Adapted from Tacitus Dē vitā Gnaeī Iūliī Agricolae
omnia sciēbat, sed nōn semper petēbat: parvīs peccātīs veniam, magnīs sevēritātem reddēbat; nec poenā semper, sed saepius paenitentiā contentus erat. officiīs et administrātiōnibus peccātūrōs nōn praepōnit, sed cum virī peccāvissent illōs damnābat. frūmentī et tribūtōrum exactiōnem aequālitāte mūnerum mollīvit, excēpitque modōs quōs Rōmānī invēnerant ut argentum acciperent, nam hī modī dēlendī erant cum gravius ipsō tribūtō Britannīs appārēbant. namque antea Britannōs Rōmānī cogēbant adsidēre clausīs horreīs et emere plūs frūmentum quam necesse erat ac plus argentum trādere quam verum trādendum erat. Rōmānī, ut plūs argentum acciperent, dīxerant longa itinera contendenda esse Britannīs portantibus frūmentum suum. dēferendum erat frūmentum procul dē agrīs etiam cīvitātibus quī habitābant prope castra Rōmāna. frūmentum, quod omnibus in promptū erat, dīxērunt Rōmānī ante adventum Agricōla, lucrōsum paucīs faciēndum erat.
Operatives, previously you have seen necessity expressed in this way:
necesse est mihi fugere.
It is necessary for me to flee.
Necesse est militibus fugitivum capere.
It is necessary for the soldiers to capture the fugitive.
Contrast the above construction with the examples below:
nōbīs fugiēndum est.
We must flee.
mīlitibus fugītivus capiēndum est
The soldiers must capture the fugitive.
Operatives, the construction seen above is very common in Latin. Stuffy grammarians call it the passive periphrastic, but it is much easier to call it the gerundive of obligation because it indicates necessity - that something musthappen. The word highlighted above is the gerundive, which is just another form of a Latin participle. You have already met three other participles, the present active, the perfect active, and the perfect passive. This participle is the future passive. Here is how the future passive participle is formed:
Present stem of the verb + thematic vowel + nd + adjective ending.
Example: amāndus
present stem = am
thematic vowel = ā
future passive indicator = nd
adjective ending = us
Operatives, the easiest way to remember the gerundive of obligation is to remember that all gerundives in Latin have -nd- in them, just like the word gerundive. Also, this particular contruction always uses a form of the verb to be, thus:
mihi fugiēndum est.
I must flee.
| amplexor, amplexārī, amplexātus sum | to embrace, hug | verb (deponent) |
| bracchium, bracchi | the arm | noun |
| cōnsōlor, cōnsōlārī, cōnsōlātus sum | to encourage | verb (deponent) |
| crūdēlis, crūdēle | rude, cruel | adjective |
| discifinēs | learning objectives | noun |
| dum | while | conjunction |
| ēvānēscō, ēvānēscere, ēvānuī, - | to vanish | verb |
| ēventus, ēventūs | an occurrence, event | noun |
| frequenter | frequently | adverb |
| ingredior, ingredī, ingressus sum | to enter | verb (deponent) |
| lepus, leporis | a hare | noun |
| mōmentum, mōmentī | a movement, motion | noun |
| oleō, olēre, oluī, - | to smell of | verb |
| pandō, pandere, pandī, passus | to spread out | verb |
| passer, passeris | a sparrow | noun |
| portō, portāre, portāvī, portātus | to carry | verb |
| praesēns, praesentis | present | adjective |
| trānslātor, trānslātōris | one who carries over | noun |
| ūmidus, ūmida, ūmidum | moist, damp | adjective |
| ūtor, ūtī, ūsus sum | to use | verb (deponent) |
| vānum, vānī | nothingness | noun |
| vertō, vertere, vertī, versus | to turn | verb |
Operative, it looks like the TSTT has turned the tables on you here--instead of telling Britons how awful the Romans are, now you have to convince one that all Romans aren't like that. We think the evidence from the past two episodes will probably help you fulfill mission objectives.
Directions: Replace the bolded phrase with a gerundive. Then, translate the new sentence. The first has been done for you.
1. necesse est nobis agere hoc factum. --> agendum est nobis hoc factum.
This deed must be done by us.
2. necesse est vobis invenīre lapidem.
3. necesse est Recentiis interficere custodēs.
4. necesse est Salviae adiuvāre Recentiōs.
5. necesse est militibus facere iter.
6. necesse est Tiberiō fugere Pompeiīs.
7. necesse est canī terrēre captivōs.
8. necesse est amicīs amāre Salvium.
Directions: Using the immersion for 18.3, answer the following questions in complete Latin sentences.
1. quomodo apparet Gracchus?
2. quid nescitis?
3. ubi errat Gracchus?
4. quid incipit cadere?
5. cui, fortasses, dicit Gracchus?
6. quid dicit Gracchus agendum est?
7. cur Sinistrus incertus est de conlocutione ducis et legatorum?
8. amantne Brigantes Romanos?