bantur

Bantur is the third-person plural imperfect passive ending in Latin verbs. It marks an action that was ongoing or repeated in the past within the passive voice. The ending -bantur is part of a standard set of imperfect passive endings used across Latin conjugations: -bar, -baris, -batur, -bamur, -bamini, -bantur.

Formation and usage

To form the imperfect passive in the third person plural, the appropriate stem is combined with the ending -bantur. Works across different verbs, producing forms such as amabantur, legebantur, or narrabantur, each meaning “they were loved,” “they were being read,” or “they were told,” respectively, depending on the verb and context. The same paradigm applies to deponent verbs, which use passive forms with active meanings.

Distinctions

Bantur contrasts with other persons and voices: bantur is active imperfect third person plural in form but does not occur in the passive; the corresponding passive singular form is -batur (he/she/it was being or was). Likewise, -bantur should not be confused with -abantur (which would mix active endings with a passive-looking form). The passive endings -bar, -baris, -batur, -bamur, -bamini, -bantur are specifically the imperfect passive paradigm.

Notes

Bantur is not a standalone Latin word; it is the grammatical ending used to convey the imperfect passive voice for the third-person plural. It appears in classical Latin texts as part of verb forms and is taught as a fundamental component of Latin verb morphology.