The principles of Latin grammar; comprising the ... - Essan.org

104 THE VERB.—TENSES. § 4819 Dicit literas scriptas fuisse, He says that letters have >een written.20 Dixit literas scriptasfuisse, He said that letters had been written21 Dlcet literas scriptasfuisse, He will say that letters have been written.22 Dlcit literas scriptum Iri, He says that letters will be written.23 Dixit literas scriptw.t Iri, He said that letters would be written.24 Dlcet literas scriptum Iri, He will say that letters would be written.Note 3.—When the preceding verb is of the imperfect, or pluperfect tense,the English of the infinitive is the same as when it is of the perfect indefinite,i. e. is the same as the infinitive after dixit, in the preceding table.Note 4.—As the perfect definite (162) connects the action completed withthe present time, the infinitive after it, in this sense, will generally betranslated as it is after the present ; as, dixit me scribere,— scripsisse, — scripturumesse, u Jie has said that I am writing,—was writing,—will write," i. e. asit is in Examples Nos. 1, 4, and 7. With dixit used indefinitely, the infinitivewould be rendered as in Examples Nos. 2, 5, and 8.Note 5.—Because memory always refers to something past, the infinitivepresent after rnemini)u \ remember," is translated by the past tense; as,memlnime dicer e, "I remember that I said," (not "that 1 say"). Meminime dixisse is also a proper formula to express the same thing.Exc. 1.When the present infinitive expresses that which is always true,it must be translated in the present, after any tense (157—1) ; as, doctuserat Deum gubemare mundum, " he had been taught that God governsthe world."Exc. 2. When the present infinitive expresses an act subsequent to thetime of the governing verb, it is translated, after any tense, by thepotential,with should, woidd; as, necesse est (fuit, fuerat) te Ire, "it is (was,had been) necessary that you should go."181.—§ 48. NUMBER AND PERSON.1. Every tense of the verb has two numbers, the singular,and the plural, corresponding to the singular, and the pluralof nouns and pronouns.2. In each number, the verb has three persons, called first,second, and third. The first asserts of the person speaking;the second, of the person spoken to ;and the third, of the personor thing spoken of. In the Imperative, there are onlytwopersons, the second, and the third.TABLE OF PERSONAL ENDINGS.The following table shows the personal endings, both singularand plural, of all regular verbs, in all con luxations xn