What are ablative absolutes and how are they best translated?

Ablative absolutes are a very common construction in Latin prose and verse, and a normally formed by a noun (or pronoun) together with a participle in the ablative case.They are grammatically free from the rest of the sentence, acting as a subordinate clause.This means they cannot refer to anything that comes later in the sentence, e.g.:Caesare necato, mox deus factus est. With Caesar having been killed, he soon became a god.– This is grammatically incorrect – remembering this will make unseen translations much easier.Here are the three types of ablative absolute that you will encounter at GCSE level:With a Perfect Passive Participlehis verbis dictis, Caesar discessit. With these words having been said, Caesar departed.With a Present Participleleone adveniente, agni fugerunt. With the lion approaching, the sheep fled.Without a ParticipleScipione duce vincemus. With Scipio as leader, we shall conquer. Although a very literal translation has been given above in order to provide the first stage of understanding ablative absolutes, markers will prefer a more natural/idiomatic translation.The best way to translate these phrases is with ‘when’:his verbis dictis, Caesar discedit. When these words had been said, Caesar departed.leone adveniente, agni fugerunt. When the lion was approaching, the sheep fled.Scipione duce vincemus. We shall conquer when Scipio is leader.

Answered by Robert T. Latin tutor

4229 Views

See similar Latin GCSE tutors

Related Latin GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What do different cases used in temporal clauses mean?


how can an ablative absolute be recognised?


I uppiter currum celerrime delevit. nam timebat ne terra incenderetur (line 8 ): why did Jupiter destroy the chariot?


How does Ovid, by his style of writing, show that Niobe is fortunate? You should make two points and refer to the Latin. (Taken from a sample paper)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy