conantur

Conantur is a Latin verb form, specifically the third-person plural present indicative of the deponent verb conor, conari, conatus sum, which means to try or to attempt. As a deponent verb, its forms have a passive appearance but convey an active meaning, so conantur is rendered in English as “they try” or “they are attempting.” The principal parts of the verb are conor, conari, conatus sum.

In use, conantur expresses an ongoing or attempted action and is typically followed by an infinitive or by an infinitive clause that completes the sense of the verb. It can occur with a direct object inside the infinitive phrase, for example conantur facere id “they try to do that,” or conantur illum fallere “they try to deceive him.” The tense and person align with the standard deponent verb system, so present is conantur, imperfect would be conabantur, and so on, with corresponding infinitive constructions.

The form is characteristic of classical Latin and appears in texts across authors who employ deponent verbs to express efforts or attempts. The key point for readers is that conantur, despite its passive appearance, carries an active meaning: the subject is performing the act of trying or attempting. In translation, it is commonly rendered as “they try” or “they are attempting,” depending on context and aspect.