Both Latin and English employ the passive voice to indicate the relationship between a verb and its subject. Latin indicates the passive voice of a verb through inflection.
Both English and Latin employ Passive Voice verbs to indicate the relationship between a verb and its subject. The Passive Voice indicates when someone or something does something to the subject of a sentence. This is in contrast to the active voice which indicates what the subject is or is doing. The distinction may be subtle but it is monumentally important to recognize both forms in English and Latin. This is especially important for Latin students who may completely change the meaning of a written or spoken sentence by failing to use or recognize the appropriate voice of a verb.
The English Passive Voice
The English Passive Voice is used to indicate when someone or something does an action to the subject of a sentence. In English, the Passive Voice is formed with the auxiliary verb “to be” plus the past participle form of the verb. For example:
The book is given to John by Mary
Notice that the subject of the sentence (book) is having something done to it (is given) by someone (Mary). “John” is used in the sentence simply to indicate to whom the book was given. To indicate that the action takes place at another time, the auxiliary verb “to be” must be conjugated into its appropriate form. For example:
The book was given to John by Mary.
The book will be given to John by Mary.
Notice two things here: First, the past participle (given) form of the verb did not change from sentence to sentence even though the action takes place at different times in each sentence. Second, the auxiliary verb did change to indicate the time at which the action takes place (is given, was given, and will be given).
The Latin Passive Voice
The Latin Passive Voice functions similarly to English. However, since Latin is an inflected language, the verb ending changes to indicate when the action takes place. For example:
Liber Caesari a regina donor.
A book is given to Caesar by the queen.
Notice that the subject of the sentence (book) is having something done to it (is given) by someone (queen). “Caesar” is used in the sentence to indicate to whom the book was given. As a side note, the phrase “a regina” is the ablative of agent, a construction often used with the passive voice. When the doer of the action of a passive voice sentence is an object, the ablative of means or instrument is used instead.
More examples of Latin passive voice are on the next page...
Latin Active Voice, Passive Voice, and Deponent Verbs: An English Comparison
English and Latin both employ Active and Passive Voice verbs to indicate the relationship between a verb and its subject. Only Latin has Deponent verbs. These verbs are passive in form but have active meanings. English’s lack of Deponent verbs makes learning them difficult for Latin students.