Indirect Statement Revision

GCSE LATIN LANGUAGE REVISION TOPIC: INDIRECT STATEMENT

Indirect statements (also called ‘reported statements’) report somebody’s words, thoughts or perceptions.

They are introduced by a head verb, to do with saying, thinking, knowing or perceiving.

N.B. The verb dico never introduces a negative reported statement. To say that…not in Latin becomes to deny and the verb used is nego.

In English the verb introducing the reported statement is most often followed by the word ‘that’ and then what is effectively a new sentence with its own subject and verb:

I believe that the soldier is brave.

Latin, however, uses a construction called the ACCUSATIVE and INFINITIVE:

I believe the soldier (ACCUSATIVE) to be brave (INFINITIVE) - credo militem fortem esse.

Translating the accusative and infinitive

The infinitive exists in three different tenses - present, future and perfect - in both active and passive. (N.B. You are not expected to know the future passive infinitive for your language papers). The tense of the infinitive is the same as the tense of the verb in the original indirect statement.

“I love my horse.” - equum meum amo.

The boy says he loves his horse. – puer dicit equum suum amare.

How you translate these different tenses of the infinitive in an indirect statement then depends on the tense of the main verb introducing it:

Present tense main verb

dicit servum laborare He says that the slave is working

dicit servum laboravisse He says that the slave has worked

dicit servum laboraturum esse He says that the slave will work

dicit servum portari He says that the slave is being carried

dicit servum portatum esse He says that the slave has been carried

Past tense main verb

dixit servum laborare He said that the slave was working

dixit servum laboravisse He said that the slave had worked

dixit servum laboraturum esse He said that the slave would work

/he said that the slave was going to work

dixit servum portari He said that the slave was being carried

dixit servum portatum esse He said that the slave had been carried

It is often helpful to produce a very literal translation in your head first (e.g. dixit servum laborare = he said the slave to be working) and then simply to put it into more natural English.

se eum/eam/eos

In English, sentences like ‘He said that he was brave’ are ambiguous: it is not clear whether the speaker referred to in this sentence is talking about himself or someone else. In Latin, there is no such ambiguity: dixit se fortem esse = He said that he (i.e. himself) was brave dixit eum fortem esse = He said that he (i.e. someone else) was brave.

Latin to English Translation

mater dicit ancillas laetas esse. pueri credebant omnia aedificia pulchra esse. senatores sciunt se principem laudare debere. consul promisit se optimum vinum omnibus daturum esse. dominus dixit servum diligentissime laboravisse. negavit se umquam in italia fuisse. iuvenes responderunt senem domum portatum esse. hostes promiserunt duces suos ad imperatorem romanum mox venturos esse. uxori dixi eam omnia optime egisse. magister negat se fabulas pueris narrare velle. English to Latin Translation

When translating English to Latin, remember that the tense of the infinitive will be the same as the tense of the original direct statement.

1. a.) “The enemies are escaping”

b.) The general believes that the enemies are escaping

c.) The general believed that the enemies were escaping

2. a.) “The enemies have escaped”

b.) The soldiers hear that the enemies have escaped

c.) The soldiers heard that the enemies had escaped

3. a.) “My brother is very brave”

b.) The girl believes that her brother is very brave

c.) The girl believed that her brother was very brave

4. a.) “My father will send me money”

b.) The boy says that his father will send him money

c.) The boy said that his father would send him money

5. a.) “We have lost our books”

b.) The children reply that they have lost their books

c.) The children replied that they had lost their books

6. a.) “The slave has not killed many senators”

b.) The general says that the slave has not killed many senators

c.) The general said that the slave had not killed many senators

7. a.) “We shall eat a very good meal”

b.) We believe that we shall eat a very good meal

c.) We believed that we would eat a very good meal.

8. a.) “My friend will send a letter”

b.) I know that my friend will send a letter

c.) I knew that my friend would send a letter

9. a.) “He has been made consul”

b.) Have you heard that he has been made consul?

c.) You told us he had been made consul.

10. a.) “My brother is asleep at last”

b.) The slave says that his brother is asleep at last

c.) The slave said that his brother was asleep at last.