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Indirect Statement — Ōrātiō Oblīqua

Twelfth graders master indirect statement — Latin’s accusative-plus-infinitive construction (Dīcit puellam venīre, “He says that the girl is coming”) — one of the most important structures for reading Cicero and Caesar.

Grade 12Ōrātiō Oblīqua55 minutes1 class periodClassical LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain indirect statement.
  • ✓See the acc. + infin.
  • ✓Match phrases to meanings.
  • ✓Read the authors.
Essential Question

“He says THAT she is coming.” Latin has no word for “that” — it uses accusative + infinitive. How does indirect statement work?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Indirect Statement

Project this and match each Latin indirect statement to its English meaning — tap the Latin, then tap the English.

🗣️ Match each indirect statement to its meaningTry it
Latin
English
Now tap the English!
The Lesson · Classical Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — No Word for “That”

6 min

Latin uses accusative + infinitive for “he says THAT…” How?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “He says that she comes.”
  • Ask how Latin does it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Ōrātiō Oblīqua

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present acc. + infin.
  • Note the subject is accusative.
  • Note the verb is infinitive.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Match Them

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Indirect Statement.
  • Match each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Translate one aloud.
  • Explain the structure.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Translate.
  • Explain.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give an indirect statement.
  • Say its meaning.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Give one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Standards for Classical Language Learning (ACL/ACTFL, Advanced).

ACL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand indirect statement.

ACL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare reported speech.

ACL
Connections 3.1

Connect to reading authors.

ACL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: use the construction.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Phrase + meaning cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Dīcit ___ ___.”
  • Use example sentences.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “Dīcit puellam venīre.”
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Change the tense of the infinitive.
  • Write an indirect statement.
  • Find it in Caesar.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🗣️Phrase cards
  • 💻Match the Indirect Statement
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

ōrātiō oblīquaindirect statementaccūsātīvusaccusativeinfinītīvusinfinitivedīcereto saycrēdereto believeputāreto thinkscīreto knowaudireto hear
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “Dīcit puellam venīre” mean?
He says that the girl is coming.
QUESTION 2
What case is the subject in an indirect statement?
The accusative.
QUESTION 3
What form is the verb in an indirect statement?
The infinitive.

Reflect: ōrātiō oblīqua.

Have students translate one indirect statement (like “Crēdō eum vēnisse” = I believe that he came). A printable indirect-statement sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Indirect Statement (Ōrātiō Oblīqua)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Indirect Statement (Ōrātiō Oblīqua)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Indirect Statement (Ōrātiō Oblīqua)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: accūsātīvus, audire, crēdere, dīcere, infinītīvus, putāre, scīre, ōrātiō oblīqua
  1. to believe
  2. to think
  3. to know
  4. to hear
  5. to say
  6. infinitive
  7. indirect statement
  8. accusative

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “Dīcit puellam venīre” mean?
  2. What case is the subject in an indirect statement?
  3. What form is the verb in an indirect statement?
Answer key — Part A: 1) crēdere · 2) putāre · 3) scīre · 4) audire · 5) dīcere · 6) infinītīvus · 7) ōrātiō oblīqua · 8) accūsātīvus
Part B: 1) He says that the girl is coming. 2) The accusative. 3) The infinitive.