Gerundives

Gerundives, like gerunds are a type of verbal noun, which means that they function both as nouns and as verbs. Gerundives, however, are used adjectivally, and so will modify a noun and agree with that noun in case, number and gender (thus the adjective/participle-like endings for a gerundive).

Gerundives are essential future passive participles. The future notion in the gerundive comes out as a sense of obligation in addition to the normal meaning of the verb:

	cena paranda est, "the dinner must be prepared", "the dinner is to-be-prepared".
	pueri monendi sunt, "the children must be warned".
	imperium regendum erat, "the empire must be ruled".
	magister audiendus est, "the teacher must be listened to".

Gerundives can also be used like gerunds when the writer/speaker wants the gerund construction to adjectivally modify a noun:

	Maecenas poetas incitabat ad carmina componenda, "Maecenas was encouraging poets to compose poems", "Maecenas was encouraging poets for the purpose of poems to-be-composed". The gerund equivalent would be "ad carmina componendum" where the carmina is the direct object of the gerund "componendum" rather than the noun the gerundive modifies. The purpose notion comes from the "ad + the accusative".
	Maecenas amicos convocavit ad recitationem audiendam, "Maecenas called together his friends to hear a recitation", "Maecenas called together his friends for the purpose of the recitation to-be-heard". The gerund equivalent would be "ad recitationem audiendum".

Because English has no equivalent of the gerundive, a strict passive translation is very awkward. That is why the above examples with "ad" were changed to active translations with an infinitive, "for the pupose of the recitation to-be-heard" to "to hear the recitation".

Note: gerundives of deponent verbs are passive in meaning, i.e. "sequendus" means "to be followed".

Main Index

General Principles
Sentence Structure
Morphology
Skeleton Types
Verbs
Case Usage
Adverbs
Infinitives
Gerunds
Gerundives
Dependent Clauses
Connection
The Book

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Related Topics

Lesson Chapter 51

Infinitive Morphology

Gerundive Morphology

Gerund Morphology

Passive Periphrastics

Verban Noun

Last Updated March 18, 2003

Questions, comments and corrections should be sent to Brian K. Harvey, Kent State University