How accurate is the typical definition of a deponent verb?

1. What is the point of deponent verbs?
2. How do you know the conjugation of a deponent verb?
3. Does English have deponent verbs?

What is the point of deponent verbs?

When a Latin verb is passive in form, but has an active meaning, it is called a deponent verb. For example: sequor, sequi, secutus sum (3) means 'to follow' and not 'to be followed'. Even though it appears to be passive, it is translated with an active meaning and can have an object following it.

How do you know the conjugation of a deponent verb?

Simply look it up in the dictionary or in your textbook and see if the first principal part ends in –ō or -or. Regular, non-deponent verbs have active principal parts by default. So their first principal part ends in -ō. Deponent verbs only have passive endings, so their first principal part ends in -or.

Does English have deponent verbs?

Some verbs are deponent universally, but other verbs are deponent only in certain tenses, or use deponent forms from different voices in different tenses.