Latin Lesson #228: More sayings with vis

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with the verb vis, "you want," the 2nd-person form of the irregular verb vult. Last time, you saw how vis can take a direct object — Si vis pacem, para bellum and Si vis pacem, cole iustitiam — or it can take a complementary infinitive. All the sayings for today feature vis plus a complementary infinitive. You will also see a lot of infinitives in today's sayings too.

To get started, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before — and you already know all of today's words except for one!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Da, si vis accipere.
Give, if you-want to-receive.
da, si vis ac-CI-pere.

You know all the words in this saying.

The word accipere is the infinitive form of the verb accipit.

The word da is the imperative form of the verb dat.


2. Aude aliquid, si vis aliquid esse.
Dare something, if you-want to-be something.
aude A-liquid, si vis A-liquid esse.

You know all the words in this saying too!

The word esse is the infinitive form of the verb est.

The word aude is the imperative form of the verb audet.


3. Audire vis bene? Abstine male dicere.
Do-you-want to-hear (others speak) well (of you)? Avoid speaking badly (of others).
au-DI-re vis bene? AB-stine male DI-cere.

The word abstine, "avoid, refrain from," is the imperative form of the verb abstinet, which is the root of English "abstain." You haven't seen this word before, but you have seen the root verb: tenet. It also takes a complementary infinitive: dicere, which is the infinitive form of the verb dicit.

The word audire is the infinitive form of the verb audit.

The adverbs are the key to this saying: bene and male. As you can see from the translation, I couldn't find an elegant way to do that in English, so I had to add a few more words to the translation. But the Latin is very elegant, letting the adverbs do all the work!

4. Audi, vide, tace, si vis vivere in pace.
Listen, look, be-silent, if you-want to-live in peace.
audi, vide, tace, si vis VI-vere in pace.

These words should all be familiar, and the rhyme tace-pace lets you know that this is medieval Latin saying. The word pace is the ablative form of the noun pax, with the preposition in. 

The word vivere is the infinitive form of the verb vivit. 

You also get several imperatives in this saying: audi is the imperative of audit; vide is the imperative of videt; tace is the imperative of tacet.

5. Fac bene dum vivis, post mortem vivere si vis.
Do good while you-live, if you-want to-live after death.
fac bene dum vivis, post mortem VI-vere si vis.

Even though this is a long saying, you know all the words here too! This is also a rhyming medieval Latin saying: vivis-si vis.

The word fac is the imperative form of the verb facit.

The word mortem is the accusative form of the noun mors, with the preposition post. (Most prepositions take the ablative case, but post is one of those prepositions that take the accusative.)


Here's a recap:

• Da, si vis accipere.
• Aude aliquid, si vis aliquid esse.
• Audire vis bene? Abstine male dicere.
• Audi, vide, tace, si vis vivere in pace.
• Fac bene dum vivis, post mortem vivere si vis.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #227: You want - vis.

The focus for today's lesson is another irregular verb: vult. Just as you would expect, the 2nd-person singular form ends in -s, but you might be surprised by the vowel (that's the irregular part): vis, "you want, you will."

As a reminder, this verb can take a direction object in the accusative when you want something, but it can also take an infinitive complement when you want to do something. You'll see examples of both types of constructions in today's sayings.

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Si vis scire, doce.
If you-want to-know, teach.
si vis scire, doce.

You know all the words in this saying! 
The verb vis is taking an infinitive complement here: vis scire, "you want to know."

The word doce is the imperative form of the verb docet. 

2. Si vis regnare, divide.
If you-want to-rule, divide.
si vis reg-NA-re, DI-vide.

You know all the words in this saying too!

The verb vis is taking an infinitive complement here also: vis regnare, "you want to rule."

The word divide is the imperative form of the verb dividet. 

Compare the English saying, "Divide and conquer."


3. Si vis pacem, para bellum.
If you-want peace, prepare war.
si vis pacem, para bellum.

The word para, "prepare!" is the imperative form of the verb parat. You can see this root in English "prepare." Aside from that word, you've seen all the rest of the words in this saying before.

