amāns, amātus, amātūrus, amandus: participles
Four participles, what time each shows, and how to turn them into good English.
LatinAdvanced Latin · Participles and irregular verbsAbout 3 min: 1 reading, 2 practiceUpdated
- Form the four participles of a verb
- Say what time each shows relative to the main verb
- Translate participles with a clause (when, since, although, who)
Latin Level 3: constructions: lesson 6 of 14
- Advanced Latin · The subjunctive
- amem, regam, sim: the present subjunctive 4 min
- ut, nē, quī: purpose clauses 3 min
- amārem, essem: the imperfect subjunctive and the sequence of tenses 4 min
- amāverim, amāvissem; indirect commands 3 min
- possim; "I fear that …" 3 min
- Advanced Latin · Participles and irregular verbs
- amāns, amātus, amātūrus, amandus: participles 3 min
- volō, nōlō, mālō; the ablative absolute 4 min
- Advanced Latin · Clauses
- fīō; "so … that": result clauses 4 min
- "The man to lead us": clauses of characteristic 3 min
- cum: when, since, although 3 min
- Advanced Latin · Participles and irregular verbs
- amandī, ad urbem videndam: gerund and gerundive 4 min
- Advanced Latin · Clauses
- eō; "he said that …": indirect statement 4 min
- ferō; the dative with compounds; indirect questions 4 min
- Advanced Latin · Review
- The cases and the moods: a review 4 min
Try first
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Pairs with D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners (Ginn, 1909), Lesson LXVI ("The Participles"), §§ 374–377
What it is
A Latin verb has up to four participles:
| Participle | amō | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Present active | amāns | loving |
| Future active | amātūrus | about to love |
| Perfect passive | amātus | (having been) loved |
| Gerundive | amandus | to be loved |
For regō: regēns, rēctūrus, rēctus, regendus. The gerundive is the future passive participle.
Capiō, audiō add -ē-: capiēns, audiēns. The present participle declines like a one-ending adjective (amāns, amantis); the others like bonus. Participles agree with their noun like adjectives.
Time:
- present: at the same time as the main verb;
- perfect: before it (passive, except in deponents);
- future: after it.
Deponents have all four, and their perfect participle is active in meaning: hortātus, having encouraged. No other verbs have a perfect active participle.
Quick check
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audītus means …
- That is audiēns
Show answer
heard, having been heard. Perfect passive participle.
Why it matters
Latin packs whole clauses into participles, where English needs "when", "since", "although" or "who". Translating them well is the step from decoding to reading.
Worked example
- Mīlitēs currentēs erant dēfessī. → The soldiers who were running were tired. (currō, run; dēfessus, tired)
- Oppidum captum vīdimus. → We saw the town which had been captured.
- Imperātor trīduum morātus profectus est. → The general, after delaying three days, set out. (morātus: deponent, active meaning)
- Mīlitēs victī terga nōn vertērunt. → The soldiers, though defeated, did not retreat.
Common mistake
Translating every participle word for word with "-ing" or "having been": "the soldiers, having been conquered, did not turn their backs" is stiff English. Pick the clause that fits: when, since, after, although, who.
Key terms
- present participle
- -ns, -ntis: at the same time
- perfect participle
- -tus, -sus: before (passive)
- future participle
- -tūrus: about to
- gerundive
- -ndus: to be …ed
- currō, currere, cucurrī
- run
- morātus
- having delayed (moror, deponent)
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| present participle | -ns, -ntis: at the same time |
| perfect participle | -tus, -sus: before (passive) |
| future participle | -tūrus: about to |
| gerundive | -ndus: to be …ed |
| currō, currere, cucurrī | run |
| morātus | having delayed (moror, deponent) |
Practice
Recognition drill
Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.
All pairs
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| present of amō | amāns |
| present of audiō | audiēns |
| future active of regō | rēctūrus |
| perfect of capiō | captus |
| gerundive of moneō | monendus |
| perfect of hortor (active meaning) | hortātus |
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
Mīlitēs victī nōn fūgērunt. Best translation?
- victī is perfect passive: defeated
Show answer
The soldiers, though defeated, did not flee.. Perfect passive participle, here "although".
hortātus (from hortor) means …
- hortor is deponent: active meaning
Show answer
having encouraged. Deponent perfect participles are active in meaning.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
You are a patient Latin tutor. Use the classical pronunciation only, never the Church one: c is always k, g is always hard, v sounds like w, ae like the ai in aisle, and long vowels are held longer. Speak slowly. Use only these Latin words: amāns, audiēns, captus, captum, victī, hortātus, morātus, profectūrus, mīlitēs, oppidum, imperātor, vīdimus, vēnit, fūgērunt, nōn. Say a short Latin sentence with a participle, for example 'Oppidum captum vīdimus', and I will translate it aloud with a clause (when, since, although, who). Then give me English like 'the soldiers, though defeated, did not flee' for me to say in Latin. Do 8 rounds. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again, then tell me one thing to improve. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. If I need a name or a town, I will make one up. Speak English except for the Latin itself.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. This course teaches the classical pronunciation (see lesson 1); AI voices may mix it with the Church (Italian-style) one, so ask for classical and check against lesson 1. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
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In short
- Present active -ns; future active -ūrus; perfect passive -us; gerundive -ndus.
- Present = same time; perfect = before; future = after.
- Deponents: perfect participle active in meaning.
- Translate with a clause: when, since, after, although, who.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
Give the present participle of regō.
Show answer
regēns.
What time does a perfect participle show?
Show answer
Before the main verb.
Translate Mārcus Rōmam profectūrus nōn exspectāvit (exspectō = wait).
Show answer
Marcus, when about to set out for Rome, did not wait.
Further reading
- D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners, Lesson LXVI, §§ 374–377. Public domain; Project Gutenberg.
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