I'm working on a new Latin nursery rhyme project, so instead of the usual vocabulary review, I'll be sharing a nursery rhyme here every other Friday, starting with a fun and easy one to sing: I made a Latin version of Frère Jacques. Here's the original:
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous ? Dormez-vous ?
Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
Din dan don! Din dan don!
This is the English version I remember singing as a child:
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John!
Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.
But in the French, sleepy Brother John is being told to wake up and ring the bells, imperative. So that's what I did in the Latin:
O lacobe! O lacobe!
Dormisne? Dormisne?
Pulsa iam campanas, pulsa iam campanas!
Din dan don! Din dan don!
O Iacobus, O Iacobus!
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Ring the bells now, ring the bells now!
Din dan don! Din dan don!
I feel badly about not having frater in there (although when I was a little kid, of course I thought this was someone's brother, not a monk), so this could also work for the first line: O lacobe! Frater piger! "O Iacobus! Lazy brother!
You can read more at Wikipedia, which is where I found the music and also these illustrations:
The focus for today's lesson is some more sayings and proverbs with Latin res, that word with a hundred meanings: "thing, business, affair, doings, deed, matter," etc.
And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before. There's only one truly new word today, and it's a really cool Latin word too — you actually know it as an English word and probably didn't even suspect it was Latin!
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Re magis quam specie.
By-the-thing more than by-its-appearance.
re magis quam SPE-cie.
You know all the words in this saying! And you actually have two 5th-declension nouns: re is the ablative form of res, and specie is the ablative form of species.
There is an implied verb like "judge" or "make your decision," the idea being that you should make your decision about something based on what the thing really is, res, and not based on its appearance, species. As you learned from an earlier proverb: Species decipit, i.e. "Looks can be deceiving," as we say in English.
2. Omni in re modus est optimus.
In every thing, moderation is best.
omni in re modus est OP-timus.
You know all the words in this saying too! The word re is again the ablative form of res, and so the adjective omni is also in the ablative: omni in re, "in every thing."
You've seen many sayings about the dangers of excess and in praise of moderation, such as Omne nimium nocet and Modice vivere est optime vivere.
3. Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re. Gently in manner, forcefully in-the-thing (you do).
SUA-viter in modo, FOR-titer in re.
You haven't seen the adverb suaviter before, but you have seen the adjective that it is derived from: suavis.
The word re is again ablative, just as modo is the ablative form of modus. The opposition here is between the manner in which something is done, modus (like English "mode"), and the actual doing of the thing; you could even translate in re here as "in deed."
Note that the word modus has a different meaning in this proverb than in the previous one; you might want to take a look at the wide range of meanings in the Latin-English dictionary entry for modus.
This saying is like the one from the previous lesson: In verbo suavis, in re gravis.
4. Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur.
A-certain friend is-discerned in an-uncertain situation.
a-MI-cus certus in re in-CER-ta CER-nitur.
You know the words in this saying from a very similar saying you saw previously: Amicus certus in necessitate cernitur. Compare also the English saying: "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
The word re is again ablative, so you know that incerta is also in the ablative (incertā).
The verb cernitur, "is discerned, is known" is the passive form of cernit.
Notice the nice sound-play: certus - incerta - cernitur.
5. Verus amicus noscitur ex amore, more, ore, re.
A-true friend is-known by love, conduct, speech, deed.
verus a-MI-cus NOS-citur ex a-MO-re, more, ore, re.
Isn't this an ingenious little saying? And of course it is impossible to truly render in English, because it is the word-play of amore-more-ore-re that makes the saying so ingenious.
Like cernitur in the previous saying, noscitur is the passive form of the verb noscit.
The word amore is the ablative of amor, the word more is the ablative of mos, the word ore is the ablative of os, and re of course is the ablative of res.
The only new word here is mos which means "conduct, behavior, habit; law, rule." The plural of mos is mores, which is a word we use in English: "mores." In the plural, Latin mores means "character, personality." In other words, your personality is made up of all your behaviors and all your habits. In English, the word "mores" is used to refer to the general rules or customs of a society. And yes, this is also the source of the English words "moral" and "morality," etc.
The focus for today's lesson is one of the most common 5th-declension nouns: res, which means "thing, matter, affair, business," etc. You get the idea: it has a lot of meanings!
You probably have used this Latin word without knowing it, because every time you type "re:" in a memo, you are saying re, the ablative form of res: "in the matter of." Many people think the "re" is short for "regarding," but it really is the ablative form of res.
