Impersonal verbs Flashcards
VERBS EXPRESSING FEELINGS
• Person experiencing feeling = ACCUSATIVE
• Referent, cause, or source of that feeling = GENITIVE
Example: Me miseret Ciceronis - ‘I pity Cicero’
paenitet, -uit, -itum
regret
piget, -uit, -itum
to be bored
pudet, -uit, -itum
to be ashamed
taedet , pertaesum est
to be fed up with, tired of
miseret, -uit, -itum
pity
VERBS EXPRESSING PERMISSION, ABILITY, NECESSITY, DUTY, DESIRE
+ Infinitive
+ Accusative
OR Dative of Person
Example:
a) Me oportet Ciceronem legere = I am obliged to read Cicero
b) Necesse erat mihi laborare = It was necessary for me to work/I had to work
oportet, -uit, + acc
to be obliged to
decet, -uit, + acc.
to be fitting or right to
necesse est/fuit + dat.
it is/was necessary
opus est/fuit + dat.
it was needed/necessary
libet, -uit + dat.
it is pleasing
licet, -uit + dat.
it is allowed, permitted
licet, oportet, and necesse est can also informally TAKE THE SUBJUNCTIVE instead of the infinitive, WITHOUT UT. Under these circumstances, accusative or dative of person are not used:
Examples:
a) Licet cuncti discedant - All were allowed to leave
b) Oportet laboretis - You are obliged to work
c) Necesse erit capiatur - he will need to be captured
IDIOMATIC USES
Three types of ‘idiomatic’ impersonal verbs which have no unifying constructional principle
iuvat, -avit, -atum + acc.
it’s useful or helpful
placet, -ui, -itum + dat.
it’s pleasing (i.e. I/we/they like)
videtur, visum est + dat.
it seems, it seems good, I/we/they decide
Examples:
a) Te iuvat ad universitatem ire
b) Placebitne tibi domum ire?
c) Videtur tibi discedere
d) Visum est nobis pugnare
a) it is useful for you to go to university
b) Will it please you to go home? Would you like to go home?
c) Do you decide to go home?
d) You decided to fight
B) Verbs wich take UT+ SUBJUNCTIVE but never the infinitive
accidit, -cīdit +dat. +ut + subjunctive
to happen to someone
EXAMPLE:
a) accidit vobis ut erretis
b) deinde accidit ei ut captus sit
C) INTEREST and REFERT
it is important, it matters
!!! sometimes takes the ablative feminine personal pronoun for person concerned!!!
e.g. Laborare nihil mea interest - Work is not important to me
Tuā minimi interest quid fiat
it is not very important to you what happens/what may happen
