Impersonal
verbs (Verba impersonalia)
The circunflected accents
are used to mark long vowels.
The impersonal verbs denote the
action of an unspecified agent and hence are used with no expressed subject.
They have all tenses and moods but imperative; in the compound forms is
used the neuter of the participle.
The most important impersonal verbs
are the following ones:
-
accidit, accidit, 3 it
happens
-
apparet, apparuit, 2 it
is apparent / evident
-
constat, constitit, 1 it
is well known, it is agreed
-
decet, decuit, 2 it
is fitting / right, it ought
-
evenit, evênit, 4 it
happens, it turns out
-
fulget, fulsit, 3 it
flashes
-
interest, interfuit, interesse it
concerns, it interests
-
licet, licuit (licitum est), 2 it
is permitted
-
liquet, licuit, 2 it
is proven
-
lucet, luxit, 2 it
is light
-
miseret, miseritum est, 2 it
grieves
-
piget, piguit, 2 it
irks, it disgusts
-
pluit, pluit, 3 it
rains
-
praestat, praestitit, 1 it
is better
-
pudet, puduit (puditum est), 2 it
shames
-
refert, rettuliò, 3 it
is possible, it is important
All the verbs, especially the intransitive
ones, may be used impersonally in the 3 p. sg. of the Passive voice,
cf.:
-
dormîtur, dormîtum est,
4 they sleep
-
itur, itum est, iri they
walk
-
pugnâtur, pugnâtum est,
1 there is a battle
-
venîtur, ventum est, 4 they
come
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