LATIN FOR RESEARCH IN THE HUMANITIES
SEMINAR 4
REPORTED STATEMENTS
In English, verbs such as say, know, think are followed by a noun clause beginning with the
conjunction that. Such a noun clause is called a Reported Statement.
Direct statement
Reported statement
“He is reading the grammar notes.”
She says that he is reading the grammar notes.
In Latin, all reported statements are formed using a construction comprising an accusative and
an infinitive (often called the ‘accusative and infinitive’ method, or just ‘acc. and inf.’). In the
reported statement, the subject is in the accusative and the verb is in the infinitive. The tense of
the infinitive in the reported statement is the same as the tense of the verb in the corresponding
direct statement, and is not affected by the tense of the main verb in the reported statement
itself. Consider the following example:
Direct statement:
“Britannia est insula.”
“Britain is an island.”
Reported statement:
Scimus Britanniam esse insulam.
We know that Britain is an island.
In the reported statement, ‘Britannia’ is the subject of the direct statement, and hence is
nominative. As the subject of the reported statement, however, it becomes the accusative
‘Britanniam’. Similarly, the verb in the direct statement (‘est’) is in the present tense. As a
result, the infinitive in the reported statement (‘esse’) is also in the present tense.
Remember that the infinitives of regular verbs are formed in the following way:
Ind. Present
Present Active Infinitive
Present Passive Infinitve
Perfect Active Infinitive
Perfect Passive Infinitive
Future Active Infinitive
Future Passive Infinitive*
1st conj.
2nd conj.
3rd conj.
4th conj.
porto
portare
portari
portavisse
(portasse)
portatus esse
portaturus esse
portatum iri
doceo
docere
doceri
docuisse
traho
trahere
trahi
traxisse
doctus esse
docturus esse
doctum iri
tractus esse
tracturus usse
tractum iri
audio
audire
audiri
audivisse
(audisse)
auditus esse
auditurus esse
auditum iri
The endings of the participle element in the perfect passive and the future active infinitives
(portatus esse, portaturus esse) always agree with the subject of the reported statement in case
(obviously!), number and gender. So, in the following example:
Vir uxorem servatam esse putat.
The man thinks that his wife has been saved.
‘uxorem’ is an accusative noun which is also feminine and singular; as a result, the perfect
passive infinitive ‘servatam esse’ agrees with it. So again:
*
Note that the endings of portatum etc. in the future passive infinitive do not change.
1
Senatores pro certo habeant cives numquam cessuros esse.
The senators were sure that the citizens would never give in.
Note, however, the following example:
Captivos interfectum iri nuntiat.
He announced that the prisoners would be killed.
‘Captivos’ is masculine plural, but the ending of the future passive infinitive ‘interfectum iri’ is
nevertheless invariable.
It is helpful to remember that the subject in a reported statement is always included and is
often a pronoun of one variety or another. Note that if the subject of the reported statement
refers to the speaker, the pronoun will be ‘se’; if it refers to someone else, the pronoun will be
an appropriate part of ‘is’ (so, one of: eum, eam, id. eos, eas, ea). Similarly, if some element of
possession is involved, a form of ‘suus’ will refer to the speaker, whereas ‘eius’ or ‘eorum’
will refer to someone else.
Direct statement:
“In patriam meam redibo.”
“I shall return to my own country.”
Reported statement:
Dicit se in patriam suam rediturum esse.
He said that he would return to his own country.
Some common verbs introducing reported statements include the following:
(tibi) dico, dicere, dixi, dictum
(tibi) affirmo, -are
(tibi) respondeo , -ere, respondi, responsum
(te) certiorem facio, facere, feci, factum
(tibi) nuntio, -are
(te) doceo, docere, docui, doctum
scribo, scribere, scripsi, scriptum
audio, -ire, -ivi, -itum
puto, -are
credo, -ere, credidi, creditum
scio, scire, scivi/scii, scitum
cognosco, -ere, cognovi, cognitum
spero, -are
nego, -are
to say
to declare
to answer
to inform (lit. to make [you] more certain)
to report
to teach, tell
to write
to hear
to think
to believe
to know
to find out
to hope
to deny
Exercises
(1) Responderunt Marcum venturum esse.
(2) Scimus eum bene laboravisse.
(3) Credo milites fidem servaturos esse.
(4) Hospites ancillam optime cantavisse putaverunt.
(5) Democritus dicit innumerabiles esse mundos. [Cicero]
(6) Pompeios desedisse terrae motu audivimus. [Seneca]
(7) Constat leges ad salutem civium inventas esse. [Cicero]
(8) Centurio audivit omnes captivos effugisse.
2