Indirect Statement

Terminology

Direct vs. Indirect Statements

o A DIRECT statement is made by some (perhaps unstated) speaker, directly.

In dialogue, direct statements are offset by quotations. EXAMPLE: We say, You are
evil.

Every sentence you have worked on up until this point in your Latin studies is an
example of a direct statement.

o An INDIRECT statement is a statement contained within a larger, over-arching sentence. If the

indirect statement were removed from its context, it too would be a direct statement.

In dialogue, indirect statements are NOT offset by quotations. EXAMPLE: We say that
you are evil. We say you are evil.

Often, the subject of the sentence containing an indirect statement is either commenting
on or reporting what has been stated elsewhere.

An indirect statement will always come after a verb that involves either one of the senses
(seeing, hearing, etc.), intellectual or emotional perception (understanding, perceiving,
believing, feeling, etc.), or communication (saying, shouting, reporting, whispering,
writing, reading, etc.).

These may be conceived of as either sensory + communication verbs, or

Adams apple verbs (meaning every organ that does one of these actions is
located above the Adams apple: mouth, ears, eyes, brain)

See textbook p. 224 for a vocabulary list, of which the majority are verbs that
would fall under this Adams apple designation.

Also note classic Latin I verbs that can introduce an indirect statement:
o clm (1), to shout, yell
o dc, dcere, dx, dctum, to say, speak, tell
o narr (1), to tell
o nnti (1), to announce, report

Also, note there are some important deponent verbs that do the same:
o arbitror, arbitrr, arbitrtus sum (deponent), to think, judge, decide
o loquor, loqu, loctus sum, (deponent), to say, speak
o for, fr, ftus sum (deponent), to say, speak

Indirect Statement
o fer, ferre, tul, ltus (irregular), to bring, bear, report

Also, a few phrases that are less obvious but would also introduce indirect
statement, such as:
o erat fbula, There was a story (that).
o fama est, The rumor/report is (that).

In English, the indirect statement can be identified as a subordinate clause; it often but
does not have to follow an introductory that.

rti Oblqua (Latin for Indirect Speech)

o Indirect speech is sometimes referred to by its Latin name in grammar books.
o Three types of indirect speech exist:

Indirect Statements acc. vs. nom. + infinitive vs. indicative

Indirect Commands subjunctive vs. imperative/indicative

Indirect Questions subjunctive vs. indicative

Rules for Indirect Statement in Latin

(1) Anything that would be expressed as nominative case in a direct statement becomes ACCUSATIVE in
indirect statement
o Nominative Subject >> Accusative Subject (of an indirect statement)
o Nominative Predicate >> Accusative Predicate

(2) The main verb of a direct statement becomes an INFINITIVE mood verb in indirect statement
o Be sure to note the tense and voice of the infinitive
o Infinitives that have the participial portion ending in us, -a, -um will have to AGREE WITH THEIR
(now accusative) SUBJECT

Places where you will have to think of this:

perfect passive infinitive: laudtus, -a, -um esse

future active infinitive: laudtrus, -a, -um esse

Examples:

I did not know that the (female) teachers had been praised yesterday. Nescv
magistrs her laudts esse.

Indirect Statement

Do you think that you (m.) will praise this very good student soon? putsne t
hunc discipulum optimum mox laudtrum esse?

o Infinitives are translated into Latin based on their tense RELATIVE TO THE TIME of the main verb
introducing the indirect statement.

vide t esse flicem

I see (that) you are happy

vide t fuisse flicem

I see (that) you have been/were happy.

video t ftrum esse flicem

I see that you will be happy

Main verb in a past tense:

vidbam t esse flicem

I saw (that) you were (being) happy

vid t fuisse flicem

I saw (that) you had been happy

vd t ftrum esse flicem

I saw that you would be happy

Main verb in the present tense:

Main verb in a future tense:

vidb t esse flicem

I will see (that) you will be happy.

vder t fuisse flicem

I will have seen (that) you are/were/have/had

been happy.

vdb t ftrum esse flicem

????

