Hello all,
I am currently studying both Greek and Latin; working my way through both ‘Latin: An Essential Course’, and ‘Greek: An Essential Course’. And, I am pleased to say that having had a stab at learning Latin once before via Wheelock, and Greek via another textbook, aimed primarily at schoolchildren, I am finding these two textbooks to be a breath of fresh air. They present the material in logical and systematic units, and they assume that the reader is intelligent enough to digest and retain the information thus presented, refraining from burdening him with endless, tedious exercises.
It is testament to this clear, exhaustive, and systematic manner of presentation that I have not yet felt in the least bit confused by any of the rules presented, or constructions introduced - at least that is, until now.
I have a question for you then, concerning the finer points of the formation of the indirect statement in Latin. More specifically, I would like to ask you about the aspect expressed by certain particular constructions of the Latin indirect statement. Sadly my textbook neglects to discuss aspect entirely here and has thus left me slightly unclear on this point.
Now, to illustrate the various possibilities for the expression of indirect statements in Latin, my book uses the following model sentence:
‘dicit auroram terras novo lumine spargere.’
It then proceeds to provide nine variations on this sentence, which differ in the extent to which they vary the tense of the main verb, in this case - ‘dico, dicere’, and in the extent to which they vary the tense of the infinitive - ‘spargere’, The nine examples given are as follows:
Dixit + sparsisse = He said that the dawn had sprinkled the lands with a new light.
Dixit + spargere = He said that the dawn was sprinkling the dawn with a new light.
Dixit + sparsuram esse = He said that the dawn would sprinkle the lands with a new light.
Dicit + sparsisse = He says that the dawn has sprinkled the lands with a new light.
Dicit + spargere = He says that the dawn is sprinkling the lands with a new light.
Dicit + sparsuram esse = He says that the dawn will sprinkle the lands with a new light.
Dicet + sparsisse = He will say that the dawn has sprinkled the lands with a new light.
Dicet + spargere = He will say that the dawn is sprinkling the lands with a new light.
Dicet + sparsuram esse = He will say that the dawn will sprinkle the lands with a new light.
Now, I can see clearly here the way that the infinitive works to express tense relative to the tense expressed by main verb. I am clear too on the aspect being expressed by most variations of the infinitive here presented, namely the present infinitive, since present tense always expresses progressive/repeated aspect, and the future infinitive, since future tense may express either progressive/repeated or simple aspect. Where I am not so clear however, is on the aspect being expressed by the perfect infinitive - ‘sparsisse’. You see, to me at least, the translations ‘had sprinkled/has sprinkled’ which are given, appear to convey simple/completed aspect only; and yet in English we can express repeated/progressive aspect here too if we wish e.g. ‘He says that the dawn sprinkled/used to sprinkle the lands with a new light.’
Is it the case then, that the constructions given by my book employing the perfect infinitive - ‘sparsisse’, can in fact also be used to express progressive/repeated aspect, and that my book simply neglected to mention this alternative possible translation? Or is it that this construction does in fact imply only simple/completed aspect and that therefore, to show progressive/repeated aspect requires an entirely different kind of construction altogether?
A second, minor question: the book gives three possibilities for the tense of the main verb ‘dico/dicere’; namely, the perfect, present, and future tenses. I presume too that an indirect statement in Latin could likewise be introduced by way of the imperfect or future perfect tenses e.g. dicebat or dixerit? Or am I mistaken in this extrapolation?
Thank you for taking the time to read my question,
Regards,
Tom.