The word pacem is the accusative form of pax, and it is the object of vis.

The word bellum, meanwhile, is the accusative form of bellum (those neuter nouns always look the same in the nominative and accusative), the object of the verb para.

This famous saying has its own Wikipedia article.


4. Si vis pacem, cole iustitiam.
If you-want peace, cultivate justice.
si vis pacem, cole ius-TI-tiam.

The only new word in this saying is cole, "cultivate!" is the imperative form of the verb colit. This Latin verb is actually the root of the English words "culture,' "cultivate," etc. 

The word iustitiam is the accusative form of iustitia, and it is the object of cole.

This is the original motto of the International Labor Organization, or ILO.


5. Ebibe vas totum, si vis cognoscere potum.
Drink the-whole container, if you-want to-know (the) drink.
E-bibe vas totum, si vis cog-NOS-cere potum.

The word ebibe, "drink! drink up!" is the imperative form of the verb ebibit. You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen the unprefixed form: bibit.
The word totum is a neuter adjective agreeing with the neuter noun vas, the object of the verb ebibe. You haven't seen the neuter form of this adjective before, but you have seen the masculine form: totus.

Those are the two new words in this saying; you've seen all the rest of these words before.

The word potum is the accusative form of the noun potus; it is the object of the infinitive cognoscere which goes with the verb vis: "you want to know the drink," vis cognoscere potum.

Notice the rhyme, totum-potum, which lets you know that this is a medieval saying.


Here's a recap:

• Si vis scire, doce.
• Si vis regnare, divide.
• Si vis pacem, para bellum.
• Si vis pacem, cole iustitiam.
• Ebibe vas totum, si vis cognoscere potum.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 78 Catch-Up Day

Here is the new catch-up day post for the past two weeks of sayings. As usual, there is a slideshow (including cats) of those sayings, plus a link to the crossword as usual (which you can download and print), and then... the self-quiz also!

• #223: more -is verbs
• #224: and more -is verbs
• Week 77 Vocabulary Review
• #225: es! you are!
• #226: you can — potes!

So, let's start with the slideshow with all the sayings. You can read out loud, first with the English to remind you of the vocabulary... and then read out loud again with the cat!

I also made a printable crossword PDF as usual, and the same prompts for the crossword are used in the quiz questions below. Enjoy!

Ride, si ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

sapis

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Ranae vinum ______.
fill in the blank:

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infundis

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Bibe, si ______.
fill in the blank:

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bibis

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Mari ______ addis.
fill in the blank:

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aquam

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Dum vivis, ______ decet.
fill in the blank:

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sperare

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Martha, Martha, ______ es.
fill in the blank:

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sollicita

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______ camino addis.
fill in the blank:

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Oleum

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Vive dum ______.
fill in the blank:

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vivis

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Dum ______, hora fugit.
fill in the blank:

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quaeris

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In caelum ______.
fill in the blank:

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exspuis

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O ______, quantus es!
fill in the blank:

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Cupido

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In aqua ______.
fill in the blank:

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scribis

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Si ______ mortalis, vive ut mortalis.
fill in the blank:

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es

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O ______, numquam perpetuo es data!
fill in the blank:

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fortuna

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Si semel es furans, furis ______ cape durans.
fill in the blank:

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nomen

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Dum ______, vive.
fill in the blank:

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potes

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Quantum potes, ______ aude.
fill in the blank:

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tantum

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Non potes Tethidem simul et Galateam ______.
fill in the blank:

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amare

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Tenere non potes, potes non perdere ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

diem

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______ frenare potes, sed vincere numquam.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

Naturam

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Latin Lesson #226: You can — potes!

The focus for today's lesson is the verb form potes, "you can."

See that -es there at the end? Well, that is the same es that you learned earlier this week, which means "you are."

That's because the verb potes is really short for potis es, "able you-are," i.e. "you can." And that's true for the other forms of this verb that you have already learned: potest = potis + est and possum = potis + sum. It's true for the infinitive form too: posse = potis + esse. 