In today's sayings, you will see res in the nominative form as the subject of a verb, also the ablative form, re, and the accusative form: rem.
1. In verbo suavis, in re gravis. Gentle in speech, serious in action.
In verbo suavis, in re gravis.
This saying features re, the ablative form of res, with the preposition in.
Likewise verbo, which is the ablative form of verbum.
There are many sayings that mark the contrast between words and actions, and between speaking and doing. Here the contrast is between speaking gently and sweetly, but acting in a stern and serious way. The rhyme suavis - gravis marks this as a medieval Latin saying.
2. Rem factam etiam stultus intellegit. Even a-fool understands a-thing (after it's been) done.
Rem factam etiam stultus in-TEL-legit.
Here you have rem, the accusative form of res, as the object of the verb. The adjective factam is also feminine accusative, agreeing with rem. You haven't seen this form before, but you know the neuter form: factum.
The idea is that a wise person can foresee things in advance, but even a fool, etiam stultus, can understand something after it has already happened. Compare the English saying "20/20 hindsight."
3. Mortua res Venus sine Baccho et Cerere. Venus (is) a dead business without Bacchus and Ceres.
MOR-tua res Venus sine Baccho et CE-rere.
This saying features res, as the nominative subject of the verb. Because res is a feminine noun, it takes a feminine adjective: mortua. You haven't seen this feminine form of the adjective before, but you know the masculine form: mortuus.
Here the gods stand for their domains: Venus is love, Bacchus is wine, and Ceres is bread.
The saying is adapted from the Roman playwright Terence; you can find out more at Wikipedia. This particular version comes from Erasmus's Adagia.
4. Res est admodum fragilis humanum corpus. The-human body is (a) very fragile thing.
Res est AD-modum FRA-gilis hu-MA-num corpus.
Here you have res once again in the nominative as the subject of verb, and it is modified by the adjective fragilis, "fragile, delicate, liable to break," which is also feminine (although harder to recognize right away as feminine because it is a 3rd-declension adjective, unlike mortua in the previous saying). From Latin fragilis we get both "fragile" and "frail."
The word admodum is an adverb, meaning "very, completely."
5. Res bene parta manet; res male parta perit. A-thing well begotten lasts; a-thing badly begotten perishes.
Res bene parta manet; res male parta perit.
The nominative res appears twice here, as the subject of two contrasting verbs: manet and perit.
Just as the verbs are opposite in meaning, so are the adjectival phrases: bene parta, "well begotten" and male parta "badly begotten."
The adjective parta is a participle from a verb you have seen before: parit, "give birth." So, it literally refers to things that are "born," but also in general to things as they are "begotten, created, made," etc.
Here is the new catch-up day post for the past two weeks of sayings using 5th-declension nouns, focusing on spes and dies. As usual, there is a cat-show of those sayings, plus a link to the downloadable crossword and the self-quiz.
Meanwhile, the admittedly wacky Vergil project carries on; we're now on Lesson 40:A New Beginner's Latin: THE AENEID. Take a look if you are curious!
And now here are the past two weeks of lessons here:
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!
Sufficit ______ malitia sua. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerdieiVive in ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerdiemDies diem ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerdocetDies ______ minuit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerdoloremVer non una dies, non una reducit ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerhirundoSpe ______ levis. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerlaborLucernam in ______ accendis. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answermeridieInter spem et ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answermetumSpes una hominem nec ______ relinquit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answermorteDiem nox premit, dies ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answernoctemUrget diem ______, et dies noctem. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answernoxUbi spes, ibi ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerpaxCum spes frustratur, non spes, sed ______ vocatur. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerpoenaNon uno est condita ______ die. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerRomaUna dies ______ non perficit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answersapientem______ melioris amittitur bonum. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerspe______ Fortuna alit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerspemNon deest ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerspesSpe non saginatur ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerventerIn spe et labore transigo ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answervitam
The focus for today's lesson is more sayings with dies. One thing you might notice is that dies is sometimes masculine — unusdies, "one day" — and sometimes feminine, unadies, "one day." There is not a hard-and-fast rule about that, although in general the masculine dies is more likely to refer to a 24-hour period or to a date on the calendar, especially a holiday, dies festus. Of course, this is not a substantial difference of meaning, so the main thing is just to be prepared for masculine or feminine dies; you'll see them both today.
Now you have diei, the dative form of dies. In the 5th declension, just as in the 3rd and 4th declensions, the final -i is the sign of the dative. The dative is an indirect object with the verb: sufficit diei, "it is sufficient for the day."
