On Friday, we read the first half of the story in chapter 33, "At Dinner". Click here for the translation.

We also worked with the 4th principal part of verbs, the perfect passive participle. We went over 3 uses of the P.P.P.
(To practice using the perfect passive participle, click here for the answers to exercise 33b.)

1) as part of the passive voice, used for the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect tenses.

parō, parāre, parāvī, parātus:

Cistae parātae sunt.  The chests have been prepared.
Agrī parātī erant. The fields had been prepared.
Discipulī parātī erunt. The students will have been prepared.


2) to modify a noun and to show that an action has taken place before the action in the main verb.

Cista parāta, in raedam posita est.  The chest having been prepared, it was placed in the carriage.
or After the chest was prepared, it was placed in the carriage.

Cēna ā servīs parāta, in triclinium portāta est. The dinner having been prepared by slaves, it was carried into the dining room.  or After the dinner was prepared by the slaves, it was brought into the dining room.  or The dinner, which had been prepared by slaves, was carried into the dining room.

You can see that it can be translated as a relative clause, as seen by the last translation. It can also be translated as a subordinate clause introduced by words such as when, after, because, since,  or although.

Aurēlia neglegentiā ancillārum vexāta, speculum ēripuit.  Aurelia, having been annoyed by the slavewomen's carelessness, snatched away the mirror. or Because Aurelia was annoyed by the slavewomen's carelessness, she snatched away the mirror. or After Aurelia was annoyed by the slavewomen's carelessness, she snatched away the mirror.


3) The ablative absolute. This also shows that an action has occurred before the action of the main clause, but it is more independent of the main clause.

Cēnā parātā, Cornēlius convīvās in triclinium dūxit. After the dinner was prepared, Cornelius led the guests into the dining room.

We will work more with this!!