The Passive Voice and ClausesPresent and Perfect Verb Systems

Aspects of a VerbReviewPerson Number Tense Voice Mood*

1st Singular Present Active Indicative2nd Plural Imperfect Passive Imperative3rd Future

PerfectPluperfectFuture Perfect

*NB There are more verb moods, but these are the ones addressed in this course

Aspects of a VerbReviewEach Latin verb has one aspect from each

column

E.g. ambulaveramus (we have walked)Person Number Tense Voice Mood1st Plural Pluperfect Active Indicative

We use the stems, tense signs, and personal endings of a verb to identify these aspects

Verb VoiceActive vs. PassiveThe term voice describes whether the subject

is giving or receiving the action of a verb

Jill kicks the ballsubject verb Direct Object

The verb (kicks) is active because the subject (Jill) is performing the action

Verb VoiceActive vs. Passive

The ball is kicked by Jill subject verb (Prep

Phrase)

The verb (is kicked) is passive because the subject (ball) is not doing anything. It is receiving the action of the verb.

Verb VoiceActive or Passive?Katie rides a horse activeAbby scores a goal activeAlex is eaten by a squid passiveThe candles are blown out passivePeople will love the show activeThe fort had been attacked by the British

passive

Shelly jumped on the trampoline activeThe Thug was jumped by the angry villagers

Passive

NB Try adding the phrase “by George” after a verb when you’re trying to figure out its voice. If it works, the verb is probably passive

Verb VoiceActive or Passive? More PracticeWiil fightHave been huggedWalkedWas flyingIs stirredWill have been drivenSleepsAm (?????)

NB Try adding the phrase “by George” after a verb when you’re trying to figure out its voice. If it works, the verb is probably passive

Am????Linking verbs (am, is, are, were,

was, will be, etc) are neither active nor passive

Active and passive only apply to action verbs

Passive Voice in LatinPresent System TensesWe conjugate present system, passive voice

verbs using the same steps as present system, active voice verbs:

1. Stem: 2nd PP, drop –re2. Tense sign: none, -ba-, -bi-3. Personal ending: Here’s where things get

different

Passive Voice in LatinPassive Voice Personal Endings

Singular Plural1st -r, -or -mur2nd -ris -mini3rd -tur -ntur

Memorization Time!!

Passive Voice in LatinPresent System ExampleAmo, amare, amavi, amatum to love

1. Stem: 2nd PP, drop –re ama-

2. Tense sign: none, -ba-, -bi- amaba-3. Personal endings: passive voice personal endings

amabamur we were being loved1st plural imperfect passive indicative

Singular Plural1st amor

I am lovedamamurwe are loved

2nd amarisyou are loved

amaminiyou are loved

3rd amaturs/he, it is loved

amanturthey are loved

Singular Plural1st amabar

I was lovedamabamurwe were loved

2nd amabarisyou were loved

amabaminiyou were loved

3rd amabaturs/he, it was loved

amabanturthey were loved

Singular Plural1st amabor

I will be lovedamabimurwe will be loved

2nd amaberisyou will be loved

amabiminiyou will be loved

3rd amabiturs/he, it will be loved

amabunturthey will be loved

Passive Voice in LatinPerfect Passive SystemVerbs in the perfect, pluperfect, and future

perfect tenses are formed differently than other verb tenses.

They are easy to spot because they are the only types of verbs in Latin that use helping verbs.

Passive Voice in LatinConjugating the perfect tenseAmo, amare, amavi, amatum to love

1. Find the 4th Principal Part, drop the –um amat-

2. What you add next depends on the gender and number of the subject:

masculine feminine neutersingular amatus amata amatumplural amati amatae amata

NB, these are the same as the nominative endings of 2-1-2 adjectives.

Passive Voice in Latinconjugating the perfect tense, continued3. Add the present tense of sum as a helping

verb to finish the conjugation:

Singular Plural1st amatus sum

I have been lovedamati sumuswe have been loved

2nd amatus esyou have been loved

amati estisyou have been loved

3rd amatus esthe has been loved

amati suntthey have been loved

NB, this example was done in the masculine. It could be made feminine or neuter by changing the endings of amatus

Passive Voice in LatinConjugating the pluperfect and future perfect tensesThe steps for conjugating in the passive voice

are the same for all perfect system verbs.What changes is the tense of the helping verb:

Main Verb Tense Helping Verb Tense (sum)

Perfect Present (sum)Pluperfect Imperfect (eram)Future Perfect Future (ero)

Pluperfect Singular Plural1st amatus eram

I had been lovedamati eramuswe had been loved

2nd amatus erasyou had been loved

amati eratisyou had been loved

3rd amatus erathe had been loved

amati erantthey had been loved

Future Perfect

Singular Plural

1st amatus eroI will have been loved

amati erimuswe will have been loved

2nd amatus erisyou will have been loved

amati eritisyou will have been loved

3rd amatus erithe will have been loved

amati eruntthey will have been loved

ClausesIntroductionA clause is a collection of words that contains

both a subject and a verbA phrase is a collection of words that is

missing a subject, verb, or bothThey walk ClauseIn the middle PhraseAlex dunks the basketball

Clause

Unless Katie smiles ClauseFor the rest of the day PhraseIf she PhraseNB, a Latin verb is technically a clause since it contains both a subject and a verb: amabamus, we were loving.

ClausesIndependent vs. SubordinateAn independent clause contains a subject and

a verb and makes sense by itself.A Subordinate, or dependent, clause contains

a subject and a verb but does not make sense without an independent clause.

She was eating IndependentBob is tall IndependentUnless she was eating SubordinateIf Bob is tall SubordinateThe car was driven IndependentSince the car was driven Subordinate

ClausesSentence Types Simple sentence: one independent clauseThe Thug likes hamburgers. Compound sentence: more than one independent

clause joined by conjunctionsThe Thug likes hamburgers, but the villagers like ice cream. Complex sentence: At least one subordinate clause

with at least one independent clauseIf the Thug likes hamburgers, then the villagers will give him tofu.

ClausesIdentifying Subordinate ClausesSubordinate clauses will start with a

subordinating word in both English and LatinSi IfNisi UnlessUbi WhenUt SinceQuod Because

ClausesExamplesThe brackets are around the subordinate clauses. Note that subordinate clauses can be embedded within independent clauses.[Si equus monstrum spectabit] ad agrum

ambulabit.If the horse sees a monster, he will go to the field.Aeneas [ubi reginam spectavit] laetus erat.Aeneas, when he saw the queen, was happy.