Lesson 6: Indirect Statement (Accusative + Infinitive)

Master the accusative + infinitive construction (ACI) used after verbs of saying, thinking, and perceiving.

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Overview

The accusative + infinitive (ACI, or oratio obliqua) is Latin's primary way of reporting statements, beliefs, and perceptions. Where English uses a "that" clause ("He said that Caesar was coming"), Latin uses an accusative subject with an infinitive predicate. This construction appears in virtually every page of Cicero and Caesar and is the foundation for understanding reported speech.

1. What Is the ACI?

After verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, and perceiving, Latin places the reported statement not in a subordinate indicative clause but in an accusative + infinitive construction:

Caesar dīxit sē venīre. Caesar said that he was coming. (lit. "Caesar said himself to be coming")

The accusative (sē) is the subject of the infinitive; the infinitive (venīre) is the predicate. Together they form the "content" of what Caesar said.

2. Verbs That Introduce ACI

Any verb of the following categories can introduce an ACI:

Category Latin verbs
Saying, reporting dīcō, nārrō, scrībō, negō (say not), referō, trādō, commemorō
Thinking, believing putō, crēdō, arbitror, existimō, opīnor, cēnseō, cogitō
Knowing sciō, nesciō, cōgnōscō, intellegō, meminī
Perceiving videō, audiō, sentiō, animadvertō
Hoping, fearing spērō, cōnfidō, timeō
Showing ostendō, dēmōnstrō, docēō

Important: negō (I say...not, I deny) is the standard Latin way to negate an ACI. Instead of dīcō + nōn + ACI, use negō + ACI:

Negāvit sē venīre. — He said that he was NOT coming.

3. The Six Infinitives in ACI

This is the core technical challenge. Latin uses six different infinitive forms to express different time relationships between the reported action and the moment of the main verb.

Active Passive
Present (contemporaneous) amāre amārī
Perfect (prior) amāvisse amātum esse
Future (subsequent) amātūrum esse amātum īrī

Time Rules for ACI Infinitives

The infinitive tense expresses time relative to the main verb, not to the present:

Infinitive Time relationship Meaning
Present Same time as main verb "is/was/are/were doing"
Perfect Earlier than main verb "had done / did"
Future Later than main verb "would do / will do"

Examples with dīcō (he says / he said):

Main verb Infinitive Meaning
dīcit (he says) + present Caesarem venīre that Caesar is coming
dīcit + perfect Caesarem vēnisse that Caesar came / had come
dīcit + future Caesarem ventūrum esse that Caesar will come
dīxit (he said) + present Caesarem venīre that Caesar was coming
dīxit + perfect Caesarem vēnisse that Caesar had come
dīxit + future Caesarem ventūrum esse that Caesar would come

Notice: the same infinitive form (venīre) translates differently depending on the tense of the main verb. The infinitive itself is always relative.

The Future Passive Infinitive (amātum īrī)

The future passive infinitive is rare and awkward even in Latin. It uses the supine (amātum) + present passive infinitive of eō (īrī). In practice, Latin writers often substitute a future active participle construction or a fore ut + subjunctive.

Dīcēbant urbem captum īrī. — They were saying that the city would be captured. More common: Dīcēbant fore ut urbs caperētur.

4. Agreement of the Accusative Subject

The accusative subject agrees in case with the participial portion of infinitives formed with participles:

  • Perfect passive infinitive: amātum esse — the PPP (amātum) agrees with the accusative subject in gender, number, and case.

    Putāvit urbem captam esse. — He thought that the city (fem.) had been captured. Putāvit mīlitēs victōs esse. — He thought that the soldiers (masc. pl.) had been conquered.

  • Future active infinitive: amātūrum esse — the FAP (amātūrum) agrees similarly.

    Spērāvit Caesarem victūrum esse. — He hoped that Caesar would win.

5. Reflexive sē in ACI — The Critical Rule

When an ACI follows a verb of saying or thinking, reflexive pronouns in the ACI always refer to the subject of the main verb, not the subject of the ACI.

This is a defining feature of Latin grammar and a frequent source of confusion:

Caesar dīxit sē venīre. Caesar said that he (= Caesar) was coming.

Caesar dīxit eum venīre. Caesar said that he (= someone else) was coming.

Mīlitēs putāvērunt sē victōrēs esse. The soldiers thought that they (= the soldiers themselves) were victors.

Suus, -a, -um similarly refers back to the main verb's subject when used in an ACI:

Caesar dīxit suōs mīlitēs fortissimōs esse. Caesar said that his (= Caesar's) soldiers were the bravest.

