Passive Infinitives in Indirect Statement
Form all three passive infinitives (present: amari; perfect: amatum esse; future passive: amatum iri) and use them accurately within the accusative + infinitive construction. Master PPP agreement with the accusative subject.
A lesson of Latin B1 — Intermediate, in Passive Voice Mastery, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will form all three passive infinitives (present, perfect, future) and deploy them accurately within the accusative + infinitive construction.
Why Passive Infinitives Matter
Indirect statement frequently needs a passive infinitive. In English we say "They report that the city was captured" — in Latin the infinitive carries that passive meaning. Without a grasp of passive infinitives, roughly half of all indirect statements become untranslatable.
The Three Passive Infinitives
1. Present Passive Infinitive: "to be ___ed" (happening now)
Formed from the present passive stem:
| Conjugation | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | -āri | amāri (to be loved) |
| 2nd | -ēri | monēri (to be warned) |
| 3rd | -i | duci (to be led) |
| 4th | -īri | audīri (to be heard) |
Dico milites laudari. "I say that the soldiers are being praised."
2. Perfect Passive Infinitive: "to have been ___ed" (completed before)
Formed from: PPP (agreeing with accusative subject) + esse
Dicunt urbem captam esse. "They say that the city has been captured."
Captam (acc. f. sg.) agrees with urbem (acc. f. sg.).
Credo milites victos esse. "I believe that the soldiers were defeated."
Victos (acc. m. pl.) agrees with milites (acc. m. pl.).
Check: Translate: Nuntiant reginam interfectam esse. Identify the PPP form, the noun it agrees with, and the voice of the infinitive.