LATIN FOR RESEARCH IN THE HUMANITIES
SEMINAR 17
ORATIO OBLIQUA
In Latin, a speech or a narrative can either be recorded directly in the speaker’s own words, or
it can be reported indirectly as the object of a verb. A speech or a narrative that is reported
indirectly is an example of the oratio obliqua. The oratio obliqua follows its own distinct
rules, some of which will come as no surprise given previous seminars. The particular nature
and demands of the oratio obliqua can be understood by contrasting the following extract
from an imaginary speech in English:
Original words:
Reported form:
‘… I have brought one cake for myself,
and seven for the others. Don’t you think
this is fair? I will do the same thing
tomorrow...’
[He said that]… He had brought one cake
for himself, and seven for the others. Did
they not think that was fair? He would do
the same thing the next day...
Notice that in making the transition from the original speech to the reported form, several
changes have taken place: (i) the personal pronouns have changed – I > he, myself > himself,
you > they; (ii) the tenses of the finite verbs have changed – I have brought > he had brought;
(iii) the adverb of time has changed – tomorrow > the next day. These sorts of changes also
occur in Latin when we make the transition from direct speech to the oratio obliqua.
(1) The verb of ‘saying’
Since the oratio obliqua is a form of reported speech or narrative, it is often – but not always
– preceded by a verb of ‘saying’. There are, however, two points which it is important to bear
in mind:
•
•
The verb of ‘saying’ is often omitted, leaving only the ‘reported’ element.
We need to understand the verb of ‘saying’ when translating.
The verbs inquam and inquit never introduce the oratio obliqua: these verbs
only ever introduce direct speech.
(2) Simple and principal sentences
Simple and principal sentences are transferred into the oratio obliqua in a manner depending
on their type:
(a) Statements, exclamations and rhetorical questions (i.e. where no answer is expected) are
expressed by an acc + inf.
DIRECT STATEMENT
Romulus urbem condidit.
Romulus founded the city.
ORATIO OBLIQUA (INDIRECT)
(Narrant:) Romulum urbem condidisse.
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Cur ego pro hominibus ignavis
sanguinem profudi?
Why have I shed my blood
for cowards?
Cur se pro hominibus ignavis sanguinem
profudisse?
Why did he shed his blood for cowards?
(b) Commands, prohibitions, wishes, and real questions (i.e. where an answer is expected)
are expressed using the subjunctive:
Ite, inquit, create consules ex
plebe.
Go and elect consuls from among
the plebs.
(Hortatus est:) irent, crearent consules ex
plebe.
Quis agis?
What are you doing?
…quis ageret.
…what he was doing.
(3) Subordinate clauses
Subordinate clauses in the oratio obliqua are formed depending on their nature.
(a) Indirect statements, commands, wishes, and questions – which are ordinarily formed
using either an acc. + inf. or a subjunctive construction – retain their usual form in the oratio
obliqua.
Ego promitto me officium meum
praestaturum esse.
I promise that I shall do my duty.
(Dixit:) se promittere se officium suum
praestaturum esse.
(He said that:) He promised to do his duty.
In this example, note that the reported statement in the direct speech is expressed using an
acc. + inf. In the oratio obliqua, the reported statement is again expressed using an acc. + inf.
even though it itself follows an acc. + inf.
(b) Clauses introduced by quod + indicative take the subjunctive in the oratio obliqua.
Hoc praestamus maxime feris
quod loquimur.
We excel beasts most in this respect,
that we speak.
(Dixit:) hoc praestare maxime feris
quod loquerentur.
(c) Causal, consecutive, concessive, result, purpose, cum, dum, and relative clauses all take
the subjunctive in the oratio obliqua.
Maiorum quibus orti estis
reminiscimini.
Remember the ancestors from whom
you are sprung.
(Dixit:) maiorum quibus orti essent
reminiscerentur.
(4) Pronouns and adverbs
When the verb of ‘saying’ (stated or implied) is in the third person, personal pronouns and
possessive adjectives change in the following way:
ego, me, nos
meus, noster
>
>
se
suus
tu, vos
tuus, vester
>
>
ille, illi
illius, illorum
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Naturally, pronouns like ‘this’ and adverbs of place like ‘here’ have to change to
accommodate the distinction between the original, direct statement, and the reported oratio
obliqua. In English, this > that, and here > there; so too in Latin.
hic
hic (here)
huc
hinc
>
>
>
>
ille
ibi
eo
inde
iste
istic
istuc
istinc
>
>
>
>
ille
illic
illuc
illinc
Adverbs of time must also change where the verb of ‘saying’ is in the past tense, or may be
assumed to be so:
nunc
hodie
>
>
tunc
eo die
heri
cras
>
>
pridie
postridie
(5) Tenses
The rules governing the use of tenses in the oratio obliqua are exceptionally clear, although it
is only to be expected that it should be necessary to distinguish between the rules for
infinitives (in acc. + inf. constructions) and those for finite verbs (in all other constructions).
