Indirect Statement (Accusative + Infinitive)
Construct indirect statement using a verb of saying or thinking followed by an accusative subject and an infinitive. Distinguish present, perfect, and future infinitives to convey time relative to the main verb.
A lesson of Latin A2 — Elementary, in The Subjunctive Mood, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will form and translate Latin indirect statement using the accusative-plus-infinitive construction, choosing the correct infinitive tense to express time relative to the main verb.
What Is Indirect Statement?
A direct statement reports speech or thought verbatim:
"The soldiers are brave." (direct, with quotation marks implied)
An indirect statement (Latin: oratio obliqua) reports the content of speech or thought without direct quotation:
"He says that the soldiers are brave." (indirect — the content is reported, not quoted)
English uses that + a finite verb for indirect statement. Latin uses a completely different structure: an accusative noun + infinitive.
The Latin Construction
VERB OF SAYING/THINKING + ACCUSATIVE SUBJECT + INFINITIVE
The "accusative subject" is the subject of the subordinate clause, put in the accusative case.
Dicit milites esse fortes. He says [that] the soldiers are brave. (milites = accusative, subject of the indirect statement; esse = infinitive of esse)
Putabat Caesarem venire. He thought [that] Caesar was coming. (Caesarem = accusative; venire = present active infinitive)
Verbs That Introduce Indirect Statement
Any verb of saying, knowing, thinking, perceiving, or showing can introduce indirect statement:
| Latin | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dicere | to say |
| putare | to think, consider |
| credere | to believe |
| scire | to know |
| sentire | to perceive, feel |