Year 4C · Grade 8: Perfect Stems and Ablatives
Build perfect forms and distinguish an instrument from a living agent.
What to notice
- perfect stem
- active and passive endings
- ablative of means and agent
Examples
- dixi — I said. dixi minus -i gives the perfect stem dix-.
- venerunt — they came. venerunt ends in -erunt: they came.
- regitur — he / she / it is ruled. -tur marks third-person singular passive.
- gladio pugnat — he fights with a sword. The ablative of means uses no preposition for a non-living instrument.
- a milite defenditur — it is defended by the soldier. The soldier is a living agent, so Latin uses a milite.
- scuto defenditur — he is defended with a shield. A non-living means uses the ablative without a preposition.