pellbantur

Pellbantur is the Latin imperfect passive form of the verb pellere, meaning to drive or push, often with the sense of driving back or repelling. It represents a past, ongoing action in the passive voice, and is most commonly encountered in classical Latin texts. In fully marked form the standard spelling with macrons is pellēbantur, though the version without macrons, pellbantur, appears frequently in everyday or unvowelled transcription.

Form and usage notes

Pellēbantur is the third-person plural imperfect passive indicative. It would be translated as “they were being driven” or “they were driven back,” depending on context. As a passive form derived from pellere, it denotes an action performed on the subject by an agent (often enemies or opposing forces in military or political contexts). The form is typically introduced by a preceding clause mentioning the force causing the action, but Latin can omit the agent when it is understood from context.

Context and examples

In classical Latin, pellēbantur appears in narrative and descriptive passages describing past events where a group is subjected to external pressure or coercion. Example: Rōmānī a hostibus pellēbantur. Translation: The Romans were being driven back by the enemies.

See also

pellō, pellere, pellēre; the Latin verb forms in the imperfect and other tenses; passive voice in Latin grammar.