How to make a deponent passive in meaning?

Question

I was thinking about the verb sequi, a deponent which means to follow. I was wondering, how do you put the deponent into a passive form?

So is it possible to translate the following sentences into Latin with the verb sequi?

score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 25 '17 at 13:27

11

Good question!

I am not aware of a possibility of passivizing such a structure. Instead, I suggest two ways around this:

Use a different verb. Depending on context, perhaps comitare, haerere, or insistere could replace sequi. With a non-deponent verb you can form passives as usual.
Use a pronoun meaning "someone". Although aliquis me sequitur might not be exactly what you are after, it's pretty close.

answered Jun 25 '17 at 13:27

Joonas Ilmavirta

2

As @Joonas Ilmavirta suggests in his example, it's usual to invert the sentence for such usages. If you were looking to represent the unpleasant modern crime of 'stalking', you might use insidior, meaning to lie in wait, or wait for an opportunity. Martial XII, 14, 10 has Tuscis . . . insidiemur apris, 'let's stalk wild boars'. – Tom Cotton Jun 25 '17 at 16:42
Hmm, Wiktionary says that insisto is "impersonal in the passive". – Ben Kovitz Sep 14 '19 at 01:08
@BenKovitz Have you checked whether more reliable dictionaries insist that it's impersonal? – Joonas Ilmavirta Sep 14 '19 at 12:13
@JoonasIlmavirta Not yet… – Ben Kovitz Sep 24 '19 at 12:32

1 Answers1