Latin has four participles: Present Active, Perfect Passive, Future Active and Future Passive.  They are used far more extensively than participles in English.

1. Form: Present Stem + -ns (lauda-ns, mone-ns, duce-ns, audie-ns, capie-nsetc.)

2. Declension: Since participles are verbal adjectives, they agree with nouns and have declensional endings.  The Present Active Participle is declined exactly like an i-stem 3rd Declension adjective except for the Ablative Singular, which ends in -einstead of -i.

3. Use: The tense of a participle is relative, not absolute: the tense into which it is translated depends on the tense of the main verb in the sentence.  Present Active Participles express action that occurs at the same time as the action of the main verb, regardless of what tense the main verb is in:

 Caesar, piratas capiens, ab omnibus laudatur/laudabitur/laudabatur/laudatus est.
 Caesar, capturing the pirates, is/will be/was being/was praised by everybody.

 Laudamus/Laudabimus/Laudabamus/Laudavimus Caesarem piratas capientem.
 We praise/will praise/were praising/praised Caesar capturing the pirates.

 Dona Caesari piratas capienti damus/dabimus/dabamus/dedimus.
 We give/will give/were giving/gave gifts to Caesar capturing the pirates.

4. Translation: There are any number of ways to translate a Latin participial phrase: by (a) an English participle, (b) a relative clause, (c) a temporal clause, or (d) a causal clause:

 Laudamus Caesarem piratas capientem.
 (a) We praise Caesar capturing the pirates.
 (b) We praise Caesar, who is capturing the pirates.
 (c) We praise Caesar when/while he is capturing the pirates.
 (d) We praise Caesar because/since he is capturing the pirates.

1. Form: 4th Principal Part (laudatus, monitus, ductus, auditus, captusetc.)

2. Declension: Like that of the adjective magnus,-a,-um.

3. Use: The Perfect Participle is always passive in meaning, and expresses action that occurs before that of the main verb, regardless of the tense of the main verb:

 Caesar, a piratis captus, ab omnibus laudatur/laudabitur/laudabatur/ laudatus est.
 Caesar, (having been) captured by pirates, is/will be/was/has been praised by...

 Laudamus/Laudabimus/Laudabamus/Laudavimus Caesarem a piratis captum.
 We praise/will praise/were praising/have praised Caesar captured by pirates.

 Dona Caesari a piratis capto damus/dabimus/dabamus/dedimus.
 We give/will give/were giving/gave gifts to Caesar captured by pirates.

4. Translation: The same variety as in A4:

 Laudamus Caesarem a piratis captum.
 (a) We praise Caesar (having been) captured by pirates.
 (b) We praise Caesar, who has been captured by pirates.
 (c) We praise Caesar when/after he has been captured by pirates.
 (d) We praise Caesar because/since he has been captured by pirates.

NOTE that the Latin Perfect Particple functions exactly as the Perfect Participle in English (capture, captured, have captured), i.e. as an adjective: Virum captum laudo (I praise the captured man.)

1. Form: Stem of 4th Principal Part + -urus,-a,-um (laudaturus, moniturus, ducturus, auditurus, capturu).

2. Declension: Like that of the adjective magnus,-a,-um.

3. Use: The Future Active Participle expresses action that occurs after the action of the main verb, regardless of the tense of the main verb:

 Caesar, piratas capturus, ab omnibus laudatur/laudabitur/laudabatur/ laudatus est.
 Caesar, about to capture the pirates, is/will be/was being/was praised by...

 Laudamus/Laudabimus/Laudabamus/Laudavimus Caesarem piratas cap-turum.
 We praise/will praise/were praising/praised Caesar about to capture the pirates.

 Dona Caesari piratas capturo damus, dabimus, dabamus, dedimus.
 We give/will give/were giving/gave gifts to Caesar about to capture the pirates.

4. Translation: Same variety as A4:

 Laudamus Caesarem piratas capturum.
 (a) We praise Caesar about/going to capture the pirates.
 (b) We praise Caesar who is about/going to capture the pirates.
 (c) We praise Caesar when he is about/going to capture the pirates.
 (d) We praise Caesar because/since he is about/going to capture the pirates.

1. Form: Present Stem + -ndus,-a,-um(laudandus, monendus, ducendus,  audiendus, capiendus)

2. Declension: Like magnus-a,-um.

3. Use: The same as C3, except that the Future Passive Participle is passive, not active:

 Caesar, a piratis capiendus, ab omnibus laudatur/laudabitur/laudabatur/ laudatus est.
 Caesar, about to be captured by pirates, is/will be/was being/was praised by...

 Laudamus/Laudabimus/Laudabamus/Laudavimus Caesarem a piratis capiendum.
 We praise/will praise/were praising/praised Caesar about to be captured by...

 Dona Caesari a piratis capiendo damus/dabimus/dabamus/dedimus.
 We give/will give/were giving/gave gifts to Caesar about to be captured by...

4. Translation: The same as A4:

 Laudamus Caesarem a piratis capiendum.
 (a) We praise Caesar about/going to be captured by pirates.
 (b) We praise Caesar who is about/going to be captured by pirates.
 (c) We praise Caesar when he is about/going to be captured by pirates.
 (d) We praise Caesar because/since he is about/going to be captured by...

Note how the participles below are translated in relation to the tense of the main verbs:

 Caesarem piratas capientem [PR] laudat [PR].
 He praises Caesar while he is capturing the pirates.

 Oratorem de piratis dicentem [PR] laudavimus [PF].
 We praised the orator because he was talking about pirates.

 Auxilium ad Caesarem piratas capturum [FUT ACT] mittimus [PR].
 We send help to Caesar, who is going to capture the pirates.

 Pecuniam Caesari piratas capiendo [FUT ACT] dedit [PF].
 He gave money to Caesar, who was about to capture the pirates.

 Oratorem a piratis interfactum [PF] laudavisti [PF].
 You praised the orator after he had been killed by pirates.

 Romani hostibus victis [PF] saepe ignoscuerunt [PF].
 The Romans often spared conquered enemies.

 Pecuniam ad Caesarem mittendam [F PASS] non invenire possumus [PR].
 We can't find the money that is going to be sent to Caesar.

 Oratores interficiendos [FUT PASS] nemo scivit [PF].
 Nobody knew the orators who were going to be killed.

 Haec dicta [PF] omnes cognoscerunt [PF].
 Everyone understood these things after they had been spoken.
 

Back to Vademecum