gerundivo

The gerundivo, also called the gerundive, is a Latin grammatical form that functions as a verbal adjective rather than a noun. It is formed from a verb with the addition of the -nd- infix and a set of adjectival endings, so it agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies. In practice, it expresses the sense of obligation, necessity, or futurity of the action described by the verb.

Two main uses define its function. First, attributive use: the gerundive modifies a noun to indicate something that must be done or is destined to be done. For example, a neuter noun with a gerundive meaning “to be done” can form phrases like opus faciendum, literally “a task to be done.” Second, predicative use: the gerundive can appear with a form of esse to express obligation impersonally, as in hoc facendum est, meaning “this must be done.”

The gerundive is distinct from the gerund (gerundium), which is a verbal noun with its own set of nonfinite forms (legendum, legendī, legendō, etc.) and thus behaves more like a noun than an adjective. The gerundive declines like a regular 1st/2nd declension adjective and, unlike the gerund, primarily conveys obligation or necessity through its relationship to the noun it modifies or to esse.

In sum, the gerundivo is a versatile Latin tool for signaling obligation related to an action, used mainly in attributive phrases and in impersonal constructions with esse.