So now you know: the reason the verb "can" is irregular in Latin is because it's just another form of the verb "to be," which is a very irregular verb!

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before, which is most of the words in today's sayings.

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Dum potes, vive.
While you-are-able, live!
dum potes, vive.

You know all the words in this saying!

The word vive is the imperative form of the verb vivit.

This is one of those memento mori sayings: while you are able to live, you better live, because the day will come when you die, and you won't be able to live then!

2. Quantum potes, tantum aude.
As-much-as you-can, that-much dare!
quantum potes, tantum aude.

You have another imperative here: aude, "dare!" from the verb audet.
You know the word quantum already, and the verb tantum makes a correlative pair: "as much... that much." Both quantum and tantum are neuter forms in the accusative case, the object of the verbs. 


3. Non potes Tethidem simul et Galateam amare.
You-aren't-able to-love Tethis and Galatea at-the-same-time.
non potes TE-thidem simul et Gala-TE-am a-MA-re.

You know all the words in this saying also, aside from the names of these famous Greek nymphs, Tethis and Galatea: Tethidem is the accusative form of the name Tethis, and Galateam is the accusative form of the name Galatea. They are in the accusative case because they are both objects of the infinitive verb, amare.

The verb potes can take an infinitive complement, just like English "able," so potes amare, "you are able to love."

Compare the English saying, "You cannot serve two masters." Although in this case, these are "mistresses," instead; you cannot have two girlfriends at the same time, especially if they are famous nymphs of Greek mythology.


4. Naturam frenare potes, sed vincere numquam.
You-are-able to restrain nature, but never overcome (it).
na-TU-ram fre-NA-re potes, sed VIN-cere numquam.

The word frenare, "to restrain, to rein in," is the imperative form of the verb frenat, which is the root of English "refrain." The word vincere is the infinitive form of the verb vincit. 

The word naturam is the accusative form of natura, accusative because it is the object of the infinitives frenare and vincere.

Compare the English saying, "Nature will out."


5. Tenere non potes, potes non perdere diem.
You-cannot keep the-day, you-can not waste (it).
te-NE-re non potes, potes non PER-dere diem.

This is a long saying, but you already know all the words in this one too!

The word tenere is the infinitive of the verb tenet, and the word perdere is the infinitive of perdit.

The word diem is the accusative form of dies, accusative because it is the object of the infinitives.

Like many sayings about dies (and also hora and lux), this is a sundial motto. The idea is that time keeps moving on; you cannot stop it: diem tenere non potes. But there is hope: you can manage not to waste the time you have, potes non perdere diem.

Here's a recap:

• Dum potes, vive.
• Quantum potes, tantum aude.
• Non potes Tethidem simul et Galateam amare.
• Naturam frenare potes, sed vincere numquam.
• Tenere non potes, potes non perdere diem.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #225: es! you are!

The focus for today's lesson is the 2nd-person singular form of the verb "to be" — es, "you are."

The verb "to be" is irregular, but you shouldn't be surprised that it ends in "s" just like the other 2nd-person forms you have seen:

• amas. "you love" from the verb amat ~ amare.
• habes. "you have" from the verb habet ~ habere.
• vivis. "you live" from the verb vivit ~ vivere.
• audis. "you hear" from the verb audit ~ audire.
• es. "you are" from the verb est ~ esse.

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. O Cupido, quantus es!
O Cupid, how-great you-are!
O Cu-PI-do, quantus es!

You haven't seen the masculine adjective quantus, "how much, how great," before, but you have seen the neuter form: quantum. 

You also know the word cupido already, but just as a noun meaning "desire, longing," but now this is Cupido, capitalized, meaning "Cupid," just like in English.

This words come from the play Mercator by the Roman playwright Plautus.

2. Martha, Martha, sollicita es.
Martha, Martha, you-are troubled.
Martha, Martha, sol-LI-cita es.

You haven't seen the feminine adjective sollicita, "troubled," before, but you have seen the masculine form: sollicitus. 