6. ACI in Secondary Sequence — Embedded Subjunctives

When an ACI is embedded within a subjunctive clause (e.g., inside a purpose clause or cum clause), any subordinate clause within the ACI takes the subjunctive — this is called attraction or the natural consequence of being in oratio obliqua.

Vēnit ut dīceret sē urbem cēpisse. He came to say that he had captured the city. (dīceret is imperfect subjunctive — purpose clause; cēpisse is perfect infinitive — ACI inside)

7. Worked Examples from Classical Latin

Example 1 — dīcō + present infinitive:

Dīcit Caesarem venīre. He says that Caesar is coming.

Example 2 — dīcō + perfect infinitive:

Dīxit Caesarem vēnisse. He said that Caesar had come.

Example 3 — putō + future infinitive:

Putāvit sē victūrum esse. He thought that he (himself) would win.

Example 4 — Reflexive sē, Caesar BG 1.13:

Dīxit sē in eam partem itūrum esse. He said that he himself would go in that direction.

Example 5 — eum (non-reflexive):

Dīxit eum fallere. He said that he (= someone else) was deceiving.

Example 6 — Passive perfect infinitive, gender agreement:

Nūntiāvit oppidum captum esse. He announced that the town had been captured. (oppidum is neuter; captum agrees)

Example 7 — negō (negative ACI):

Negāvit sē id fēcisse. He denied having done it / He said that he had not done it.

Example 8 — sciō + perfect infinitive:

Sciō Cicerōnem ōrātiōnem habuisse. I know that Cicero delivered a speech.

Example 9 — audio + present infinitive:

Audiō Caesarem in Galliā esse. I hear that Caesar is in Gaul.

Example 10 — spērō + future infinitive:

Spērāvit sē pācem factūrum esse. He hoped that he would make peace.

Example 11 — videō + infinitive (perception):

Vīdī mīlitēs pugnāre. I saw the soldiers fighting. (contemporaneous → present infinitive)

Example 12 — Cicero, Cat. 1.1 style:

Intellegō mē in magnō perīculō esse. I understand that I am in great danger.

Example 13 — crēdō + passive:

Crēdidit hostes victōs esse. He believed the enemies had been defeated.

Example 14 — trādō (historical report):

Trāditum est Rōmulum ā deīs sublātum esse. It is handed down that Romulus was taken up by the gods.

Example 15 — Livy, historical narration:

Trāditum memoriae est Horātiōs Cūriātiōsque pugnāsse. It has been handed down to memory that the Horatii and Curiatii fought.

8. ACI vs. Quod Clause

Classical Latin uses ACI after verbs of saying, thinking, and perceiving. Post-classical and Vulgar Latin preferred quod + indicative (which became the standard in Romance languages). In classical texts:

  • Dīcit Caesarem venīre. (Classical — ACI) ✓
  • Dīcit quod Caesar venit. (post-classical) — avoid in classical composition

Practice Exercises

Exercise A — Identify elements of the ACI

For each sentence, identify: (1) main verb, (2) ACI subject (accusative), (3) infinitive, (4) time relationship.

  1. Putāvit mīlitēs pugnāre. → main verb: putāvit; ACI subject: mīlitēs (acc. pl.); inf: pugnāre (pres.); time: contemporaneous

  2. Dīxit hostes fugisse. → main verb: dīxit; subject: hostēs; inf: fugisse (perf.); time: prior

  3. Spērat sē victūrum esse. → main verb: spērat; subject: sē (reflexive = same as main subject); inf: victūrum esse (future active); time: subsequent

Exercise B — Determine the reflexive rule

Translate sē or eum:

  1. Caesar dīxit sē Romam iturum esse. → Caesar said he (= Caesar) would go to Rome.
  2. Caesar dīxit eum Romam iturum esse. → Caesar said he (= someone else) would go to Rome.

Exercise C — Transform to ACI

Change each direct statement to an ACI using the verb in parentheses:

  1. Caesar vincit. (dīcō, present context) → Dīcō Caesarem vincere.
  2. Hostēs fugiunt. (audīvī) → Audīvī hostēs fugere.
  3. Oppidum captum est. (nūntiāvit) → Nūntiāvit oppidum captum esse.

Summary Reference Table

Infinitive type Form (amō) Translation in ACI
Present active amāre "is loving / was loving"
Present passive amārī "is being loved / was being loved"
Perfect active amāvisse "had loved / loved"
Perfect passive amātum esse "had been loved / was loved"
Future active amātūrum esse "would love / will love"
Future passive amātum īrī "would be loved" (rare)