Indirect Statement

I. Occurs after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, and perceiving.

II. Verb becomes infinitive.

III. Subject of verb becomes accusative.

Example: Ego laudo. I praise.

Scio me laudare. I know that I praise.

IV. Tense of infinitive.

a. Present infinitive: happens the same time as the main verb.

Scio me laudare. I know that I praise.

Sciebam me laudare. I knew that I was praising.

b. Perfect infinitive: happened before the main verb.

Scio me laudavisse. I know that I praised.

Sciebam me laudavisse. I knew that I had praised.

c. Future infinitive: happens after the main verb.

Scio me laudaturum esse. I know that I will praise.

Sciebam me laudaturum esse. I knew that I would praise.

 

Sample ExCET-type questions:

1. Fill in the blank in the sentence below:

Dixit suum amicum numquam ______________.

a. mentitur

b. mentitus est

c. mentitus esset.

d. mentitum esse.

Answer: d, because the indirect statement requires the infinitive mentitum esse.

2. Fill in the blank in the sentence below:

Marcus putavit ____ patriam servavisse.

a. tu

b. tibi

c. te

d. tui

Answer: c, because the indirect statement requires the accusative subject te.

3. Plinius dixit se scholam conditurum esse.

Pliny:

a. said that he had founded a school

b. said that he intended to found a school

c. said that he was in the process of founding a school

d. said that he needed to found a school.

Answer: b, because the future infinitive conditurum esse states that the action in the indirect statement happens after the main verb dixit.

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