text: can anyone come up with a reasonable translation for the latin word 'luctantur'? the literal translations 'they were wrestled' or 'they were struggled' don't really fit the context. any suggestions? here is the context for you: "luctantur pectusque leve in contraria tendunt hac amor, hac odium;"  some english translations have turned 'luctantur' round and translated it as 'i struggle' but i don't see how they have done this; any help would be greatly appreciated. "luctari" means to wrestle or to struggle. so the latin verb (luctari) is in the passive voice. no active voice exists in latin for this verb. yet it translates into english verbs in active voice (to wrestle, to struggle).  hence, "luctantur" means "they wrestle" or "they struggle", not "they were wrestled" or "they were struggled".  there is no "luctant" in latin, only "luctantur". some verbs in latin are just like that. they use only the passive form but have active meaning. so to translate them you just use active voice as if it didn't worry you one bit why the ancient romans chose to use these verbs in this way. ;)