ch. 49

IMPERSONAL VERBS

Impersonal verbs are so called because they do not have a personal subjective in the nominative case. What is conceptually the subject will actually be in some other case in Latin.
Verbs of Feeling with a genitive of the object of feeling and accusative of the subject.
miseret: +acc. of subject and +gen. of object.
Translate: (acc.) feels sorry/pity for (gen.).
Note: The literal translation (which is awkward and misleading in English) is: "It makes (acc.) feel sorry for (gen.)"

NOTE: If a pronoun is the genitive object, you must use the objective genitive forms: mei, tui, sui, nostri, or vestri.
Example:
Te mei miseret.
Literally: It makes you feel sorry for me.
Good English: You feel sorry/pity for me.
Me tui miseruit.
Literally: It made me feel sorry for you.
Good English: I felt sorry/pity for you.

Other verbs that work the same way are listed below. These verbs are all 2nd conjugation so the imperfect is -ebat, the perfect -uit (except taedet has pertaesum est), and the future is -ebit.

paenitet - (acc.) feels sorry/repentant for (gen.)
piget - (acc.) feels peeved/annoyed/irked/upset about/at (gen.)
pudet - (acc.) feels ashamed about (gen.)
taedet- (acc.) feels tired/bored about/of (gen.)

Examples:
Paenitet eos erroris.
They are sorry (repentant) about the mistake.
Mox taedebit Caesarem pugnandi.
Caesar will soon be tired of fighting.
Pudebat me filiae.
I was ashamed of my daughter.
Piget hunc virum nostri.
This man is peeved/annoyed with us.

Impersonals that tend to take an infinitive.

Some take accusative subject and infinitive verb.
oportet - (acc.) ought to (inf.), it is (acc.)'s duty to (inf.)
decet- it befits (acc.) to (inf.), it is proper for (acc.) to (inf.)
I ought to leave. It is my duty to leave.
me discedere oportet.
It will befit him to win. It will be proper for him to win.
Decebit eum vincere.

Some take dative of interest for the person involved.
libet- it pleases (dat.) to (inf.), (dat.) likes (inf.)
licet- it is permitted or allowed for (dat.) to (inf.), (dat.) may (inf.)
It pleased us to build the city. We liked to build the city.
Libuit (or "libitum est") nobis urbem aedificare.
It is permitted for you all to go. You all may go.
Licet vobis ire.

Verbs often used as impersonals.

iuvat: It pleases (acc.) to (inf.)
It pleases us to come. Nos venire iuvat.
placet: It pleases/is pleasing for (dat.) to (inf.); (dat.) decides to (inf.)
It was pleasing for me to sail. I decided to sail.
Navigare mihi placuit.
videtur: It seems good/best to (dat.) to (inf.); (dat.) decides to (inf.)
It seems best to him to stay. He decides to stay.
Manere ei videtur.

Many of the above impersonals may sometimes take an ut clause instead of acc./dat and inf.

Examples:
Iuvat ut adsis.
It is pleasing that you are here.
Placuit ut Catilina hostis rei publicae esset.
It was decided that Catiline was an enemy of the state.

These ut clauses are typically called substantive result clauses and they also occur with verbs that mean happen.
Accidit ut vincat. It happens that he is winning.
Factum est ut adesset. It happened that he was present.

Impersonal Passives of Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs can only be impersonal if used in the passive voice.

Examples:

Pugnatum est totum diem. It was fought (i.e. People/soldiers fought) all day.

Ignotum mihi est. It was forgiven to me. (literal) / I was forgiven. (good English)

Puellae imperabitur ut discedat. It will be ordered to the girl that she leave. (literal) / The girl will be ordered to leave (good English)