(3) EVERYTHING ELSE STAYS THE SAME (ceters paribus, all else being the same)
o Adverbs are just adverbs in indirect statement
o prepositional phrases are just prepositional phrases in indirect statement
o genitives, datives, ablatives all work the same in indirect statement
o yes, even:

accusatives of direct object, place to which, duration of time/extent of space, and object
complement are all going to be the same in indirect statement

T semper humillima in lud ers et bene tus cum amcs cognscbs, mea
discipula. You were always very humble in school and learned well with your
friends, my student.

Indirect Statement

Ali magistr, mea discipula, mihi t semper humillimam in lud fuisse et

bene tus cum amcs cognvisse dcunt. The other teachers tell me that you
were always very humble in school and learned well with your friends, my
student.

verbs that would be infinitive in a direct statement (e.g., complementary infinitive to

possum or some other verb) would still be the same kind of an infinitive in the indirect
statement

tempt vs omns docre. I am trying to teach you all.

nnne crditis m quam optim vs omns docre temptre. Dont you

believe that I am trying to teach you all as well as I can?

o EXCEPTION: a subordinate clause within an indirect statement has its verb in the subjunctive
(well practice this later)

Example: I thought that this soldier, who had killed so many enemies, was the most
worthy of praise.

arbitrtus sum hunc mlitem, qu tot hosts interfcisset, esse laude

dignissimum.
o The subordinate clause quinterfcisset resides within an indirect
statement, (that) this solder was the most worthy of praise
o Its verb, had killed, is in the pluperfect subjunctive: interfcisset

SUMMARY OF RULES: ADAMS APPLE VERB + ACCUSATIVE + (more Latin, probably) +

INFINITIVE = INDIRECT STATEMENT

Rules of Thumb: (Regulae Pollicis)

o Word order:

The Adams apple verb that introduces an indirect statement can either precede or
follow the actual indirect statement.

Indirect statements are subordinate clauses

In Latin word order is highly flexible. Subordinate clauses can be put at the
beginning, end, or middle of any sentence.

The accusative subject of an indirect statement will be the first word or at least the first
accusative noun of the indirect statement.

The infinitive verb of the indirect statement often closes out the indirect statement,
coming at the end.

Indirect Statement
o Translating the infinitive verb of the indirect statement accurately based on tense:

Present tense infinitive = make the verb in the indirect statement sound like its
happening at the same as the main verb

Perfect infinitive = make the verb in the indirect statement sound like its happened prior
to the main verb

Future infinitive = make the verb in the indirect statement sound like its happens or is
going to happen after the main verb

Examples of Sentences

Direct Statements:
o Marcus is bad. Mrcus malus est.
o Marcus is bad, says the consul. Mrcus malus est, inquit consul.
o You are happy. T es laeta.
o The girls play at home (locative). Puellae dom ldunt.
o Those towns were big. Illa oppida magna sunt.
o I love Latin. Ego am Latnam linguam.

Indirect Statements:
o Do you think that Marcus is bad?

Putsne Mrcum malum esse.

o The consul says that Marcus is bad.

Consul dcit Mrcum malum esse.

o I refuse to believe that you are happy.

Neg crdere t laetum esse.

o The big, bad wolf heard that the girls would be playing at home.
Magnus lpus malus audvit [puells dom lusrs esse].
o Throughout the long journey, many soldiers noticed those towns were big.
o Everyone will know that today I loved Latin.
linguam amvisse.
o He knew that I had been happy.

Omns scient m (hc tempore/hdi) Latnam

Scvit m fuisse laetum.

Indirect Statement
Practice Sentences
1. We believe that you (pl.) understand Latin.

2. In the presence of the consuls, the senate confirmed that the army was prepared.

3. putsne hs legs novs barbars pertentrs esse?

4. Our mother realized that she (use s, the acc. of the reflexive pronoun) had made a mistake.

5. All parents hope that their children will be happy.

6. I am saying that he has left the city.

7. fama est Caesarem mox ad taliam reventrum esse.

8. discipul maxim cum gaudi ldum tempestte mal clausum esse.

9. nn negbimus t opus confcisse.

10. ille idex nn idicverat/existimverat captvs in hc carcere labrtrs esse.