MS: Lesson - Indirect Statements - Additional Notes

Indirect Statements - Additional Notes

Below you will find information on 3rd person pronoun subjects and negation. Please take careful notes as these topics impacts indirect statements regularly.

3rd Person Pronoun Subjects

In the third person, Latin has two options for the personal pronoun: using the demonstrative pronoun is, ea, id or using the reflexive pronoun se. The reflexive pronoun is used when the subject of the main verb is being referred to: She sees herself. If she sees someone else, Latin would use the regular pronoun eam: She sees her (someone else). Notice, in English, we differentiate only by adding the suffix -self to her.

In an indirect statement, the accusative is used as the subject of the infinitive of the indirect statement. Consider the following two sentences:

  • Pseudolus putat eum non esse tutum.
  • Pseudolus putat se non esse tutum.

In the first example, eum is used to refer to a male 3rd person other than Pseudolus. In example two, se is used to refer back to Pseudolus. So the translations are:

  1. Pseudolus thinks that he is not safe.
    • he refers to someone else
  2. Pseudolus thinks that he is not safe.
    • he refers to Pseudolus

English does not differentiate! In English, there would have to be some prior sentence providing context (for instance, the line before might have been: Pseudolus is worried about Maecenas). Latin, though, provides that extra piece of information, showing the difference between the reflexive and non-reflexive pronouns. Pay attention to this difference as you translate.

3rd Person Reflexive Forms

Reminder: the 3rd person reflexive forms are the same, whether singular or plural. There is no nominative form, so we only have the following:

  • Genitive = sui
  • Dative = sibi
  • Accusative = se (or sese)
  • Ablative = se (or sese)

Indirect Statement - Negation

There are two ways to create a negative indirect statement:

  • Using the adverb non or other negative adverbs (numquam, for instance) will negate the indirect statement.
    • Arbitratus sum te non venire.
      • I thought you weren't coming.
    • Non arbitratus sum te venire.
      • I did not think that you were coming.
  • Using the verb nego, negare, negavi, negatus - to say no, deny, as the head verb will negate the indirect statement. The Romans were quite fond of double negatives, and so you can even see constructions like non negare - to not deny. Look over the following options below:
    • Negavi me venturum esse.
      • I denied that I would come.
      • I said that I would not come.
    • Non dixi me venturum esse.
      • I did not say that I would come.
    • Non negavi me venturum esse.
      • I did not deny that I would come.
      • I did not say that I would not come.