An infinitive is the part of a verb which is unaffected by person or number. In English this part of a verb is easily recognised as it is preceded by ‘to’. For example: ‘to call’.
Active infinitives
In Latin there are three infinitive forms in the active voice.
1. Present active
In a dictionary, the present active infinitive form of a verb is shown as the second principal part and we have come across it several times already.
voco, vocare, vocavi, vocatum (1) to call
Normally the ending for first conjugation verbs is ‘-are’, second conjugation verbs ‘–ere’, third conjugation verbs ‘-ere’, and fourth conjugation verbs ‘-ire’.
For example:
| Verb | Present active infinitive | |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | Latin | English |
| clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (1) | clamare | to claim |
| habeo, habere, habui, habitum (2) | habere | to have |
| mitto, mittere, misi, missum (3) | mittere | to send |
| servio, servire, servivi, servitum (4) | servire | to serve |
2. Perfect active
To form the perfect active infinitive of a verb, add ‘-sse’ to the third principal part of the verb.
For example:
| Verb | Perfect active infinitive | |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | Latin | English |
| clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (1) | clamavisse | to have claimed |
| habeo, habere, habui, habitum (2) | habuisse | to have had |
| mitto, mittere, misi, missum (3) | misisse | to have sent |
| servio, servire, servivi, servitum (4) | servivisse | to have served |
Handy hint
If there is a ‘-v’ at the end of the stem, there is sometimes an abbreviated form of the infinitive which excludes the ‘-vi’.
For example:
clamavisse can become clamasse
servivisse can become servisse
3. Future active
To form the future active infinitive of a verb, use the future participle (formed by removing the ‘-m’ from the supine and adding ‘-rus’) and add ‘esse’.
For example:
| Verb | Future active infinitive | |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | Latin | English |
| clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (1) | clamaturus esse | to be about to claim |
| habeo, habere, habui, habitum (2) | habiturus esse | to be about to have |
| mitto, mittere, misi, missum (3) | missurus esse | to be about to send |
| servio, servire, servivi, servitum (4) | serviturus esse | to be about to serve |
Remember
The future participle acts like an adjective, agreeing with the subject of the verb, and declines like ‘bonus, -a, -um’.
Passive infinitives
In Latin there are also three infinitive forms in the passive voice.
1. Present passive
To form the present passive infinitive of a verb of the first, second or fourth conjugation, remove the ‘-e’ ending from the present infinitive and add ‘-i’.
For example:
| voco, vocare, vocavi, vocatum (1) | to call |
| vocari | to be called |
To form the present passive infinitive of a verb of the third conjugation, remove the ‘-ere’ ending from the present infinitive and add ‘-i’.
For example:
| dico, dicere, dixi, dictum (3) | to say |
| dici | to be said |
Thus:
| Verb | Present passive infinitive | |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | Latin | English |
| clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (1) | clamari | to be claimed |
| habeo, habere, habui, habitum (2) | haberi | to be had |
| mitto, mittere, misi, missum (3) | mitti | to be sent |
| servio, servire, servivi, servitum (4) | serviri | to be served |
2. Perfect passive
To form the perfect passive infinitive of a verb, remove the ‘-m’ of the supine, add ‘-s’ to get the past participle and then add ‘esse’.
For example:
| Verb | Perfect passive infinitive | |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | Latin | English |
| clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (1) | clamatus esse | to have been claimed |
| habeo, habere, habui, habitum (2) | habitus esse | to have been had |
| mitto, mittere, misi, missum (3) | missus esse | to have been sent |
| servio, servire, servivi, servitum (4) | servitus esse | to have been served |
3. Future passive
To form the future passive infinitive of a verb, remove the ‘-m’ of the supine and add ‘-s’ to get the past participle and then add ‘fore’.
Handy hint
If you have studied Classical Latin before, you will notice that instead of the supine + ‘iri’, Medieval Latin uses the past participle + ‘fore’ to form the future passive infinitive.
For example:
| Verb | Future passive infinitive | |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | Latin | English |
| clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (1) | clamatus fore | to be about to be claimed |
| habeo, habere, habui, habitum (2) | habitus fore | to be about to be had |
| mitto, mittere, misi, missum (3) | missus fore | to be about to be sent |
| servio, servire, servivi, servitum (4) | servitus fore | to be about to be served |
Remember
The past participle acts like an adjective, agreeing with the subject of the verb, and declines like ‘bonus, -a, -um’.
Deponent infinitives
The infinitives of deponent verbs follow the rules for passive infinitives, as demonstrated above.
Accusative and infinitive clause
In the medieval documents you come across, you will frequently see the infinitive being used in conjunction with the accusative. This is called an accusative and infinitive clause, or an indirect statement, and is translated in a particular way.
For example:
Credo Johannem dedisse Matheo terram.
I believe that John has given the land to Matthew. (Literally – I believe John to have given to Matthew the land.)
Handy hint
You will often be able to spot an accusative and infinitive clause coming up from the type of verb which precedes it.
For example:
| to hear | audio, audire, audivi, auditum (4) |
| to say | dico, dicere, dixi, dictum (3) |
| to think | puto, putare, putavi, putatum (1) |
| to believe | credo, credere, credidi, creditum (3) |
| to know | scio, scire, scivi, scitum (4) |
Checklist
Are you confident with
- the meaning of an active infinitive?
- the form of an active infinitive?
- the meaning of a passive infinitive?
- the form of a passive infinitive?
- the meaning of an accusative and infinitive clause?
- the form of an accusative and infinitive clause?