The Supine Form
You have been hearing the term “supine” since the beginning of this book. It is finally time to reveal its mystery. The supine's most important job is to be the fourth principal part of a verb, from which the perfect passive and future active participles are made.
The supine is another verbal noun, but with very limited forms and even more restricted use. It is a fourth declension noun only found in the accusative and ablative singular.
In the accusative — which is the form presented as the fourth principal part of a verb — it shows purpose when with a verb of motion.
Vē iī s ē gressī sunt Romae habitā tum. (They left Veii to live in Rome.)
In the ablative, its use is restricted to an ablative of respect with adjectives.
Marcus est pulcher vī sū. (Mark is handsome to see.
adversus, -a, -um |
opposite, against |
aurum, -ī , n. |
gold |
cī vitā s, -tā tis, f. |
city, state, citizenry |
colī , -ere, cē luī , cultum |
to tend to, nurture, cultivate, worship |
condī , -ere, condidī , condī tum |
to found, establish, put together |
dexter, dextra, dextrum |
right (as opposed to sinister, -tra, -trum left) |
dī ligī , -ere, dī lexī , dī lectum |
to love |
dux, ducis, c. |
leader |
fā tum, -ī , n. |
fate |
fidē s, -eī , f. |
respect for fulfillment of obligations, faith |
fortū na, -ae, f. |
luck, destiny |
grā tus, -a, um |
pleasing, grateful |
haud, adv. |
not (emphatic) |
honos, honē ris, m. |
honor, public office |
iaceī , -ē re, iacuī , — — - |
to lie (be in a horizontal position) |
iaciī , -ere, iē cī , iactum |
to throw |
item, adv. |
likewise |
laus, laudis, f. |
praise |
lē x, lē gis, f. |
law |
littera, -ae, f. |
letter (of the alphabet) |
litterae, -ā rum, f. pl. |
letter (epistula), literature |
mū nus, mū neris, n. |
duty, a gift, a sponsored event |
niger, nigra, nigrum |
glossy black |
orbis, orbis, m. |
circle, anything round (orbis terrārum — the world) |
patria, -ae, f. |
country, fatherland |
pereī , perī re, periī , peritum |
to die, perish |
perveniī , -ī re, -vē nī , -ventum |
to arrive |
premī , -ere, pressī , pressum |
to press, push |
procul, adv. |
far, at a distance |
recipiī , -ere, recē pī , receptum |
to take (back), receive |
regnum, -ī , n. |
royal power, kingdom |
reliquus, -a, -um |
remaining, leftover |
reperiī , -ī re, repperī , repertum |
to find, learn |
servī , -ā re, -ā vī, -ā tum |
to save, keep, guard, protect |
trahī , -ere, traxī , tractum |
to pull, drag |
umquam, adv. |
ever |
vehī , -ere, vexī , vectum |
to carry |
vehor, vehī , vectus sum (with the abl.) |
to ride |
vertī , -ere, vertī , versum |
to turn |
Latin-to-English Translations
Translate these Latin sentences into English.
Dulce et decorum est prō patriā morī .
Aliī -ad theatrum vī -sum veniē bant, aliī -ut vī -sī -essent.
Librō scriptō , gā vī -sī -sunt.
Nō bis Romā profectū rī -s, pluere coepit. (proficiscor, “to depart”; pluere, “to rain”)
Hospitibus ad ianuam pervenientibus, canēs latrā bant.
Caesar inquit, “Alea iacienda est.” (alea, -ae, f., “a die”)
Mī -litēs mortuō s ē campō tractōs diē sequentī -sepelī -vē runt.
Agrī -s colentibus, aurum invē nit agricola.
Vī -ta beā ta fautī -s ā Fortunā reperitur. (faveō , -ē re, fā vī -, fautum, “to favor”)
Vī -ta beā taā Fortunā fautī -s reperitur.
English-to-Latin Translations
EXERCISE
Translate these English sentences into Latin.
The boy saw his father dying.
The boy saw his father dead.
The boy saw his father on the verge of dying.
I intended to send that letter to you tomorrow (cras).
If Fortune stays nearby (not far off), we will be saved.
