Passive Infinitives: amari, duci
Change -re to -ri, except in the third conjugation, which ends in -i.
How It Works
| Conjugation | Active | Passive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| first | amare | amari | to be loved |
| second | habere | haberi | to be held |
| third | ducere | duci | to be led |
| third -io | capere | capi | to be taken |
| fourth | audire | audiri | to be heard |
The passive infinitive follows the same verbs as the active one, such as possum, volo and debeo: Liber legi potest says that the book can be read.
The perfect passive infinitive is the participle plus esse, and the participle agrees with the noun. In reported speech: Marcus dicit epistulam scriptam esse says that Marcus says the letter has been written.
Examples (5)
- Liber legi potest.
The book can be read.
Legi is the present passive infinitive of lego.
- Puer a patre amari vult.
The boy wants to be loved by his father.
Amari is the present passive infinitive of amo.
- Pueri a magistro doceri volunt.
The boys want to be taught by the teacher.
Doceri is the present passive infinitive of doceo.
- Marcus dicit epistulam scriptam esse.
Marcus says that the letter has been written.
Scriptam esse is the perfect passive infinitive; scriptam agrees with epistulam.
- Deus ab omnibus laudari debet.
God must be praised by everyone.
Laudari is the present passive infinitive of laudo.
Common Mistakes
Using the active infinitive for the passive.
Liber legere potest.Liber legi potest.Legere is the active infinitive, so this sentence says that the book can read. The intended meaning was: the book can be read, which needs the passive legi.
Adding -ri to a third conjugation verb.
Puer a patre duceri vult.Puer a patre duci vult.The third conjugation passive infinitive ends in -i: duci. Only the first, second and fourth conjugations end in -ri.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The passive infinitive changes -re to -ri, and the perfect passive infinitive uses the participle, so the infinitives, the passive and the participle come first.
- The Five Infinitives
Know the infinitives, because amari and duci replace amare and ducere.
Level 2 - Present Passive: amor, amaris, amaturPassive Voice: Amor, Amaris, Amatur
Know the passive voice, because amari means to be loved.
Level 4 - Perfect Passive Participle: amatus, ductus, captusThe Participle: Amatus, Ductus, Captus
Know the participle in -tus, because the perfect passive infinitive is that participle plus esse: amatus esse.
Level 4
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Passive Infinitives: amari, duci in Bubblegum
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