Lessons 27-28:Passive Voice

Ablative of AgentTransitive/Intransitive Verbs

Nov. 10-17, 2014

All About Verbs!

• Latin verbs have FIVE (5) characteristics:– Person– Number– Tense– Voice– Mood

Person

• Person=1st, 2nd, 3rd • Who is doing/did it?

Number

• Number=Singular, Plural• How many?

Person + NumberChart!

Singular Plural

1st person I… we…2nd person you you (y’all )…3rd person he, she, they …

it…

Tense

• Tense=Time (see below)• When did it happen?

IMPERFECT

PLUPERFECT(PAST PERFECT)

PRESENT

FUTURE PERFECT

FUTURE PERFECT

Voice

• Voice: Active, Passive• Is the subject performing the action, or being

acted upon?

Mood

• Mood: Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive• Indicative: statements of fact, simple

questions (we’ve used this since Latin 1)• Imperative: commands (we’ve used this since

Latin 1, too!)• Subjunctive: conditions, possibilities, other

special uses (wait until Latin 3!)

Passive Voice

• Passive Voice does NOT necessarily mean past tense.

• It refers to whether the subject is performing the action, or…

• …if the subject is being performed upon by something/someone else.

In the active voice, the subjectPERFORMS THE ACTION of the verb.

Puellae aquam

portant.

The girls carry water.

In the passive voice, the subject is ACTED UPON by the verb.

Aqua a puellis

portatur.

(The water is carried by the girls.)

• The horse is kicking the man.

• The girl will sing a song.

• Mom was cooking dinner.

• The man is being kicked by the horse.

• A song will be sung by the girl.

• Dinner was being cooked by Mom.

Active vs. PassiveChange the following sentences to passive voice. Do NOT change the sentence’s

meaning or tense!

Ablative of Agent

• The words “a” and “ab” can mean “by” in Latin.

• They are used with passive voice verbs to tell “by whom” something is done.

Ablative of Agent

• The noun (agent) will be in the ablative case.• Ablative endings:• -a, -o (singular)• -is (plural).

Aqua a puellis portatur.

ABLATIVE OF AGENT

In Latin, there are special endings to show that the verbs are in the passive voice!

First, let’s review the ACTIVE endings of the present tense.

Portare—present active voice

•porto•portas•portat

•portamus•portatis•portant

Portare—present passive voice

•portor• I am (being) carried…

•portaris• you are (being) carried…

•portatur

•portamur

•portamini

•portantur

Imperfect Tense---passive voice

• -bar• I was being verbed

• -baris• you were being verbed

• -batur• he/she/it was being verbed

• -bamur• we were being verbed

• -bamini• Y’all were being verbed

• -bantur• They were being verbed

Future Tense---passive voice 1st/2nd conjugation

• -bor• I will be verbed

• -beris• you will be verbed

• -bitur• he/she/it will be verbed

• -bimur• we will be verbed

• -bimini• y’all will be verbed

• -buntur• they will be verbed

Future Tense---passive voice 3rd/4th conjugation

• -ar• I will be verbed

• -eris• you will be verbed

• -etur• he/she/it will be verbed

• -emur• we will be verbed

• -emini• y’all will be verbed

• -entur• they will be verbed

Transitive vs. Intransitive

• In English and Latin, if a verb has a direct object, it is called transitive.

• If a verb does not have a direct object, it is called intransitive.

Transitive vs. Intransitive

• In English and normally in Latin, transitive verbs are the ones you can use with passive voice (because you can switch the subject/direct object).