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Infinitives

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

Infinitives in Latin

What are Infinitives?
A common verbal noun used in a variety of ways.
How Many Infinitives do Most Transitive Verbs Have?
Most transitive verbs have six infinitives.
  • Active: present, perfect, and future
  • Passive: present, perfect, and future

*Intransitive verbs usually lack the passive*

How are Infinitives Formed in Latin?
  • The present active and passive infinitives whose forms vary with each of the four conjugations.
  • The perfect and future infinitives are all formed according to their following patterns , regardless of conjugation.
What are The Common Usages of the Infinitive?
  • Indirect Statement
  • As a subject (errāre est humānum, to err is human)
  • As a complement with such verbs as possum and dēbeō (discēdere nunc possunt, they can leave now)
  • As a direct object, if with its own accusative subject (iussit eōs venīre, he ordered them to come/i>)

Chart for Infinitives

Active Passive
Pres. -āre, -ēre, -ere, -īre
[to verb]		 -ārī, -ērī, -ī, -īrī
[to be verbed]
Perf. perfect stem + -isse
[to have verbed]		 perfect passive participle + esse
[to have been verbed]
Fut. future active participle + esse
[to be about to verb, to be going to verb]		 supine in + -um + īrī
[to be about to be verbed, to be going to be verbed]

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

Active Passive
Pres. agere, to lead agī, to be led
Perf. ēgisse, to have led āctus, -a, -um esse, to have been led
Fut. āctūrus, -a, -um esse, to be about to lead, to be going to lead āctum īrī, to be about to be led, to be going to be led

Chart for Infinitives of Four of the Model Verbs (laudare, monere, audire, capere)

Active
Pres. laudāre monēre audīre capere
Perf. laudāvisse monuisse audīvisse cēpisse
Fut. laudātūrus, -a, -um, esse monitūrus, -a, -um, esse audītūrus, -a, -um, esse captūrus, -a, -um, esse
Passive
Pres. laudārī monērī audīrī capī
Perf. laudātus, -a, -um, esse monitus, -a, -um, esse audītus, -a, -um, esse captus, -a, -um, esse
Fut. laudātum īrī monitum īrī audītum īrī captum īrī