narrare

narrare is a Latin verb meaning to tell, relate, recount, or narrate. It is a regular 1st-conjugation verb, with the infinitive ending -are, and appears frequently in Classical Latin literature for the act of relating events, telling stories, or conveying speech.

Grammatical overview: narrare forms all standard Latin tenses and voices. In the present active indicative, the forms are narro, narras, narrat, narramus, narratis, narrant. The imperfect is narrabam, narrabas, narrabat, narrabamus, narrabatis, narrabant; the perfect is narravi, narravisti, narravit, narravimus, narravistis, narraverunt. The verb also has a regular passive: narror, narraris, narratur, narramur, narramini, narrantur. Present and past participles include narrans (present active participle) and narratus (perfect passive participle). The gerund is narrando and the supine is narratum, used in fixed expressions such as ad narrandum.

Usage and meaning: narrare is used for recounting events, telling stories, describing sequences, or reporting what someone has said. In classical poetry and prose, it often frames scenes, narratives within a narrative, or the relay of information from speakers to listeners. It can take indirect speech with an infinitive or a direct quotation after verbs of saying or thinking, depending on construction.

Derivatives and cognates: the noun narratio means narration or account, while narrativus or narrativa provide the adjectival and nominal relatives of narrative. English derivatives include narrator, narration, and narrative. In Romance languages, descendants of narrare appear as Italian narrare, Spanish narrar, French raconter, and Portuguese narrar, all referring to the act of telling or recounting.

See also: Latin grammar, narrative, speech reporting.