hortantur

Hortantur is a Latin verb form meaning “they exhort” or “they urge.” It is the third-person plural present indicative of the deponent verb hortārī, which has passive-looking forms but active meaning. The standard principal parts of the verb are hortor, hortārī, hortātus sum. Because hortārī is deponent, hortantur bears a passive morphology while translating as an active action.

In use, hortantur describes a group urging others to take some action. It is common in classical Latin literature, including speeches, histories, and didactic passages, where speakers or narrator figures are encouraging behavior, decisions, or efforts. The form often appears with subordinate clauses expressing the desired outcome, such as ut + subjunctive, or with contexts that imply urging a course of action for a group.

Etymology and form notes are typically concise: hortantur derives from hortor, a deponent verb of uncertain early origin, with hortārī as the present infinitive and hortātus sum as the perfect participle. The form hortantur is the natural third-person plural present, aligning with a plural subject.

Related forms include hortor (first-person singular), hortārī (present infinitive), and hortātus sum (perfect participle), which together constitute the core paradigm of this verb. In translation, hortantur is rendered as “they exhort” or “they urge,” depending on context.

See also: hortor, hortārī, hortātus sum; Latin deponent verbs; subordinate clauses with ut or ne.