The feminine noun malitia, "badness, trouble, ill-will," is the origin of English "malice." It is nominative, the subject of the verb, and the adjective sua is also nominative feminine, agreeing with malitia. You haven't seen this word before, but you know the adjective it comes from: mala / malus / malum.
This is from the Gospel of Matthew; here is the complete verse: Nolite ergo solliciti esse in crastinum. Crastinus enim dies sollicitus erit sibi ipsi: sufficit diei malitia sua, "Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof."
4. Non uno est condita Roma die.
Roma was not founded in-one day.
non uno est CON-dita Roma die.
The new word here is condita, "built." The meaning of that word is pretty easy to guess since this is as famous saying also in English: "Rome wasn't built, non est condita, in one day." The form is feminine because it agrees with the subject, Roma.
In this saying, you can see that dies must be masculine because it has a masculine adjective, uno: "in (just) one day, in a single day," uno die.
The phrase ab urbe condita, abbreviated AUC, was how the Romans numbered the years of their history. You can find out more at Wikipedia: ab urbe condita.
5. Ver non una dies, non una reducit hirundo.
One day isn't spring, nor (does) one swallow bring-it-back.
ver non una dies, non una re-DU-cit hi-RUN-do.
The new verb here is reducit, "lead back, conduct, bring back." You haven't seen this verb before, but it is a compound form of a verb that you know: re-ducit, "back-leads, leads back."
This time dies is feminine, una dies, and it is the subject of the implied verb reducit, while ver is the object: "One day doesn't (bring back) spring." (The word ver is sneaky: it's a neuter 3rd-declension noun, so the accusative is the same as the nominative: ver.)
The word ver is also the implied object of reducit: "one swallow does not bring back spring." The swallow, hirundo, is a feminine noun, as dies is here, so it also takes a feminine adjective: una hirundo.
Compare a saying you've seen before: Una hirundo non facit aestatem.
The focus for today's lesson is more practice with 5th-declension nouns, using the word dies, "day," one of the most commonly used 5th-declension nouns.
Latin dies is the root of English "diurnal" (as opposed to "nocturnal") and "diary." It also gives us English "journal," "journey" and "adjourn." You can see Latin dies in English "dismal," which comes from dies mali, "evil days." The root dies also shows up in English "quotidian" and "circadian." We even use the Latin phrase "per diem" in English.
1. Dies dolorem minuit.
The-day diminishes grief.
dies do-LO-rem MI-nuit.
The word dies is the nominative subject of the verb minuit, "lessens, diminishes." You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen a related adverb: minus.
The word dolorem is the accusative form of dolor, the subject of the verb.
The "day" here stands for "time," the idea being that day by day, grief diminishes.
2. Lucernam in meridie accendis.
You're-burning a-lamp at mid-day.
lu-CER-nam in me-RI-die ac-CEN-dis.
You know all the words in this saying, and in fact you've seen a variation on this saying before: Lucernam adhibes in meridie.
The word lucernam is the accusative form of lucerna, object of the verb accendis, the 2nd-person form of the verb accendit.
The word meridie is the ablative form of meridies with the preposition in. The word is a compound: meri-dies, "mid-day." This is the M in AM, ante meridiem, "before noon," and PM: post meridiem, "after noon." Latin meridies is also the source of English "meridian."
Compare the phrase, "Burning daylight." The idea is that it is foolish to light a lamp or lantern when you have the light of the sun in the sky at high noon.
3. Vive in diem.
Live for the-day.
vive in diem.
You also know all the words in this saying.
The word diem is the accusative form of dies, used with the preposition in, which has the sense of "into" or "for" when used with the accusative.
The verb vive is the imperative form: "live!"
Compare the even more famous Latin saying: Carpe diem.
4. Diem nox premit, dies noctem.
Night presses-on the-day, the-day on-night.
diem nox premit, dies noctem.
Here you see the nominative and accusative forms of dies, along with the nominative and accusative forms of nox.
In the first part of the saying, nox is the subject of the verb premit, "presses, presses on, pursues," with diem as the object, and then in the second part of the saying, dies is the subject and noctem is the object, with the verb premit implied.
The saying elegantly expresses that endless, recurring cycle of night and day: day chases night away, but then night comes back, chasing the day.
5. Una dies sapientem non perficit.
One day doesn't perfect (a person) wise.
una dies sapi-EN-tem non PER-ficit.
Another one where you know all the words already!
The subject is una dies, and the verb is perficit. The word sapientem is the accusative form of sapiens, the object of the verb.
Compare the saying "Rome was not built in a day." So too the wise person!
