a. The soldiers see Caesar [make] plans. Latin verb facere is translated in English as do, make or create. In this example the most fitting translation would be “make”. Verb make, alongside have, do and take, is one of the delexical verbs which when used with particular noun has little meaning on their own. The emphasis is put on the noun, not the verb. Verb make in this example isn’t in personal verb, so it doesn’t congruate with the noun Caesar.
2. What does facientem modify or agree with? Facientem is masculine present active participle of facere translated in English as doing, making, creating. Participle is form of verb, but it behaves as adjective and agrees with the noun, modifying in case, number or gender. In this case would agree with the noun Caesar.
3. What is the tense of facientem? Facientem is masculine present active participle if verb facere. Participle behaves as an adjective more than a verb, and in this case is in form of accusative singular modifying and agreeing with noun Caesar which is in function of direct object.
4. what is the voice of facientem? The voice of the verb form facientem is an active voice. In this case it’s the active voice of present participle of verb facere which is similar to the third declension adjective. The participle active has a present tense meaning when translated in English.
b. Milites portantes scuta ad Caesarem cucurrerunt.
5. The soldiers [carrying] shields hurried to Caesar. The verb form portantes is in form of present active participle which in English is translated as present tense (present continuous) meaning “carrying”. It acts as an adjective to the noun it agrees with which is in this case noun shields.
6. What does portantes modify or agree with? The verb portantes modifies and agrees with the noun shields. Portantes the masculine present active participle of the verb portare meaning carry when translated to English. It modifies and agrees in case, number and gender with noun shields as it acts more like an adjective than like a verb.
7. What is the tense of portantes? ? Portantes is masculine present active participle if verb portare. Participle behaves as an adjective more than a verb, and in this case is in form of accusative plural modifying and agreeing with noun shields which is in function of direct object.
8. What is the voice of portantes? The voice of the verb form portantes is an active voice. In this case it’s the active voice of present participle of verb portare which is similar to the third declension adjective. The participle active has a present tense meaning (carrying) when translated in English.
c. hominibus interfectis, milites oppidum servaverunt.
9.[Having killed the men], the soldiers saved the town. Construction “Hominibus interfectis” is in form of ablative absolute which is used as a substitute for the subordinate clause that defines the circumstances or situations in which the actions of the main verb occurs. The name absolute comes from the characteristic of ablatives to only loosely connected grammatically to the remainder of the sentence.
10. What case is hominibus? The form hominibus of the noun homo is in plural ablative case or ablative absolute. Ablative absolute is a construction mostly used in Latin in combination with present or past participles. It’s used to form a substitute for a subordinate clause.