gerundive

The gerundive is a Latin grammatical term for a verbal adjective formed from a verb, normally with the suffixes -ndus, -nda, -ndum. It agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies and functions as an adjective rather than a noun.

Its main uses are to express obligation or necessity and to form phrases that mean “the thing to be X” or “the X to be done.” The gerundive can occur attributively, as in liber legendus “a book to be read,” or predicatively, especially in constructions with esse to indicate necessity, for example liber legendus est “the book must be read” or hoc legiendum est “this must be read.” The neuter singular of the form legiendum can be used in impersonal phrases such as hoc legiendum est.

Declension and form follow the pattern of regular adjectives of the class that end in -us/-a/-um in the singular and -i/-ae/-a in the plural, and it is often described as declined like a first/second declension adjective. As an attributive or predicative modifier, the gerundive can attach to adjectives and nouns to convey a sense of obligation tied to the noun’s action.

Distinguishing gerundive from the gerund is important. The gerund is a non-finite verbal noun (for example, legendi or legendo) used with prepositions and cases to express various noun-like meanings, whereas the gerundive is a verbal adjective that denotes obligation and agreement with a noun. In linguistic terminology, gerundives are most associated with Latin grammar and are sometimes discussed in comparative frameworks to describe similar forms in other languages.