Latin participles and the participium coniunctum
In short
Latin has three participles: the perfect passive participle (PPP, prior), the present active participle (simultaneous) and the future active participle (subsequent). As a circumstantial participle (participium coniunctum) the participle agrees with a word it refers to and replaces a subordinate clause. You can translate it literally, with a relative clause, a subordinate clause, coordination or a prepositional phrase.
The three participles
| Participle | Formation | Time relation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| perfect passive (PPP) | 4th principal part (captum): captus, a, um | prior, passive | (having been) caught |
| present active | present stem + -ns, -ntis (-ans/-antis, -ens/-entis, -iens/-ientis): capiens, capientis | simultaneous, active | catching |
| future active | PPP stem + -urus: capturus | subsequent, active | about to catch |
The app shows all forms of every verb under “Grammatik” (grammar). The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.
The circumstantial participle (participium coniunctum)
In the circumstantial participle, the participle agrees in case, number and gender with a word it refers to and is “joined” to it. An example from Disce ludens II, lesson 8:
Conradus a matre saepe monitus suo more pollicem sugit. (suo more – as usual; pollex – thumb; sugere – suck)
- literal: Conrad, often warned by his mother, sucks his thumb as usual.
- relative clause: Conrad, who has often been warned by his mother, sucks his thumb as usual.
- subordinate clause: Although Conrad has often been warned by his mother, he sucks his thumb as usual.
- coordination: Conrad has often been warned by his mother and still sucks his thumb as usual.
- prepositional phrase: Despite his mother’s frequent warnings, Conrad sucks his thumb as usual.
Which meaning fits – temporal, causal, conditional, concessive, means/manner – depends on the context. Here it is concessive: although.
Try it
A real exercise from Disce ludens:
Disce ludens II · Lesson 8 · The perfect passive participle II, card 1
Conradus ……… suo more pollicem sugit. – A matre saepe monitus est.
Combine the two Latin sentences into one sentence containing a participial phrase. (Conradus suo more pollicem sugit – Conrad sucks his thumb as usual; a matre saepe monitus est – he has often been warned by his mother)
Hint 1: Conradus ………… suo more pollicem sugit; the little word est drops out in the participial clause.
Hint 2: …… a matre saepe monitus ……
Error points: 0
© Disce ludensWhat Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t
What Disce ludens does
- Practises the perfect passive, present active and future active participle in Disce ludens II, lessons 7 to 9 and 16 to 19.
- Shows the different ways to translate a participle.
- Builds all participles of every verb in the form tables.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not cover every rare special form of the participle.
- Does not mark free translations of whole texts.
- Does not replace reading texts.
Frequently asked questions
What participles are there in Latin?
Three: perfect passive (prior), present active (simultaneous) and future active (subsequent). Deponent verbs have a perfect participle with active meaning.
What is a circumstantial participle (participium coniunctum)?
A participle that agrees with a word it refers to in case, number and gender and replaces a subordinate clause.
How do you translate a participle?
Literally, with a relative clause, with a subordinate clause (when, because, although …), with coordination or with a prepositional phrase. In the end, what counts is good, natural language.