper name it modifies;

2. in the box labeled analysis, type tense and voice of the participle, its case, number and gender, and also the relative tense of the participle (does the action of the participle happen before, during or after the main verb?);

3. in the box labeled minimal translation, translate only the (pron)noun/proper name and the participle, as literally as possible;

4. in the box labeled full translation, translate the entire clause in good English, expressing the ‘flavor’ of the participle (circumstantial, causal, conditional, or concessive)

|1 |clause | |

| |analysis | |

| |minimal translation | |

| |full translation | |

| | | |

|2 |clause | |

| |analysis | |

| |minimal translation | |

| |full translation | |

| | | |

|3 |clause | |

| |analysis | |

| |minimal translation | |

| |full translation | |

| | | |

Ablative Absolute

Definition

An ablative absolute is a special type of participial phrase, consisting of a (pro)noun in the ablative with a participle in agreement.

Guidelines for Translation

Step 1: Provisional Translation; Step 2: Polished Translation

Translate, as literally as possible, first the (pro)noun, then the partciple, paying close attention to voice and tense (and possible deponent status of the verb):

|ablative absolute |1. provisional translation; 2. polished translation |

|his dictis |1. these things having been said |

| |2. after these things are, were, have been, had been said; with these words; after (s)he says, said, |

| |has said, had said these things, etc. |

|coniuratione relata |1. the conspiracy having been reported |

| |2. after the conspiracy is, was, has been, had been reported; after the reporting of the conspiracy |

|militibus sequentibus |1. the soldiers following |

| |2. while the soldiers follow, are following, followed, were following; with soldiers in his/her/their |

| |following |

|illo mortuo |1. that man having died |

| |2. after that man dies, died, has died, had died; after the death of that man |

|senatu deliberante |1. the senate deliberating |

| |2. as, because, while the senate deliberates, is deliberating, deliberated, was deliberating; during |

| |the deliberations of the senate |

Note 1. An ablative absolute is grammatically unconnected to the sentence, hence its name absolute (absolutus, free, unconnected).

Note 2. An predicative adjective or a second noun may be part of the ablative absolute, the non-existing participle of esse being understood.

exigua parte aestatis reliqua (Note the predicative adjective reliqua and the absence of *ente)

when a small part of the summer was left; a small part of the summer remaining

L. Domitio Ap. Claudio consulibus (Note the absence of *entibus and et; regular way of indicating the year)

in the consulship of Lucius Domitius and Appius Claudius; Lucius Domitius and Appius Claudius being consuls

Adverbial Force (‘Special Flavor’) of the Ablative Absolute

Like a participial phrase, an ablative absolute has adverbial force, i.e., it shows time, cause, concession, or condition, to name only the most important. That adverbial force can generally be determined by analysis of the context. Some examples:

• circumstantial or temporal:

pecunia subrepta filius non iam cuiquam confidere ausus est (perfect participle: rel. tense ‘before’)

his money having been stolen (after his money had been stolen) the son no longer dared to trust anyone

senatu deliberante Saguntum periit (present participle: rel. tense ‘during’)

while the senate was deliberating, Saguntum perished

• causal:

pecunia subrepta filius non iam cuiquam confidere ausus est (perfect participle: rel. tense ‘before’)

his money having been stolen (after his money had been stolen) the son no longer dared to trust anyone

Troiā tandem victā, Aeneas novam patriam petere constituit.

Because Troy had finally been defeated, Aeneas decided to seek a new fatherland

• concessive:

multis repugnantibus, (tamen) vir scelestus consul electus est (present participle: rel. tense ‘during’)

although many were fighting in opposition, a scoundrel was elected consul

• conditional:

occurrebat ei debilem praeturam futuram , consule Milone (present participle ‘being’ understood)

it occurred to him that his prœtorship would be feeble, if Milo was consul

Formal Analysis of an Ablative Absolute

If you find an ablative absolute, copy the entire clause into the table, and type ‘AA’ in the box to the left of the clause; then:

1. underline the (a) (pro)noun/proper name and (b) the participle;

2. in the box labeled analysis, type down tense and voice of the participle; type also the relative tense of the participle (does the action of the participle happen before, during or after the main verb?);

3. in the box labeled minimal translation, translate only the ablative absolute, as literally as possible;

4. in the box ‘full translation’, translate the entire clause in good English, expressing ‘flavor’ of the participle (circumstantial, causal, conditional, or concessive)

|1 |clause | |

| |analysis | |

| |minimal translation | |

| |full translation | |

| | | |

|2 |clause | |

| |analysis | |

| |minimal translation | |

| |full translation | |

| | | |

|3 |clause | |

| |analysis | |

| |minimal translation | |

| |full translation | |

| | | |

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