Latin Equivalent for English Future Progressive?

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persequor
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Latin Equivalent for English Future Progressive?

Post by persequor »

Quomodo dicit Latine "I will be teaching", "I will be doing", "I will be going", etc. (substituting any verb other than "be" for the -ing form)? In English this is called Future Progressive, with the future indicative ("I will be") + a present participle (teaching, doing, etc.). Would the Latin future indicative be used, or something else?

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Persequor
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thesaurus
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Re: Latin Equivalent for English Future Progressive?

Post by thesaurus »

I'm not sure Latin uses a separate grammatical construct for the progressive. As they say when you're first learning the verbs, "laudo" can mean "I praise," "I am praising," "I do praise," etc. I imagine the future tense may work the same way: laudabo=I will teach/will be teaching. I may be wrong.

Context could also help clarify the syntax. For example, if you were trying to say that "I will be teaching while the students listen," you could have something like "Dum discipuli audiunt, docebo." If you want to specify the progressive nature of the activity, cum/dum clauses will probably work well.

Dubito linguam Latinam forma propria uti quae actionem sine interruptione significat. Ut ferunt discipulis latinam discentibus, verbum 'laudo' significationes varias Anglice adhibere posse. Idem verbis de rebus futuris tenere dicam.

Contextus etiam sententiam ipsam manifestare potest. Exempli gratia, si vis dicere Anglice "I will be teaching while the students listen," ita construas, "Dum discipuli audiunt, docebo." Si vis indicare tempus verbi perpetuum esse, mea sententia, commas 'cum/dum' continentes adhibeas decet.
Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni, nec praeteritum tempus umquam revertitur nec quid sequatur sciri potest. Quod cuique temporis ad vivendum datur, eo debet esse contentus. --Cicero, De Senectute

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