# Latin/Lesson 8-Ablative Absolute and Accusative Infinitive

## Ablative Absolute

The ablative absolute construction is used in a sentence to provide a
background for the main action in the sentence. An ablative absolute is
formed with a noun and an adjective or participle in the ablative case.

`<i>`{=html}`<b>`{=html}convivis ingressis`</b>`{=html} ille cenam
parat`</i>`{=html}

`<b>`{=html}With the guests having entered`</b>`{=html}, he prepares
dinner.

`<i>`{=html}`<b>`{=html}domino convivanti`</b>`{=html} servi diligenter
laborabant`</i>`{=html}

`<b>`{=html}With the master feasting`</b>`{=html}, the slaves were
working diligently.

`<i>`{=html}`<b>`{=html}omnibus ieiunis`</b>`{=html} multos panes parare
debuit`</i>`{=html}

`<b>`{=html}With everyone (being) hungry`</b>`{=html}, he had to prepare
lots of bread.

## Accusative Infinitive

The accusative infinitive construction is used to indirectly report
speech or thoughts. An accusative infinitive construction is formed by
taking the indirect clause and putting the subject in the accusative and
the verb in the infinitive.

`<i>`{=html}ille credit `<b>`{=html}pueros stultos
esse`</b>`{=html}`</i>`{=html}

He believes the boys to be fools = He believes `<b>`{=html}that the boys
are fools`</b>`{=html}.

`<i>`{=html}magister parentibus dicit `<b>`{=html}pueros stultos
esse`</b>`{=html}`</i>`{=html}

The teacher says to the parents `<b>`{=html}that the boys are
fools`</b>`{=html}.

`<i>`{=html}colonus uxori dicit `<b>`{=html}se confectum
esse`</b>`{=html}`</i>`{=html}

The farmer says to his wife `<b>`{=html}that he is
exhausted`</b>`{=html}.

In this sentence, note how the reflexive `<i>`{=html}se`</i>`{=html}
refers to the main subject of the sentence.

`<i>`{=html}colonus uxori `<b>`{=html}dixit`</b>`{=html} se confectum
esse`</i>`{=html}

The farmer said to his wife that he `<b>`{=html}was`</b>`{=html} tired.

Note how esse, despite being a present infinitive, is translated into
the past tense. This is because the infinitive uses the action of the
main verb, in this case `<i>`{=html}dixit`</i>`{=html} as a reference
point instead of the present.

But what about sentences such as \"the farmer
`<b>`{=html}says`</b>`{=html} to his wife that he
`<b>`{=html}worked`</b>`{=html} diligently\"? For those, you need to use
the `<b>`{=html}past infinitive`</b>`{=html}.

### Overview of infinitives in all tenses

  Tense     Active                   Passive                Active                    Passive                 Active                   Passive                Active                    Passive
  --------- ------------------------ ---------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------- ------------------------ ---------------------- ------------------------- -----------------------
  Present   amare                    amari                  monere                    moneri                  regere                   regi                   audire                    audiri
  Past      amavisse                 amatus, -a, -um esse   monuisse                  monitus, -a, -um esse   rexisse                  rectus, -a, -um esse   audivisse                 auditus, -a, -um esse
  Future    amaturus, -a, -um esse   amatum iri             moniturus, -a, -um esse   monitum iri             recturus, -a, -um esse   rectum iri             auditurus, -a, -um esse   auditum iri

The sentence \"The farmer says to his wife that he worked diligently\"
would thus translate as:

`<i>`{=html}colonus uxori dicit se diligenter laboravisse`</i>`{=html}

The following examples show how different infinitives with the main verb
in the past and present would appear in English:

-   colonus uxori dixit se diligenter laboravisse = The farmer said to
    his wife that he `<b>`{=html}had worked`</b>`{=html} diligently.
-   colonus uxori dixit se diligenter laborare = The farmer said to his
    wife that he `<b>`{=html}was working`</b>`{=html} diligently.
-   colonus uxori dixit se diligenter laboraturum esse = The farmer said
    to his wife that he `<b>`{=html}would work`</b>`{=html} (or
    `<i>`{=html}was going to work`</i>`{=html}) diligently.
-   colonus uxori dicit se diligenter laboraturum esse = The farmer said
    to his wife that he `<b>`{=html}will work`</b>`{=html} (or
    `<i>`{=html}is going to work`</i>`{=html}) diligently.
-   nuntius mihi dixit urbem deletam esse = The messenger told me that
    the city `<b>`{=html}had been destroyed`</b>`{=html}
-   nuntius mihi dixit urbem deleri = The messenger told me that the
    city `<b>`{=html}was being destroyed`</b>`{=html}
-   nuntius mihi dixit urbem deletum iri = The messenger told me that
    the city `<b>`{=html}would be destroyed`</b>`{=html} (or
    `<i>`{=html}was going to be destroyed`</i>`{=html})
-   nuntius mihi dicit urbem deletum iri = The messenger told me that
    the city `<b>`{=html}will be destroyed`</b>`{=html} (or
    `<i>`{=html}is going to be destroyed`</i>`{=html})

### Translation Exercises

