Interpretantur

Interpretantur is a Latin verb form that represents the third-person plural present tense in the passive morphology of the deponent verb interpretari. Deponent verbs in Latin have passive endings but active meanings, so interpretantur is commonly translated as “they interpret” rather than “they are interpreted.” The principal parts of interpretari are interpretor, interpretari, interpretatus sum.

As a present indicative, interpretantur typically conveys that the subject actively performs the act of interpretation. It can govern a direct object in the accusative to indicate what is being interpreted, for example, textum interpretantur, “they interpret the text.” In broader rhetorical or philosophical contexts, the form may appear in discussions of how passages, signs, or events are understood and explained.

The noun interpretatio, meaning “interpretation,” and the related adjective interpretativus (or interpretativē in later Latin) are derived from the same root. Latin writers may use interpretantur in both literary and scholarly passages to describe the act of interpreting, whether in commentary on texts, laws, or rituals.

Summary: interpretantur is a standard present-tense form of interpretari used in classical and late Latin to express “they interpret,” despite its passive appearance, reflecting the deponent nature of the verb.