VERBAL ADJECTIVES IN -τέος

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Verbal adjectives in -τέος express necessity. They admit two constructions:

1. The personal construction (-τέος, -τέᾱ, -τέον), passive in meaning, and emphasizing the subject.

2. The (more common) impersonal construction (-τέον, -τέᾰ, 1052), practically active in meaning, and emphasizing the action.

Both constructions are used with the copula εἰμί, which may be omitted. The agent—the person on whom the necessity rests— is expressed, if at all, by the dative (never by ὑπό and the genitive).

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Verbal adjectives from transitive verbs take the personal construction when the subject is emphasized; but the impersonal construction, when the emphasis falls on the verbal adjective itself. Verbal adjectives from intransitive verbs (that is, such as are followed by the genitive or dative) take only the impersonal construction.

a. Oblique cases of verbal adjectives are rare. Thus,

.

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The Personal (Passive) Construction.—The personal verbal in -τέος is used only when the verb from which it is derived takes the accusative. The verbal agrees with the subject in gender, number, and case. The agent, if expressed, must always stand in the dative.

, , ἐμοὶ τοῦτο οὐ ποιητέον this must not be done by me (I must not do this) X. A. 1.3.15, , οὐ . . . τοσαῦτα ὄρη ὁρᾶτε ὑ̄μῖν ὄντα πορευτέα; do you not see such high mountains that must be traversed by you? X. A. 2.5.18.

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The Impersonal (Active) Construction.—The impersonal verbal stands in the neuter nominative, usually singular (-τέον), rarely plural (-τέᾰ). Its object stands in the case (genitive, dative, or accusative) required by the verb from which the verbal adjective is derived; verbs taking the genitive or dative have the impersonal construction only. The agent, if expressed, must always stand in the dative.

, , , , πειστέον τάδε (σοί) thou must obey in this S. Ph. 994 (distinguish πειστέον ἐστί σε one must persuade thee), , τοὺς φίλους εὐεργετητέον, τὴν πόλιν ὠφελητέον . . ., τῶν βοσκημάτων ἐπιμελητέον you must do good to your friends, benefit your State, take care of your flocks X. M. 2.1.28, , ἐψηφίσαντο . . . πολεμητέα εἶναι they voted that they must go to war 1. 88.

a. Since the impersonal construction is virtually active, and hence equivalent to δεῖ with the accusative and infinitive (active or middle), the agent sometimes stands in the accusative, as if dependent on δεῖ. The copula is (perhaps) always omitted when the agent is expressed by the accusative. Thus, τὸν βουλόμενον εὐδαίμονα εἶναι σωφροσύνην διωκτέον καὶ ἀσκητέον (= δεῖ διώκειν καὶ ἀσκεῖν) it is necessary that the man who desires to be happy should pursue and practice temperance P. G. 507c.