Impersonal Verbs

Latin Impersonal Verbs

• mostly in third person singular
• accusative or dative subject
• pronoun is usually "it"

Examples of Impersonal Verbs

• necesse est - it is necessary
• licet, licēre, licuit - it is allowed
• placeo, placēre, placui - to please

Examples of impersonal verbs

• decet, decēre, decuit - it is fitting; should
• oportet, oportēre, oportuit - it is fitting; ought
• taedet, taedēre, tasum est - it bores

Sentence structure

• Vobīs licet hīc cenare
• It is allowed for you to dine here
• Underlined infinitive and impersonal verbs
• Could also be translated as:
• You are allowed to dine here

More sentence examples

• Festinare tē oportet
• It is fitting that you hurry
• You ought to hurry

One more example

• Mē taedet solitudinis
• It bores me of lonliness
• I am bored with lonliness

The end