Latin Grammar Verbs

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Suppines

The supine is a Latin verbal noun. Since it is a noun it has a declension, but it only appears in the accusative and ablative singular.

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Decline like the 4th Dec.

(Acc.) amatum (to love / in order to love)
(Abl.) amatu (in loving / for loving)

Translated like the infinitive

Venerunt visum [they came to see. ]
Mirabile dictu [wondrous to say]

Front 2

Gerund

All gerunds are considered neuter nouns and there is NO nominative case and NO plural form.

The use of the gerund with a direct object is usually avoided unless the object is a neuter pronoun or adjective. In place of the gerund with a direct object, the gerundive is preferred [see part 2].

Back 2

Treat them as Neuter Nouns

ambulandi (gen.) of walking

ambulando (dat.) to walking

ambulandum (acc.) walking

ambulando (abl.) by walking

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Uses of Gerund

Use of the gerund :

Genitive:

He had hopes of winning vincendi

After gratia or causa in the ablative:

causa vincendi -for the sake of winning

Dative usually with compound verbs:

Laudando persuadebat. He was persuaded by praising.

Accusative:

Often after ad to show purpose:

ad vincendum for the purpose of winning

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Examples:

ad parandum (for the purpose of praparing)

spes relinquendi (the hope of leaving)

Causa defendendi (for the sake of defending)

cupidus currendi (desirous of running)

"ars loquendi" non amittitur (the art of speaking is not lost)

Front 4

More on Gerund:


The passive periphrastic is a very popular gerundive use and occasionally will have a gerund. In this instance, one always sees a form of the gerund(ive) and a form of the verb 'to be' and the agent doing the action in the dative case. This construction always shows need or obligation. Must is a good word to use here.
Labor mihi agenda est... the work is to be done by me, the work must be done by me, I must do the work...all acceptable translations.

Back 4

The gerundive is by far the more popular form and its case will agree with whatever the subject of the verb 'to be' is.

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Gerundive

It is a participle or Verbal Adjective, passive in meaning:

amandus (-a, -um) fit to be loved

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The gerundive is used to form the passive periphrastic in its sense of necessity (also called the gerundive of obligation). The gerundive plus a form of sum conveys a strong sense of obligation in the present, past, or future tenses, and in both moods:

o Amandus est. He must be loved.

o Amandus erat. He had to be loved.

o Amandus erit. He will have to be loved.

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More on Gerundives:

The gerundive of obligation and the passive periphrastic ("He must be loved." vs. "He is to be loved.") are the same thing in both form and sense. The only difference is that sometimes it carries a greater or lesser degree of necessity, depending on context.

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The gerundive can also take a dative of agent. The dative of agent is usually translated as the subject, while the grammatical subject of the gerundive is translated as the object: Amandus est tibi. You must love him (He must be loved by you).

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More of Genrundive:

The gerundive is often used in place of the gerund. Where the gerund would take an accusative object, the object is instead put into the case of the gerund, and the gerundive modifies it:

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o Habeo equum venando apres. I have a horse for the sake of hunting boars (gerund with accusative object).

o Habeo equum venandis apribus. I have a horse for the sake of hunting boars (...for the sake of boars which must be hunted, gerundive modifying object in the case of the original gerund).