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Participles

List of participles, instructions on how to decline them, and possible translations.

Participles in Latin

What are Participles?
Verbal adjectives - adjectives formed from a verb stem.
How Many Participles are There in Latin?
Regular transitive verbs have four participles.
  • Active: present and future
  • Passive: perfect and future
How are Participles Formed in Latin?
  • The present active and future passive are formed on a VERB'S PRESENT STEM.
  • The perfect passive and future active are formed on the PARTICIPIAL STEM (remove the endings of the verb's fourth principal part).
Tips for Time and Participles
  1. Present Participle = action contemporaneous with that of the verb (same time)
  2. Perfect Participle = action prior to that of the verb (time before)
  3. Future Participle = action subsequent to that of the verb (time before)

Chart for Participles

Active Passive
Pres. present stem + -ns (gen. -ntis)
[verb-ing]		 -
Perf. - participial stem + -us, -a, -um
[about to verb, going to verb]
Fut. participial stem + -ūrus, -ūra, -ūrum
[about to verb, going to verb]		 present stem + -ndus, -nda, -ndum
[(about) to be verbed, deserving to be verbed]

Participles of agō, agere, ēgi, āctum (to drive, do, lead, act)

Active Passive
Pres. agēns, agentis, doing ---
Perf. --- āctus, -a, -um, done, having been done
Fut. āctūrus, -a, -um, about to do, going to do agendus, -a, -um, (about) to be done, deserving to be done

Chart for Participles of Three of the Model Verbs (laudare, audire, capere)

Act. Pass. Act. Pass. Act. Pass.
Pres. laudāns --- audiēns --- capiēns ---
Perf. --- laudātus, -a, -um --- audītus, -a, -um --- captus, -a, -um
Fut. laudātūrus, -a, -um laudandus, -a, -um audītūrus, -a, -um audiendus, -a, -um captūrus, -a, -um capiendus, -a, -um

Declension of Participles

  • Three of the four participles are declined on the pattern of magnus, -a, -um.
  • Only the present participle has third declension forms:
    1. They follow the model of potēns, potentis.
    2. The ablative singular sometimes ends in -e, sometimes (especially when used stricly as an attributive adjective) in -ī
Masculine & Feminine Neuter
Nom. agēns agēns
Gen. agentis agentis
Dat. agentī agentī
Acc. agentem agēns
Abl. agentī, agente agentī, agente
Nom. agentēs agentia
Gen. agentium agentium
Dat. agentibus agentibus
Acc. agentēs agentia
Abl. agentibus agentibus

Translating Participial Phrases as Clauses

  • It is often preferable to transform a participial phrase into a subordinate clause.
  • When translating, you need to consider:
    1. the relationship between the action in the phrase and the action in the clause to which it is attached, so you can choose an appropriate subordinating conjunction (usually "when," "since," or "although"),
    2. the relativity of tenses, so you can transform the participle into the appropriate verb tense
Literal Translations of Participial Phrases (Latin to English)
Ex: Graecī nautae, videntēs Polyphēmum, timent, timuērunt, timēbunt.

The Greek sailors, seeing Polyphemus, are afraid, were afraid, will be afraid.

Ex: Graecī nautae, vīsī Polyphēmō, timent, timuērunt, timēbunt.

The Greek sailors, (having been) seen by P., are afraid, were afraid, will be afraid.

Ex: Graecī nautae, vīs&umacrrī; Polyphēmum;, timent, timuērunt, timēbunt.

The Greek sailors, about to see Polyphemus, are afraid, were afraid, will be afraid.

Idiomatic Translations of Partcipial Phrases (Latin to English)
Ex: Māter, filium amāns, auxilium dat.

Since she loves her son [lit., loving her son], the mother gives him assistance.

Ex: Pāter, filiam vīsūrus, casam parābat.

Since he was about to see his daughter, the father was preparing the house.

Ex: Puella, in casam veniēns, gaudēbat.

When she came into the house [lit., coming into the house], the girl was happy.