GCSE Latin: Present active participle

GCSE Latin Language → Present active participle

Explanation

The present participle is used to express simultaneous action, e.g.

rex discedens reginam vidit.
The king saw the queen when he was leaving.

It is usually more natural to use while or as when translating the present participle, e.g.

The king saw the queen as he was leaving.

See the participles overview for other ways to translate them.

The present participle can sometimes act as a noun, when you might want to supply a word such as “person” or “people” for translation, e.g.

magna turba clamantium in via erat.
There was a large crowd of people shouting in the street.
amantes in noctem festinaverunt.
The lovers hurried into the night.

Table

The present participle declines in a 3rd Declension pattern:

portans, carrying (m & f)
case singular plural
nom. portans portant-es
acc. portant-em portant-es
gen. portant-is portant-ium
dat. portant-i portant-ibus
abl. portant-e* portant-ibus
portans, carrying (n)
case singular plural
nom. portans portant-ia
acc. portans portant-ia
gen. portant-is portant-ium
dat. portant-i portant-ibus
abl. portant-e* portant-ibus

*The ablative participle is nearly always found in an Ablative Absolute construction, where the singular form ends in –e. Otherwise, the ablative singular ends in –i.

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Practice exercises

Click on individual questions for answers. (Click here to hide all.)

  1. The boys caught sight of the girl while they were running through the city.

  2. The old man called the young men who were standing in the forum.

  3. However, the mother is not able to hear her daughter crying.

  4. They left the town rejoicing greatly.

  5. I will travel to Rome smiling.

  6. The solider was killed by the attacking enemy while defending the wall.

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