(a) Infinitives
Dico
I say
Dixi
I said
eum amare
that he is loving
amavisse
has loved
amaturum esse
will love
copias mitti
that forces are being sent
missas esse
have been sent
missum iri
will be sent
eum amare
that he was loving
amavisse
had loved
amaturum esse
would love
copias mitti
that forces were being sent
missas esse
had been sent
missum iri
would be sent
(b) Finite verbs
The tenses of the subjunctive follows the sequence of tenses and hence it is necessary to bear
in mind the tense of the verb of ‘saying’, whether stated explicitly or understood from
context. Hence, where the verb of ‘saying’ is in the present (primary sequence), the
subjunctive will be either present or perfect; and where the verb of ‘saying’ is in the past
(historic sequence), the subjunctive will be either imperfect or pluperfect.
(6) Virtual oratio obliqua
Sometimes, a verb of saying is implied, but the writer does not wish to comment on the truth
or untruth of what he is effectively quoting, or wishes to leave the truthfulness of the indirect
‘quotation’ open to question. In this case, the verb of such clauses is subjunctive (cf. quod or
quia + subjunctive; seminar 16).
Paetus libros quos pater suus reliquisset mihi donavit.
CICERO
Paetus gave me the books which (as he said) his father had left.
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Laudat Africanum Panaetius quod fuerit abstinens.
CICERO
Panaetius praises Africanus because (as he says) he was temperate.
[N.B. This is an example of a virtually sub-oblique causal clause]
(7) Conditional statements
In Latin, there are three types of conditional statements, which are transferred into the oratio
obliqua in different ways:
Type 1
Indicative Conditions: condition true, consequence true
Direct speech:
condition (‘si’ clause) = indicative
consequence (main clause) = indicative
condition (‘si’ clause) = subjunctive
consequence (main clause) = acc. + inf.
Reported:
Type 2
Subjunctive Conditions: potential condition
Direct speech:
e.g.
Reported:
e.g.
Type 3
condition (‘si’ clause) = present/perfect subjunctive
consequence (main clause) = present/perfect subj.
Si peccet, doleat.
condition (‘si’ clause) = follows sequence of tenses
consequence (main clause) = acc. + future inf.
(Dixit:) illum, si peccaret, doliturum esse.
Subjunctive Conditions: impossible condition
Direct speech:
e.g.
Reported:
e.g.
condition (‘si’ clause) = imperf/pluperf. subj.
consequence (main clause) = imperf/pluperf. subj.
Si peccavisset, doluisset.
condition (‘si’ clause) = imperf/pluperf. subj.
consequence = acc + future part. + fuisse*
(Dixit:) illum, si peccavisset, doliturum fuisse.
Note that type 2 and type 3 conditionals often feature a main clause which involves a verb in
the indicative, whether to describe an action actually started or intended, or to indicate duty or
possibility. This makes comparatively little difference to the oratio obliqua, as will be
immediately apparent: our primary concern is with the condition.
(8) Subjunctive by attraction
Sometimes we will encounter a subjunctive verb in the oratio obliqua when we would
ordinarily expect to see an indicative. The subjunctive is used in such cases because the
clause is dependent on another subjunctive or infinitive: what would ordinarily be indicative
is ‘attracted’ to the subjunctive mood because of its surroundings.
Nescire quid antequam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse CICERO
puerum.
Not to know what happened before you were born, that is to be a
child always.
*
If the verb lacks a future participle or is passive, futurum fuisse + ut + imperfect subjunctive is used.
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Exercises
(1)
Oratio recta
Oratio obliqua
‘…Ipse vos incolumes huc duxi: none
consilium meum bonum putatis? Proinde
nolite cunctari; mihi parete; cras victoriam
habebimus. Num hostes superiores sunt?’
Se ipsum illos incolumes eo duxisse:
nonne consilium suum bonum putarent?
Proinde ne cunctarentur; sibi parerent;
postridie victoriam se habituros. Num
hostes superiores esse?
incolumis (adj)
proinde
cunctor, -ari
pareo, -ere
unharmed, safe
onward from this point, consequently, accordingly
to hang back, hesitate, be reluctant, delay
to appear, be evident, to present (oneself), to obey
(2) Ad haec Caesar respondit: se civitatem conservaturum, si, prius quam murum aries
attigisset, se dedidissent.
aries, -ietis
attingo, -tingere, -tigi, -tactum
battering ram
to come into contact, to touch, to assault
(3) Ei legationi Arisovistus respondit: si quid ipsi a Caesare opus esset, sese ad eum venturum
fuisse.
(4) Hoc video, dum breviter voluerim dicere, dictum esse a me paullo obscurius.
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