Deponent Verbs Passive in form Active in meaning

De + ponere • Deponent verbs are a class of verbs which have “put down” or “put aside” some of their forms. • Specifically they have lost (if they ever had) the active forms. • But—perversely!—they have kept the active meaning. • They occur in all conjugations, and have no obvious reason for having taken this path.

Simple active/passive verb parō, parāre 1, parāvī, parātus • parat= he prepares • parātur = he is (being) prepared • Present, imperfect and, future just add the ending –ur. • parāvit = he has prepared • parātus est = he has been prepared • Perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect use two words

Deponent verb: Arbitror, arbitrārī, arbitrātus sum • Remember, deponents only show passive forms, but only have active meanings • arbitrātur he is thinking • arbitrātus est he has thought

Deponents: The present system (present, imperfect, future, imperfect subjunctive) is formed from the first principle part • • Arbitrātur Arbitrābitur Arbitrārētur he is thinking he was thinking he will think he would think

Deponents: The perfect forms use the 4 th principle part plus a form of the verb esse (to be) • • Arbitrātus est Arbitrātus erat Arbitrātus erit Arbitrātus esset he has thought he had thought he will have thought he would have thought

Deponent deficits • Some forms are normally seen as made from the active infinitive, but the deponent verb doesn’t have one: • The imperfect subjunctive: parāret • The commands/imperatives: parā, parāte

Deponents • Imperfect subjunctive is normally made from the infinitive, but since the infinitive has lost its normal form, it needs to be reconstructed first: • Deponent inf. • • arbitrārī verērī loquī orīrī

Deponents • Then move back to what the infinitive would be, if the verb were not deponent, replacing -i with -e or -ere • Deponent inf. reconstructed inf. • • (arbitrāre) (verēre) (loquere) (orīre) arbitrārī verērī loquī orīrī

Deponents • This recontructed form is used to form the imperfect subjunctive • Deponent inf. reconstructed inf. Imperf subjunctive • • (arbitrāre) (verēre) (loquere) (orīre) arbitrārētur verērētur loquerētur orīrētur arbitrārī verērī loquī orīrī

Deponents • The reconstructed infinitive is also used for the singular imperative/command form • arbitrārī arbitrāre think! • verērī verēre fear! • loquī loquere speak! • orīrī orīre rise!

Deponents • The plural command/imperative adds -mini to the present -tur form • arbitrātur arbitrāmini you all think! • verētur verēmini you all fear! • loquitur loquimini you all speak! • orītur orīmini you all rise!