Need help with- Indirect Discource to Direct!

Here you can discuss all things Latin. Use this board to ask questions about grammar, discuss learning strategies, get help with a difficult passage of Latin, and more.
Post Reply
nightmare666
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:13 pm

Need help with- Indirect Discource to Direct!

Post by nightmare666 »

Hi,

I have been struggling a little bit with switching from Indirect Discourse to Direct Discourse! Can you please help me figure it out...

How would you switch this:

a quibus deductum ac depravatum Pompeium queritur invidia atque obtrectatione laudis suae, cuius ipse honori et dignitati semper faverit adiutorque fuerit.

Since the main verb is queritur, do I take it out? and just switch the tenses of the other verbs? How would you rewrite it and why? Please explain and help me with this, and not just give me the direct latin. I Need to understand this.

Thank you!

A. :oops:

Rhodopeius
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 55
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:52 am

Re: Need help with- Indirect Discource to Direct!

Post by Rhodopeius »

nightmare666 wrote:Since the main verb is queritur, do I take it out? and just switch the tenses of the other verbs? How would you rewrite it and why? Please explain and help me with this, and not just give me the direct latin. I Need to understand this.
According to the rules of the board you should probably try to give your attempts or reasonings first before receiving help. That's the only way people know they are really helping you by thinking it out with you, not just giving you answers.

But anyway, to rewrite the entire statement I think hinges on first identifying the subject of the indirect discourse: Pompeius. To write that clause in direct discourse,

a quibus deductus ac depravatus Pompeius (est),

Then you would have to identify the subject of the verb queritur and that of the subjunctive verbs in the dependent clause, which could be one and the same(if this is part of a larger passage it would help if you posted the entire thing or at least enough to get a better sense of who is talking about whom). So, it seems we have to imagine this person as the speaker or writer, not someone who is being spoken or written about. In that case, we would have to not only change from the subjunctive to indicative, but change the tense from third person singular to first person singular.

cuius ipse honori et dignitati semper favi adiutorque fui. ;

Putting it all together:

A quibus deductus ac depravatus Pompeius est invidia atque obtrectatione laudis suae, cuius ipse honori et dignati semper favi adiutorque fui.

Now be warned, this is a suggestion based on the passage you posted. If your teacher is giving you leeway to use your imagination to change the passage from indirect to direct discourse, then this will probably be fine. But if this is part of a larger passage and you've been instructed specifically to get the subject and everything right, then there's a chance this might not fly. If I haven't been clear enough or you have further questions I'm happy to help.
Scott Sumrall. http://classicsexercises.blogspot.com

"Qui sis, non unde natus sis reputa."

nightmare666
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: Need help with- Indirect Discource to Direct!

Post by nightmare666 »

Rhodopeius wrote: A quibus deductus ac depravatus Pompeius est invidia atque obtrectatione laudis suae, cuius ipse honori et dignati semper favi adiutorque fui.
Why did you put deducus? and when I did it on my own, I wrote Fuero as the verb...does that make sense?

Rhodopeius
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 55
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:52 am

Re: Need help with- Indirect Discource to Direct!

Post by Rhodopeius »

nightmare666 wrote:
Rhodopeius wrote: Why did you put deducus? and when I did it on my own, I wrote Fuero as the verb...does that make sense?
Since Pompieus is the subject of the indirect discourse, when putting it in direct discourse it must be changed from the accusative case to the nominative. That also goes for the past participles nominating it. So Pompeium becomes Pompeius, deductum=deductus, etc.

If you wrote fuero in this place of fuerit, that would make sense, but it would change the meaning from "of whose honor and merit I have been a helper" to "of whose honor and merit I will have been a helper." I used fui, the perfect tense, because the subjunctive of the clause dependent on the indirect discourse is the perfect sujunctive. I think you are confusing it with the future perfect indicative tense, to which it is identical in the 3rd person singular.
Scott Sumrall. http://classicsexercises.blogspot.com

"Qui sis, non unde natus sis reputa."

nightmare666
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: Need help with- Indirect Discource to Direct!

Post by nightmare666 »

Rhodopeius wrote: If you wrote fuero in this place of fuerit, that would make sense, but it would change the meaning from "of whose honor and merit I have been a helper" to "of whose honor and merit I will have been a helper." I used fui, the perfect tense, because the subjunctive of the clause dependent on the indirect discourse is the perfect sujunctive. I think you are confusing it with the future perfect indicative tense, to which it is identical in the 3rd person singular.
:mrgreen:

Oh okay. That makes sense. Thank you so much! You have been a wonderful help!

Post Reply