These words are spoken by Jesus to his follower Martha in the gospel of Luke; you can read more about Martha and her proverbial worries at Wikipedia.


3. Si es mortalis, vive ut mortalis.
If you-are mortal, live like (a) mortal.
Si es mor-TA-lis, vive ut mor-TA-lis.

You haven't seen the adjective mortalis, "mortal,"  before, but you have seen the noun that it comes from: mors. You know all the other words in this saying already!

This is another one of those memento mori sayings. You can read more about the memento mori tradition at Wikipedia.

4. O fortuna, numquam perpetuo es data!
O fortuna, you-are never given in-perpetuity.

O For-TU-na, numquam per-PE-tuo es data! 

You haven't seen the adjective data, "given," before, but you have seen the noun that it comes from: dat. More specifically, data is a passive participle form of the verb. You also know all the rest of the words in this saying.

These words come from the Roman playwright Terence. In both classical Latin and medieval Latin, you will find many sayings about the ups-and-downs of Fortune. You've already seen similar proverbs before; for example, Fortunae rota volvitur and Est rota fortunae variabilis, ut rota lunae.

5. Si semel es furans, furis nomen cape durans.
If once you-are being-a-thief, accept (the) lasting name of-thief!

Si semel es furans, furis nomen cape durans. 

You haven't seen the adjective durans, "lasting, enduring,"  before, but you have seen the verb that it comes from: durat. This is the neuter form of the adjective, agreeing with the neuter noun nomen.

The word furans means "thieving, stealing," which is a new word, but you already know the word fur, which you also see in this saying: furis is the genitive singular of fur.

You can tell from the rhyme, furans-durans, that this is a medieval Latin saying. The English translation is a bit awkward, in part because the Latin itself is awkward, and that's in order to achieve the rhyme. 

Here's a recap:

• O Cupido, quantus es!
• Martha, Martha, sollicita es.
• Si es mortalis, vive ut mortalis.
• O fortuna, numquam perpetuo es data!
• Si semel es furans, furis nomen cape durans.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 77 Vocabulary Review

The review this week is... 2nd-person forms from the 1st and 2nd conjugation, because you don't want to forget those! The 1st-conjugation form is -as, and the 2nd-conjugation form is -es. As usual, there's a quiz slideshow, a crossword, and a self-check quiz afterwards too. :-)

For each saying, you will try to supply the missing word. You can check yourself by looking at the cat slide that follows the slide with the missing word(s). 

You can also begin at the end and work backwards, giving yourself a different kind of quiz: seeing the slide without English and trying to supply the English, checking your answer on the next slide, reviewing with the cat slide, and then seeing if you can fill in the blank. 

Plus don't forget: on the slides that contain the English translation, the English is linked to the original blog post if you want some help in understanding the grammar of the saying.

I also made a printable crossword PDF as usual, and the same prompts for the crossword and slieshow are used in the quiz questions below. Enjoy!

Cum umbra ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

pugnas

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Memorem ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

mones

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Sisyphium ______ saxum.
fill in the blank:

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portas

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______ hircum.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

mulges

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Leonem ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

stimulas

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Fugiens, animam ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

servas

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In media luce ______.
fill in the blank:

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erras

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Asinum ______.
fill in the blank:

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tondes

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Aquam igni ______.
fill in the blank:

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misces

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Serpentem in sinu ______.
fill in the blank:

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foves

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______ litus.
fill in the blank:

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aras

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Doctum ______.
fill in the blank:

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doces

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Harenam ______.
fill in the blank:

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mensuras

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In arena ______.
fill in the blank:

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aedificas

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Viperam sub ala ______.
fill in the blank:

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nutricas

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Cauda ______ anguillam.
fill in the blank:

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tenes

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Ante tubam ______.
fill in the blank:

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trepidas

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Ovum ______.
fill in the blank:

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adglutinas

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Mortuum ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

flagellas

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Ranae aquam ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

ministras

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And here's a random cat:

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