Deponent Verbs
Deponent verbs are passive in form but active in meaning. They have no active voice forms at all. You need to recognise them and translate them as active — do not be misled by the passive endings.
What Are Deponents?
A deponent verb looks passive but means something active. The key signs:
- The present ends in -or (1st person singular): loquor = I speak
- The infinitive ends in -ī: loquī = to speak
- The perfect uses the perfect passive participle + sum: locūtus sum = I spoke (not "I was spoken")
Common GCSE deponent verbs
| Verb | Infinitive | Perfect | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| loquor | loquī | locūtus sum | speak |
| sequor | sequī | secūtus sum | follow |
| patior | patī | passus sum | suffer, allow |
| hortor | hortārī | hortātus sum | encourage |
| moror | morārī | morātus sum | delay, linger |
Paradigm: loquor (to speak)
loquor is a 3rd conjugation deponent. Its forms look passive but translate actively.
Parsing Deponents
When you parse a deponent form, give: person, number, tense, voice ("deponent — active meaning"), mood, and meaning.
Example: loquitur → 3rd person singular, present, deponent (passive form/active meaning), indicative = he/she speaks.
Example: secūtī sunt → 3rd person plural, perfect, deponent = they followed.
Exam tip: The biggest deponent trap in translation is the perfect: locūtus est looks like "he was spoken" (perfect passive) but means "he spoke". Always check whether a verb is listed as a deponent in the vocabulary list. If it is, the -us sum / -a est / -ī sunt forms are perfect active meanings, not passive.