Latin II
Lesson XXXVI Notes
Nōmen mihi est
Review
What is the definition of a participle?
How do you form the perfect passive participle?
How is the perfect passive participle translated?
What is the common translation for ablatives of means, manner and accompaniment?
Ablative Absolute
Absolute = ab (from) + solvere (to loosen) = “loosened from”
“free or independent from anything extraneous” --Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary
Ablative Absolute = Dependent/Subordinate clause grammatically independent from the main clause, but
loosely tied to it in sense.
English example: With a few seconds remaining, the fans rushed the field.
“With a few senconds remaining” is not related grammatically to the rest of the sentence, but it obviously goes
with it sensically.
This kind of grammatical structure is not all that common in English (we would use a subordinating conjunction
and subordinate clause instead), but it is VERY common in Latin.
Because of the word “with,” Latin uses the ablative for all key words.
Just like when the participles were translated as clauses, there are many different possible translations, but
the literal translation will always be right: “With the (noun) being/having been
”
Better translations will use subordinating conjunctions like after, when, because, since, if (occasionally).
Context will help you decide on the one that makes the most sense.
There are 3 possibilities (listed in order of frequency):
1) Noun + participle = Duce consultō, mīlitēs prōcessērunt.
Literal = With the general having been consulted, the soldiers proceeded.
Temporal = After/When the general had been consulted*, the soldiers proceeded.
Causal = Because/Since the general had been consulted*, the soldiers proceeded.
*The tense of the participle is pluperfect because it happened before the perfect main verb.
2) Noun + noun (used when the verb needed is sum, but sum only has a future active participle)
Augustō duce, Rōmānī deinde pācem habuērunt.
Literal = With Augustus as* leader, the Romans finally had peace.
*The word “as” is used here to connect the nouns together, similar to an appositive.
Temporal = When Augustus was** leader, the Romans finally had peace.
Causal = Because Augustus was** leader, the Romans finally had peace.
**There is no verb in Latin, but you need it in English when you use a subordinating conjunction.
3) Noun + adjective (again, used when the verb needed is sum)
Gallīs inimīcīs, Rōmānī proelium commīsērunt.
Literal = With the Gauls (being) unfriendly, the Romans began battle.
Temporal = When the Gauls were (being) unfriendly*, the Romans began battle.
Causal = Because the Gauls were unfriendly*, the Romans began battle.
*There is no verb in Latin, but you need it in English when you use a subordinating conjunction.