verbthird conjugation, impersonal in the passive
rem acū tangō
rem acū tangō (present infinitive rem acū tangere, perfect active rem acū tetigī, supine rem acū tāctum)
Classical[ˈrẽː ˈa.kuː ˈtaŋ.ɡoː]Ecclesiastical[ˈrɛm ˈaː.ku ˈtaŋ.ɡo]
Meaning
- idiomaticimpersonalto hit the nail on the head
VRSVS: Rem acū tetigistī.
BEAR: Exactly.1528, Desiderius Erasmus, De recta Latini Graecique sermonis pronuntiatione Dialogus, section 7, page 11:
Conjugation conjugation 3
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | rem acū tangō | rem acū tangēbam | rem acū tangam | rem acū tetigī | rem acū tetigeram | rem acū tetigerō |
| 2nd sg. | rem acū tangis | rem acū tangēbās | rem acū tangēs | rem acū tetigistī | rem acū tetigerās | rem acū tetigeris |
| 3rd sg. | rem acū tangit | rem acū tangēbat | rem acū tanget | rem acū tetigit | rem acū tetigerat | rem acū tetigerit |
| 1st pl. | rem acū tangimus | rem acū tangēbāmus | rem acū tangēmus | rem acū tetigimus | rem acū tetigerāmus | rem acū tetigerimus |
| 2nd pl. | rem acū tangitis | rem acū tangēbātis | rem acū tangētis | rem acū tetigistis | rem acū tetigerātis | rem acū tetigeritis |
| 3rd pl. | rem acū tangunt | rem acū tangēbant | rem acū tangent | rem acū tetigērunt rem acū tetigēre | rem acū tetigerant | rem acū tetigerint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | rem acū tangam | rem acū tangerem | rem acū tetigerim | rem acū tetigissem |
| 2nd sg. | rem acū tangās | rem acū tangerēs | rem acū tetigerīs | rem acū tetigissēs |
| 3rd sg. | rem acū tangat | rem acū tangeret | rem acū tetigerit | rem acū tetigisset |
| 1st pl. | rem acū tangāmus | rem acū tangerēmus | rem acū tetigerīmus | rem acū tetigissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | rem acū tangātis | rem acū tangerētis | rem acū tetigerītis | rem acū tetigissētis |
| 3rd pl. | rem acū tangant | rem acū tangerent | rem acū tetigerint | rem acū tetigissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | — | — | — |
| 2nd sg. | — | — | — |
| 3rd sg. | rēs acū tangitur | rēs acū tangēbātur | rēs acū tangētur |
| 1st pl. | — | — | — |
| 2nd pl. | — | — | — |
| 3rd pl. | — | — | — |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | — | — |
| 2nd sg. | — | — |
| 3rd sg. | rēs acū tangātur | rēs acū tangerētur |
| 1st pl. | — | — |
| 2nd pl. | — | — |
| 3rd pl. | — | — |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | rem acū tange | — |
| pres. 2nd pl. | rem acū tangite | — |
| fut. 2nd sg. | rem acū tangitō | — |
| fut. 3rd sg. | rem acū tangitō | rēs acū tangitor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | rem acū tangitōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | rem acū tanguntō | — |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | rem acū tangere | rem acū tangī |
| perfect infinitive | rem acū tetigisse | rem acū tāctam esse |
| future infinitive | rem acū tāctūrum esse | rem acū tāctum īrī |
| present participle | rem acū tangēns | — |
| perfect participle | — | rēs acū tācta |
| future participle | rem acū tāctūrus | rēs acū tangenda rēs acū tangunda |
gerundrem acū tangendī, rem acū tangendō, rem acū tangendumsupinerem acū tāctum, rem acū tāctū
Origins
From rem the accusative of rēs (“thing, matter, issue”) + acū (“with a needle”), the ablative of acus (“a needle”) + tangō (“to touch”). Literally meaning "I touch the issue with a needle", "I touch the matter with a needle", or "I touch it with a needle".