Overview
Active verbs are those where the subject, expressed in the nominative case, does something.
The teachers instruct the students.
Passive verbs are those where something is done to the subject.
The students are instructed by the teachers.
If there is an agent in the sentence, then they are expressed using the ablative case. So:
The students are instructed
no agent
discipuli docentur
The students are instructed by the teachers
agent = teachers
discipuli magistris docentur
These verbs follow the same basic rules as regular active verbs, but take a separate set of endings.
The basic endings are: -r, -ris, -tur, -mur, -mini, -ntur. These are added on to the same patterns as for active verbs.
View summary of verb forms and how to translate them
| Tense | Mood | Active | Translation | Passive | Translation |
| Present | Indicative | opto | I desire | optor | I am desired |
| Imperfect | Indicative | optabam | I was desiring | optabar | I was being desired |
| Perfect | Indicative | optavi | I (have) desired | optatus sum | I have been desired |
| Pluperfect | Indicative | optaveram | I had desired | optatus eram | I had been desired |
| Future | Indicative | optabo | I shall desire | optabor | I shall be desired |
| Future | Perfect Indicative | optavero | I shall have desired | optatus erim | I shall have been desired |
| Present | Subjunctive | optem | opter | ||
| Imperfect | Subjunctive | optarem | optarer | ||
| Perfect | Subjunctive | optaverim | optatus sim | ||
| Pluperfect | Subjunctive | optavissem | optatus essem |
