Latin Lesson #249: 1st conjugation -ant

The focus for today's lesson is the 3rd-person plural ending for the 1st conjugation... and it's -ant. No surprise there! The verb sunt, "they are," already featured the -nt ending, so now you have -a- the theme vowel of the 1st conjugation, which gives you that ending: ambulant, "they walk;" volant, "they fly," and so on.

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

Now you're ready for today's proverbs:

1. Fata obstant.
The-Fates stand-in-the-way.
fata obstant.

You already know all the words in this saying! The verb obstant is the plural form of obstat. The subject is fata, the plural of fatum.

This famous phrase comes from Vergil's Aeneid, an epic that is very much about fate and destiny, with the Fates getting in the way of the plans of both gods and mortals.


2. Monstrant astra viam.
The-stars show the-way.
monstrant astra viam.

The verb monstrant is the plural form of monstrat, "shows, demonstrates." The subject is astra, the plural of astrum.

The word viam is the accusative of via, object of the verb.

The stars, astra, are sometimes read as a kind of destiny or fate, and in this saying, the stars are not in the way but are instead pointing the way.


3. Carmina non dant panem.
Songs don't give bread.
CAR-mina non dant panem.

The verb dant is the plural form of dat. The carmina, the plural of carmen, "song," which also gives us English "charm."
The word panem is the accusative of panis, object of the verb.

In other words, songs (and music and dancing and poetry, etc.) are all very enjoyable, and even valuable, but you cannot live off them. A similar saying declares: Litterae non dant panem, "Letters (i.e. literature, writing) doesn't give bread."

4. Verba cutem non lacerant.
Words don't mangle the-skin.
verba cutem non LA-cerant.

The verb lacerant is the plural form of lacerat, "mangles, tears, shreds," as in English "lacerate." The subject is verba, the plural of verbum.

The word cutem is the accusative of cutis, object of the verb.

Compare the English saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me."


5. Multae manus onus levant.
Many hands lighten the-load.
multae manus onus levant.

The verb levant is the plural form of levat, "mangles, tears, shreds," as in English "lever" and "relieve." The subject is multae manus, the plural of multa manus. Remember manus? It is one of those sneaky feminine 4th-declension nouns.
The word onus is the accusative form of onus; yes, it's one of those sneaky neuter 3rd-declension nouns, with the same form in the nominative and the accusative. It's the accusative of the verb.

This is literally true about a heavy load, and metaphorically it implies to cooperation in any kind of work.

Here's a recap:

• Fata obstant.
• Monstrant astra viam.
• Carmina non dant panem.
• Verba cutem non lacerant.
• Multae manus onus levant.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Nursery Rhyme: Imber, Desine

Here's another Latin cantilena to wrap up the week: it's my version of "Rain Rain Go Away," Imber, Desine. You can read about this song at Wikipedia.

Here is one English version:

Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!

Little Arthur wants to play. Rain, rain, go away!

And here is my Latin version:

Imber, desine! Veni alio die!

Volo solem hodie. Imber, imber, desine!

Rain, stop! Come here another day!

Let the sun return today. Rain, rain, stop!

And now I have a recording of the Latin, thanks to Genesis Staple, a recent graduate of the UT Music School here in Austin. You can hear more of Genesis's Latin recordings at this work-in-progress wiki: Cantilenae.

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illustration by W. Denslow

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Plus a random cat for your viewing pleasure:

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Latin Lesson #248: More Sayings with sunt

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with "(they) are" proverbs, using the plural form of est, which sunt. 

As you'll find out next week, the -nt is the sign of the 3rd-person plural across all the conjugations. So, while the verb "to be" is irregular, by practicing with sunt, you are getting ready for all plural verbs to come.

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before... which is all the words except for two today!

Then here are today's proverbs:

1. Patres vestri ubi sunt?
Where are your fathers?
patres vestri ubi sunt?

The new word here is vester, "yours, belong to you" (plural). To say "yours" (singular), it would be tuus, but vester is the word you need for speaking to a group of people. 

The word patres is the plural of pater. 

The word vestri is the plural of vester, and notice how the -e- disappears when you add the ending.

The words come from the Biblical book of the prophet Zechariah; here is the complete verse: Patres vestri, ubi sunt? et prophetae numquid in sempiternum vivent? "Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?" Zechariah's message is that the human world passes away; it is only God who is eternal. You can find out more at Wikipedia.

2. Libri muti magistri sunt.
Books are silent teachers.
libri muti ma-GIS-tri sunt.

You know all the words in this saying!

The word libri is the plural of liber.

The word magistri is the plural of magister, and notice againhow the -e- disappears when you add the ending. That often happens with 2nd-declension nouns that end in -er instead of the usual -us.

The word muti is the plural of mutus, agreeing with the word magistri.

As someone who has learned an awful lot from books, I am a fan of this saying. Books may not be able to talk, but they have plenty to say!


