PRESENT ACTIVE PARTICIPLES Chapter 40

What is a participle? Verbal adjective As an adjective it modifies a noun & has: case Number gender As a verb it can take a direct object & has Tense Voice

How do I form the present participle? It is the present stem of your verb + -ns, -ntis: [Remember you get the present stem by dropping the –re from the 2nd principal part] vocare [1st] vocans, vocantis monēre [2nd] monens, monentis ducere [3rd] ducens, ducentis capere [3rd-io] capiens, capientis audire [4th] audiens, audientis [Hint: the English word present will help you remember that there is -nt in the stem of a present participle in Latin!]

How do I decline the present active participle? Use 3rd declension i-stem endings Masc. Fem. Neut Nom. amans amans amans Gen. amantis amantis amantis Dat. amanti amanti amanti Acc. amantem amantem amans Abl. amante/i amante/i amante/I Nom. amantes amantes amantia Gen. amantium amantium amantium Dat. amantibus amantibus amantibus Acc. amantes amantes amantia Abl. amantibus amantibus amantibus

How do I translate the present participle? “…..ing Sometimes the English sense is better if you translate the participle as a phrase using “who” For example: Puer cenam laudans ridebat. The boy, praising the dinner, was smiling Puellas ambulantes in urbem scio. I know the girls [who are] walking into the city.

Is there a word order? Yes, just as with the perfect passive participle, the Latin participle will be at the end of its clause and the noun it modifies will be at the beginning of the clause. [Cornelia epistulas scribens] Flaviam in horto spectabat

Word order example [Cornelia epistulas scribens] Flaviam in horto spectabat. Cornelia, writing letters was watching Flavia in the garden. Scribens modifies Cornelia. Because scribens is the present active participle, it is at the end of the phrase and Cornelia is at the beginning. You can always find the participial phrase in any Latin sentence and put brackets around it if you will remember this simple trick.

In Summary Present active participles, like all participles, are verbal adjectives You can recognize them by the “-ns” or “-ntis” marker They are translated with “-ing” They take third declension adjective endings