Supine: Latin Grammar

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GrammarSupine

Supine

A&G §509–510. n|4 rules|0 practice questions

The supine is Latin's smallest verbal noun — a frozen leftover with only TWO surviving forms, both built on the perfect passive stem.

The accusative -um form rides with verbs of motion to express purpose: pabulātum mittēbat (Caes.

BC i. 40), "he kept sending [men] to forage." The ablative -ū form pairs with a closed list of adjectives to mean "in respect to ing": mīrābile vīsū, "amazing to behold."

That's almost the whole topic — no person, no number, no tense, just two slots and two jobs. The main trap is mistaking it for the gerund: the gerund declines through four oblique cases; the supine has only two, and the -ū form never takes an object.

Learnings0 core · 1 AP claim

AP framework claims (1)— verbatim from AP CED

GRAM-2.QA supine is a fourth declension verbal noun ending in -um or -u. The supine ending in -u is used after adjectives and is translated with "to ____" (e.g., horribile visu: horrible to see).

Pattern

verb of motion + supine -um → purpose

adjective + supine -ū → respect ("in respect to ing")

Supine — Two Forms, Two Jobs

īt vīsum "he goes to see" / facile dictū "easy to say"

The supine has ONLY these two cases. The -ū form never takes an object. Built on the 4th principal part (-tum / -sum).

Where the Supine Shows Up

verb of motion + -um supine → purpose

pabulātum mittēbat — "he sent [men] to forage" (Caes. BC i. 40)

critical

-um supine keeps its verb's object case

lēgātōs auxilium petītum mittunt — "they send envoys to ask for help" (B. G. vii. 5)

important

īrī + -um supine → future passive infinitive

sī scīret sē trucīdātum īrī — "if he knew he was going to be killed" (Cic. Div. ii. 22)

rare

adjective of ease/difficulty + -ū supine

facile dictū — "easy to say"; difficile factū — "hard to do"

critical

adjective of sense-effect (foedus, turpis, mīrābilis) + -ū

mīrābile vīsū — "amazing to behold" (Verg. Aen. i. 439)

common

dignus / indignus + -ū supine

dignus memorātū — "worthy to be mentioned"

common

optimus / pessimus + -ū supine (esp. factū)

quid optimum factū sit — "what is best to do" (Cic. Verr. ii. 1. 68)

important

noun fās / nefās + -ū supine (idiom)

sī hoc fās est dictū — "if this is lawful to say" (Cic. Tusc. v. 38)

important

noun opus + -ū supine

quod scītū opus est — "what it is needful to know"

rare

fixed idiom maior / minor nātū ("older / younger")

maiōrēs nātū — "the elders" (Caes. B. G. ii. 13)

common

See It In Action

his pontibus pabulātum mittēbat

By these bridges he kept sending [men] to forage

— Caes. B. C. i. 40

Textbook accusative supine. Pabulātum is the 4th principal part of pābulor, frozen in the -um slot to name the purpose of mittēbat.

Bituriges ad eum lēgātōs mittunt auxilium petītum contra Carnutēs

The Bituriges send envoys to him to ask for help against the Carnutes

— B. G. vii. 5

Notice the supine petītum keeps a direct object (auxilium, acc.) — the -um supine retains its verb's case-government even though it's frozen as a noun-form.

Īnfert sē saeptus nebulā, mīrābile dictū, in mediōs

Wrapped in mist, he carries himself, amazing to tell, into the midst [of them]

— Verg. Aen. i. 439

Vergil's signature parenthetical. Mīrābile (the adjective) governs dictū (the -ū supine) — the form names the respect in which the thing is amazing.

rem nōn modo vīsū foedam, sed etiam audītū

a thing shocking not only to see, but even to hear of

— Cic. Phil. ii. 63

Two ablative supines stacked under one adjective (foedam). Cicero uses the -ū slot to specify the senses in respect to which the rēs is foul.

Supine vs. Gerund

Both are verbal nouns built off a verb stem. The gerund declines through four oblique cases; the supine has only two slots and two jobs.

Supine

frozen — TWO forms only (-um purpose, -ū respect)

facile dictū

easy to say (-ū with adjective)

Gerund

declines: gen. -ndī, dat./abl. -ndō, acc. -ndum

ars dīcendī

the art of speaking (gen. of gerund)

Tip: Ask: is the form sitting next to a motion verb or a closed-list adjective? Then it's the supine. Anywhere else (causā, ad, prepositions, possession) — gerund.

Quick Check

In quaerunt quid optimum factū sit (Cic. Verr. ii. 1. 68, "they ask what is best to do"), what is factū?

Study Tips

•Memorize the two slots together: -um after motion verbs = "to V" (purpose); -ū after adjectives = "to V / in V-ing" (respect).
•The common ablative supines are a tiny closed list — audītū, dictū, factū, inventū, memorātū, nātū, vīsū. If a word in -ū isn't one of these, it's probably a 4th-declension noun.
•When the adjective is facilis, difficilis, or iūcundus, classical prose often prefers ad + gerund instead (difficilis ad distinguendum). The supine survives mostly in fixed phrases.
•Īrī + accusative supine builds the future passive infinitive (trucīdātum īrī, "to be about to be killed") — rare, but worth recognizing in indirect statement.

See It In Action

his pontibus pabulātum mittēbat

By these bridges he kept sending [men] to forage

— Caes. B. C. i. 40

Textbook accusative supine. Pabulātum is the 4th principal part of pābulor, frozen in the -um slot to name the purpose of mittēbat.

Bituriges ad eum lēgātōs mittunt auxilium petītum contra Carnutēs

The Bituriges send envoys to him to ask for help against the Carnutes

— B. G. vii. 5

Notice the supine petītum keeps a direct object (auxilium, acc.) — the -um supine retains its verb's case-government even though it's frozen as a noun-form.

Īnfert sē saeptus nebulā, mīrābile dictū, in mediōs

Wrapped in mist, he carries himself, amazing to tell, into the midst [of them]

— Verg. Aen. i. 439

Vergil's signature parenthetical. Mīrābile (the adjective) governs dictū (the -ū supine) — the form names the respect in which the thing is amazing.

rem nōn modo vīsū foedam, sed etiam audītū

a thing shocking not only to see, but even to hear of

— Cic. Phil. ii. 63

Two ablative supines stacked under one adjective (foedam). Cicero uses the -ū slot to specify the senses in respect to which the rēs is foul.

Study Tips

•Memorize the two slots together: -um after motion verbs = "to V" (purpose); -ū after adjectives = "to V / in V-ing" (respect).

•The common ablative supines are a tiny closed list — audītū, dictū, factū, inventū, memorātū, nātū, vīsū. If a word in -ū isn't one of these, it's probably a 4th-declension noun.

•When the adjective is facilis, difficilis, or iūcundus, classical prose often prefers ad + gerund instead (difficilis ad distinguendum). The supine survives mostly in fixed phrases.

•Īrī + accusative supine builds the future passive infinitive (trucīdātum īrī, "to be about to be killed") — rare, but worth recognizing in indirect statement.