3. Multi sunt asini bipedes.
Many are the-donkeys with-two-legs.
multi sunt A-sini BI-pedes.

You even know all the words in this saying. Do you remember when you saw bipes before? Homo animal bipes implume. When Plato defined a human being as a "featherless biped", Diogenes brought Plato a plucked chicken and said, "Here is Plato's man." (Lesson 115)

The word multi is the plural of multus, so it means "many."

The word asini is the plural of asinus. 

The word bipedes is the plural of bipes, agreeing with the asini.

In other words, in addition to all the four-legged donkeys, there are plenty asini bipedes... i.e. homines stulti.

4. Ubi amici, ibi sunt opes.
Where (there are) friends, there are resources.
ubi a-MI-ci, ibi sunt opes.

The new word in this saying is ops, which means "power, strength, ability" in the singular, but in the plural, opes, it means "wealth, resources." You can see this root in English "opulent."

The word amici is the plural of amicus. 

You've seen lots of these ubi...ibi sayings in the past, and now you have one with plural nouns.

The idea is that where you have friends, you have resources, you have help when you are in need it.

5. Ubi sunt divitiae, ibi est invidia.
Where (there are) riches, there is envy.
ubi sunt di-VI-tiae, ibi est in-VI-dia.

You know all these words too.

The word divitiae is one of those special words in Latin that is used only in the plural.

There's an ubi...ibi... saying which has one plural part, sunt, and one singular part, est.

In other words, if you have money, be prepared for the envy that others might feel towards you. 

Here's a recap:

• Patres vestri ubi sunt?
• Libri muti magistri sunt.
• Multi sunt asini bipedes.
• Ubi amici, ibi sunt opes.
• Ubi sunt divitiae, ibi est invidia.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #247: Sunt: "(they) are"

Now that you've gotten familiar with plural nouns — 1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions! — now it's time for some plural verbs. We'll start with the plural form of est... sunt! So, now, you have a plural verb to go with the plural nouns that you already now.

 
And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before — which is all the words today except for one.

And here are today's plural proverbs with verbs:

1. Hic sunt leones.
Here (there) are lions.
hic sunt le-O-nes.

You know all these words already.

The word leones is the plural of leo, with that 3rd-declension ending -es (masculine) on the stem leon-.

The word hic is that special locative adverb meaning "here, in this place."

This is a phrase associated with medieval mapmaking: the phrase hic sunt leones can refer to literal lions or to some kind of endemic danger. Another similar phrase: hic sunt dracones, "here there are dragons." For examples, see Wikipedia.


2. Amantes amentes sunt.
Lovers are out-of-their-minds.
a-MAN-tes a-MEN-tes sunt., 

You know all these words too!

The word amantes is the plural of amans, and the word amentes is the plural of amens. Both adjectives are 3rd-declension, with that -es ending.

The word amans is a participle from the verb amat, so it literally means "loving," but when it is used substantively as a noun, it is equivalent to "lover" in English.

The word amens is not really a participle; instead, it is a kind of joking word play: a-mens, "without-mind," i.e. "out of one's mind." The whole point is the how amans sounds like amens, making it basically impossible to really translate into English.

3. Antiqua sunt optima.
Old (things) are (the) best (things).
an-TI-qua sunt OP-tima.

The new word here is the neuter adjective antiquum, which gives us English "antique." You can see the 2nd-declension neuter ending, -a. The root of the word is ante, "before," so "antique" things are the things that came before us in time. You can also see Latin ante in English "ancient."

The word optima is the plural of optimum, agreeing with antiqua.

Roman culture was inherently conservative, strongly favoring antiqua, "the old things," with a great suspicion regarding things that are new, nova. 


4. Dei plena sunt omnia.
All (things) are full of-God.
dei plena sunt OM-nia.

You know these words, and you saw a variation on this saying last week: Iovis omnia plena.

The word omnia is the plural of omne (the focus of yesterday's lesson), and the adjective plena is also plural, agreeing with omnia. Notice that the neuter nouns of the 3rd-declension, like the 2nd-declension nouns. (I don't want to bore everybody with historical linguistics, but neuter nouns and adjectives are just *different* from the masculine and feminine nouns, often with unusual distinguishing features, and not just in Latin, but across the Indo-European languages.)

The word deus is the genitive of dei, equivalent to the genitive Iovis that you saw in the previous saying. The word plena takes a genitive complement, as in English: full of (something)."


5. Omnia mea mecum sunt.
All my (things) are with-me.
OM-nia mea mecum sunt.

And these words are all familiar too! You see omnia again, and the word mea is the plural of meum, agreeing with omnia.

The word mecum is a special kind of compound: me-cum, "me-with," equivalent to cum me, "with me." You can actually see this Latin phrase in "vademecum" in English, which comes from Latin: vade mecum, "come with me."

This phrase is associated with a famous story about the Greek poet Simonides. When he was shipwrecked and seemed to have lost everything, he had no worries because, as he said: omnia mea mecum sunt. In other words, he had his life, his good sense, his abilities; he did not lose any of those things in the shipwreck and would be able to carry on with his life going forward. The Roman poet Phaedrus tells the story of Simonides' shipwreck in one of his fables.


