Latin Grammar: Passive Periphrastic

Quapropter con|cedendum est, quod locus non respicit profundum, nisi profundum corporis interiacentis; sed tamen non respicit illud ita, quod hoc profundum sit de essencia loci, quia hunc locus essed corpus, sed respicit illud tanquam aliquid extra suam essenciam, sicut relativum respicit suum obiectum, ut duplum respicit dimidium, et pater filium, sine quo esse non potest.

The future passive participle, or gerundive, when combined with a form of the verb esse, is used to express obligation or necessity and is translated "must be" or "ought to be." This construction is called the "passive periphrastic." The dative of agent often denotes the initiator of the action.

The sentence Multa puellis agenda erant is rendered two ways in English: "Many things (the subject) must be done by the girls;" or, since the passive is usually avoided in English: "The girls must do many things."

Translate the following; first give a literal rendering of the passive phrasing, using the nominative as the proper subject. Then, translate it into an active sentence.