IS: Lesson - Additional Uses for Future Active Participles
Additional Uses for Future Active Participles
Even though you will occasionally see future active participles being used as adjectives, there are two far more common uses for the future active participle.
Active Periphrastic
The first use has a fancy name: the active periphrastic, but it is actually quite simple to use and translate. The word periphrastic means literally to "talk around" something. In practice, this means using multiple verb forms to express information. English mainly uses periphrastic constructions to express the aspects to time (Marcus was walking = imperfect because of the periphrastic combination of "was" with "walking").
In Latin, the Active Periphrastic combines a future active participle with a form of esse. The form of esse determines the actual time frame of the action. To translate, simple place the linking verb in front of the expression "going to" with the participle's meaning. The participle will agree with the case, number and gender of the subject of the linking verb, so will generally be nominative. Examples:
- Maecenas dicturus est.
- Maecenas is going to talk.
- Note: dicturus agrees with Maecenas: nominative, masculine, singular
- Maecenas is going to talk.
- Maecenas dicturus erat.
- Maecenas was going to talk.
- Maecenas dicturus fuerat.
- Maecenas had been about to talk.
Purpose
The second use is called purpose. The future participle can be used with verbs of motion (venire, cedere, etc.) to express the reason for the motion. The participle will agree with the subject of the verb of motion:
- Pseudolus Maecenam visurus venit. - Pseudolus came to see Maecenas.
- visurus agrees with Pseudolus
- Alternative translation: Pseudolus, who was going to see Maecenas, came.
- Selene informationem coactura ad forum cedet. - Selene will go to the forum to collect information.
- coactura agrees with Selene.
- Alternative Translation: Selene, who is about to collect information, will go to the forum.