IS: Lesson - Participles in Context - Substantives

Participles in Context - Substantives

One of the more interesting functions of participles is their role as substantives. A substantive is an adjective being used without a noun, which is serving in the same role as a noun.  Latin adjectives have this ability because they have gender:

Common Substantives
Regular Adjectives Common Participles Other Participles (using gender)
  • omnes - everyone - literally, all (the ones)
  • omnia - everything - literally, all things
  • pulchrae - the pretty women (pulchrae is feminine, so we know it is women)
  • pulchri - the pretty men (pulchri is masculine, so we know it is men)
  • liberi, liberorum, m. - children (from the adjective liber, libera, liberum - free)
  • amans, amantis
    • one who loves = a lover
  • capiens, capientis -
    • one who takes = a captor
  • amatus, amati
    • one having been loved = beloved
  • capti, captorum
    • those having been captured = captives
  • docentes
    • masculine/feminine plural - those who are teaching (docere - to teach)
  • doctus
    • masculine singular - he who has been taught
  • docturum
    • neuter singular - a thing which will be taught
  • facta
    • neuter plural - things which were done (facere - to do)

Examples of Participles being used as Substantives

  1. Amantes sub ponte conveniunt. - The lovers are meeting under the bridge.
  2. De factis non cognovimus! - We did not know about the things that had been done! (We did not know about what had been done!)
  3. Aquam portantes erant defessi. - The boys carrying the water were tired.
  4. Aquam portantes erant defessae. - The girls carrying the water were tired.
  5. Morituri te salutant. - Those who are about to die salute you.

N.B. How can you tell that example 3 is about boys and example 4 is about girls?  Both use the participle portantes. Hint: is there another adjective that hints at the gender?