Here's a recap:

• Hic sunt leones.
• Amantes amentes sunt.
• Antiqua sunt optima.
• Dei plena sunt omnia.
• Omnia mea mecum sunt.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 88 Catch-Up Day

Here is the new catch-up day post for the past two weeks: practicing with lots of plurals! As usual, there is a cat-show of those sayings, plus a link to the downloadable crossword and the self-quiz.

Meanwhile, the very weird but fun Vergil project carries on; we're now on Lesson 64: A New Beginner's Latin: THE AENEID. Take a look if you are curious! 

Now here are the past two weeks of lessons here:

• #243: 2nd-Declension Masculine Plural
• #244: 2nd-Declension Neuter Plural
• Latin Nursery Rhyme: Tres Mures
• #245: 3rd-Declension Plurals
• #246: 3rd-Declension Neuter Plural

And here's 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!

Neque mel, neque ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

apes

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______ furtivae dulciores.
fill in the blank:

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Aquae

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Non semper ______.
fill in the blank:

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Bacchanalia

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______ mites.
fill in the blank:

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Beati

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Omnia ______ desuper.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

bona

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Pauci sed ______.
fill in the blank:

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boni

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Nolenti omnia ______.
fill in the blank:

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difficilia

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Tantali ______.
fill in the blank:

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horti

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Montani semper ______.
fill in the blank:

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liberi

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______ Cretenses.
fill in the blank:

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Mendaces

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Non ______ sed nove.
fill in the blank:

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nova

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______ eodem luto.
fill in the blank:

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Omnes

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Beati ______.
fill in the blank:

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pacifici

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Iovis omnia ______.
fill in the blank:

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plena

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Omnia deo ______.
fill in the blank:

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possibilia

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Si radix sancta, et ______.
fill in the blank:

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rami

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Omnia ______ mendacia.
fill in the blank:

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somnia

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______ peccati mors.
fill in the blank:

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Stipendia

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Ne ______ pro farina.
fill in the blank:

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verba

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Vestigia ______ retrorsum.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

nulla

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And here's a random cat:

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Latin Lesson #246: 3rd-Declension Neuter Plural

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with plurals, and this time it's the neuter plural form of the 3rd declension. Here's what's cool: the ending is -a, just like for neuter plurals of the 2nd declension. So, for the 2nd declension, bona means "good things." For the 3rd declension, omnia, means "all things." Every saying today has the word omnia in it!

To get ready, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Iovis omnia plena.
All-things (are) full of-Jupiter.
Iovis OM-nia plena.

The word omnia is being used substantively here, "all (things)," and it is the subject of the verb.

The word plena is the plural form of the 2nd-declension neuter adjective plenum; you haven't seen this neuter form of the adjective, but you have seen the feminine form: plena. (And yes, the neuter plural and the feminine singular forms do look the same.)

This adjective takes a genitive complement: Iovis, which is the genitive of Iuppiter. 

These words come from one of the Eclogues by the Roman poet Vergil.


2. Omnia bona desuper.
All good-things (come) from-above.
OM-nia bona DE-super.

The word omnia is being used as an adjective here, modifying the word bona, a 2nd-declension neuter plural being used substantively, "good (things)." Put the phrase together and you have omnia bona, "all good things." 
The word desuper is an adverb, "from above," de-super. 

This is a popular Christian saying, also used in family mottoes.


3. Omnia deo possibilia.
All-things (are) possible for-god.
OM-nia deo possi-BI-lia.

The word omnia is being used substantively here, "all (things)," and it is the subject of the verb. 

The word possibilia is the plural of the 3rd-declension neuter adjective,  possibile, "possible." You haven't seen this adjective before, but you know the verb that it comes from: possum, "I am able, I can."

The word deo is the dative form of deus, explaining for whom all things are possible. It can also be written as Deo in order to emphasize a more specifically Christian usage. You can also find it phrased this way: Cum Deo omnia possibilia, "With God all things are possible."


4. Nolenti omnia difficilia.
All-things (are) difficult for-the-not-willing (person).
OM-nia SOM-nia men-DA-cia.

You know all the words in this saying. Once again, the word omnia is being used substantively, "all (things)," and it is the subject of the verb. 

The word difficilia is the plural of the 3rd-declension neuter adjective,  difficile, "difficult."

The word nolenti is the dative form of nolens, a participle (verbal adjective) being used substantively: "for (the person who is) not-willing." It explains for whom all things are difficult.


5. Omnia somnia mendacia.
All dreams (are) lies.
no-LEN-ti OM-nia diffi-CI-lia.

You know all the words in this saying too! The word omnia is being used as an adjective here, modifying the noun somnia, the plural of somnium. Put the phrase together and you have omnia somnia, "all dreams." 

The word mendacia is the plural of the 2nd-declension noun mendacium. 


Here's a recap:

• Iovis omnia plena.
• Omnia bona desuper.
• Omnia deo possibilia.
• Omnia somnia mendacia.
• Nolenti omnia difficilia.

And here is today's audio:



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