Latin for Beginners eBook

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PLURAL 1. ama:ba:’mus, we were loving mone:ba:’mus, we were advising -mus 2. ama:ba:’tis, you were loving mone:ba:’tis, you were advising -tis 3. ama:’bant, they were loving mone:’bant, they wereadvising -nt

a. Note that the a:\ of the tense sign -ba:- is shortened before
-nt, and before m\ and t\ when final. (Cf. Sec. 12.2.)

In a similar manner inflect the verbs given in Sec. 129.

134. Meaning of the Imperfect. The Latin imperfect describes an act as going on or progressing in past time, like the English past-progressive tense (as, I was walking). It is the regular tense used to describe a past situation or condition of affairs.

135. EXERCISES

I. 1. Videbamus, desiderabat, maturabas. 2. Dabant, vocabatis, delebamus. 3. Pugnant, laudabas, movebatis. 4. Iubebant, properabatis, portabamus. 5. Dabas, narrabant, laborabatis. 6. Videbant, movebas, nuntiabamus. 7. Necabat, movebam, habebat, parabatis.

II. 1. You were having (sing. and plur.), we were killing, they were laboring. 2. He was moving, we were ordering, we were fighting. 3. We were telling, they were seeing, he was calling. 4. They were living, I was longing for, we were destroying. 5. You were giving, you were moving, you were announcing, (sing. and plur.). 6. They were caring for, he was plowing, we were praising.

136. NI’OBE AND HER CHILDREN

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 287.

Niobe, regina Thebanorum, erat pulchra femina sed superba. Erat superba non solum forma[1] sua maritique potentia[1] sed etiam magno liberorum numero.[1] Nam habebat[2] septem filios et septem filias. Sed ea superbia erat reginae[3] causa magnae tristitiae et liberis[3] causa durae poenae.

NOTE. The words Niobe\, Thebanorum\, and mariti\ will be found in the general vocabulary. Translate the selection without looking up any other words.

[Footnote 1: Ablative of cause.]

[Footnote 2: Translate had; it denotes a past situation. (See
Sec. 134.)]

[Footnote 3: Dative, cf. Sec. 43.]