Participles

Participles in English are verb forms that can function as adjectives, serving to modify nouns and provide additional information about the noun or noun phrase. They are derived from verbs and typically end in “-ing” (present participle) or “-ed” (past participle). 

In Latin, participles also function as adjectives. They are derived from verb stems and have various forms depending on tense and voice. The three types of participles in Latin are present active participles, perfect passive participles, future active participles, and future participles (can be either active or passive). Participles in Latin agree with the gender, number, and case of the nouns they modify, like adjectives.

Present Active Participles

Present participles describe ongoing or simultaneous actions. They are formed by adding endings that agree in gender, number, and case (just like regular adjectives) to the present stem of the verb. 

Example:

Latin: Fēmina rīdēns laeta est. 

English: The laughing woman is happy.

Perfect Passive Participles

Perfect participles describe completed actions. They are always passive in voice. Perfect Passive Participles end in -us (masculine), -a (feminine), or -um (neuter) in the nominative and are the third principal part of the verb. These endings are changes to agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun the participle modifies. These participles are either translated as “having been verbed” or just “verbed”.

Example:

Latin: Omnia virum interfectum amāvēre (amāvērunt). 

English: All (the people) loved the killed man.

Future Participles

Future participles indicate actions that will happen in the future relative to the main verb. They are formed by adding -urus (masculine), -ura (feminine), or -urum (neuter) to the supine stem (fourth principal part) of the verb. Future participles in Latin also agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.

Example:

Latin: Cīvitātēs captūrae ā Rōmānīs parvae erant. 

English: The states about to be captured by the Romans were small.

Participles in Latin agree with the gender, number, and case of the nouns they modify, like adjectives. They can provide additional details, depict ongoing actions, describe completed actions, or convey future actions. They add depth and nuance to the language, allowing for more precise and expressive communication.