Gerundives
- The gerundive is a verbal adjective: a form of the verb that acts like an adjective. The gerundive is the adjectival form of the gerund.
- The gerundive substitutes for the future passive participle.
- The gerundive is formed from the present stem of the verb by adding the usual vowels and -ndus. The gerundive is declined like all adjectives ending in -us, -a, -um.
am-a-ndus, a, um
vid-e-ndus, a, um
reg-e-ndus, a, um
cap-ie-ndus, a, um
aud-ie-ndus, a, um
- The gerundive is used to form the passive periphrastic in its sense of necessity (also called the gerundive of obligation). The gerundive plus a form of sum conveys a strong sense of obligation in the present, past, or future tenses, and in both moods:
Amandus est. He must be loved.
Amandus erat. He had to be loved.
Amandus erit. He will have to be loved.
Note: The gerundive of obligation and the passive periphrastic ("He must be loved." vs. "He is to be loved.") are the same thing in both form and sense. The only difference is that sometimes it carries a greater or lesser degree of necessity, depending on context.
- The gerundive can also take a dative of agent. The dative of agent is usually translated as the subject, while the grammatical subject of the gerundive is translated as the object.
Amandus est tibi. You must love him. (He must be loved by you.)
- The gerundive is often used in place of the gerund. Where the gerund would take an accusative object, the object is instead put into the case of the gerund, and the gerundive modifies it.
Example:
Habeo equum venando apres.
I have a horse for the sake of hunting boars. (gerund with accusative object)
Habeo equum venandis apribus.
I have a horse for the sake of hunting boars. (...for the sake of boars which must be hunted) (gerundive modifying object in the case of the original gerund)
renovata Idibus Juliis MMDCCLV A.U.C. (ab urbe condita)
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