Present active participle
This grammatical form in Latin is called Participium praesentis activi. In clinical and anatomical practice, such participles are very frequently used to precisely characterize structures or pathologies. For example, in the anatomical term dentes permanentes (permanent teeth), the word permanentes is precisely such a participle.
They are formed from the present verb stem. Specific suffixes must be added to this stem. The choice of the required suffix directly depends on the conjugation of the source verb:
- For verbs of the 1st and 2nd conjugations, the short suffix -ns is used (for example, from dare is formed dans — giving, and from miscēre is formed miscens — mixing).
- For verbs of the 3rd and 4th conjugations, the lengthened suffix -ens is used (from solvĕre we get solvens — dissolving, from audire we get audiens — hearing).
The most important grammatical feature: in the genitive singular (Genetivus singularis), absolutely all participles of this group end in -ntis. At the same time, the practical stem of the participle always ends in the combination -nt-.
Rules of declension for present participles
All present active participles decline according to the rules of the 3rd declension. Their paradigm is completely analogous to second-group adjectives that have a single ending (of the type recens, ntis).
When forming plural forms, gender must be carefully taken into account. In the nominative plural (Nominativus pluralis), the ending -es is used for the masculine and feminine genders (e.g., the form communicantes from the verb communicare — to connect). For the neuter gender in the same case, the ending -ia is used (communicantia).
At the same time, in the genitive plural (Genetivus pluralis), a single universal ending -ium applies to all three genders (respectively yielding the form communicantium).
Past passive participle
In Latin, this form is called Participium perfecti passivi and is a full-fledged verbal adjective. Such words are actively used in pharmacology and clinical practice. Striking examples are the expressions aqua destillata (distilled water) or cysta congenita (congenital cyst).
To construct such participles, the supine is used — one of the basic forms of the Latin verb, which always ends in -um.
The formation algorithm consists of three simple steps:
- The supine form is taken (for example, mixtum or solutum).
- The final ending -um is dropped. The remaining unchanged part is called the supine stem. Most often it ends in the consonants -t, -x or -s.
- Standard gender endings are added to the obtained supine stem: -us for the masculine gender, -a for the feminine gender, and -um for the neuter gender.
| Conjugation | Supine | Participle form | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | datum | datus, a, um | issued |
| II | mixtum | mixtus, a, um | mixed |
| III | solutum | solūtus, a, um | dissolved |
| IV | auditum | audītus, a, um | auscultated / heard |
According to an important grammatical rule (NB!), all past passive participles decline like regular 1st-group adjectives (i.e., they obey the rules of the first and second declensions).
Four principal parts of the Latin verb
In order to form participles without errors (especially past tense forms), it is necessary to constantly rely on the dictionary entry. Latin verbs are traditionally presented in the dictionary in four principal parts that must be memorized:
- The 1st-person singular present tense form (praesens).
- The 1st-person singular perfect form (perfectum — completed past tense).
- The supine (supinum).
- The infinitive (infinitivus).
For example, for a second-conjugation verb, the full dictionary entry looks as follows: misceo, mixi, mixtum, ēre. And for a third-conjugation verb, the entry will be: solvo, solvi, solūtum, ĕre. It is the third position in this list that provides us with the required supine.
To avoid confusing the present tense suffixes, remember the rule of halves: the first half of Latin conjugations (I–II) takes the short suffix -ns, while the second half (III–IV) takes the longer suffix -ens.
Class and exam questions
What is the main difference between the Latin and Russian participle systems?
In Latin, there is strictly one participle for each tense (e.g., one for the present and one for the past), whereas in Russian this system is much more ramified and complex.
How to correctly determine the supine stem?
To do this, you need to take the dictionary form of the supine (this is always the third principal part of the verb in the dictionary) and simply drop the -um ending. The remaining part, which usually ends in -t, -x, or -s, will be the target stem.
According to what type do past participles decline?
Forms of the past passive participle (Participium perfecti passivi) decline in the exact same way as standard 1st-group adjectives. This means they fully obey the rules of the 1st and 2nd Latin declensions.
What else to study on this topic
- Determining the conjugation of a Latin verb by its infinitive
- Declension of Latin 1st and 2nd group adjectives
- Features of the 3rd declension (vowel, consonant, and mixed types)
- Grammatical analysis of multi-word clinical terms with participial modifiers
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