What is the difference between a deponent and a semi-deponent verb?

Deponent verbs are verbs that look passive, but are active in meaning. Examples of these verbs are: conor, conari, conatus sum; loquor, loqui, locutus sum. Though these all conjugate like the passive voice of most verbs, these verbs are translated into the active voice. You must learn which verbs are deponent in order to spot them when doing a translation.Semi-deponent verbs are, as above, always translated into the passive voice. However, in their infinite and present states they look like a regular verb (i.e. audeo, audere, audatus sum). Again, you must learn to recognise these verbs by heart in order to translate them correctly when coming across them in translations.

Answered by Thomas M. Latin tutor

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