Latin Lesson #224: More 2nd-person -is verbs

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with those 2nd-person forms of the 3rd conjugation, ending in -is. This time, you will see that each saying has two verbs connected with a conjunction: dum, meaning "while," and si, meaning "if."

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before, and I think this is the first time that you already know all the words in today's sayings!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Bibe, si bibis.
Drink, if you're-drinking.
bibe, si bibis.

The word bibis is the 2nd-person form of the verb bibit. You also get the imperative form of that same verb: bibe!

These words can be found in the Roman playwright Plautus, and you have to imagine people drinking or pouring from a shared goblet of wine: the idea is that you need to take a drink if you are going to take a drink and then pass the cup... the next drinker is waiting!


2. Ride, si sapis.
Laugh, if you're-wise.
ride, si sapis.

The word sapis is the 2nd-person form of the verb sapit.

The word ride is the imperative form of the verb ridet (that's a 2nd-conjugation verb, as you can see from the e in ridet).

The advice comes from the Roman poet Martial, who had a keen sense of the absurdity of life. If you are wise, as Martial is, you will laugh at all the absurdity you observe. (In the poem, Martial says he is quoting the poet "Paelignus," i.e. Ovid: Latin / English). This comes from the first line of the poem, and here is the final line: plora, si sapis, "weep, if you are wise."

Compare the English saying, "You've either got to laugh or cry."


3. Vive dum vivis.
Live while you're-alive.
vive dum vivis.

The word vivis is the 2nd-person form of the verb vivit. You also get the imperative form of that same verb: vive!

This is one of the "carpe diem" type of sayings: today does not come again, so live it up while you can!


4. Dum vivis, sperare decet.
While you're-alive, it's-appropriate to-have-hope.
dum vivis, spe-RA-re decet.

The verb decet is an impersonal verb, and it takes an infinitive complement; the word sperare is the infinitive form of the verb sperat. So, "it is appropriate," decet, "to hope, to have hope," sperare.

This is one of those "dum spiro spero" type of sayings: so long as there is life, you should not give up hope.


5. Dum quaeris, hora fugit.
While you're-seeking, time is-fleeing.
dum quaeris, hora fugit.

The word quaeris is the 2nd-person form of the verb quaerit.

The word hora can mean "hour," but it can also mean "time" in general, something like the idiomatic use of the phrase of "the hour" in English, i.e. "The hour has come..." = "The time has come..."

This is one of those Latin sayings engraved on sundials, the idea being that just at the moment that are seeking to know what time it is, time itself is running away. It only takes a moment for the moment of now to escape into the past!


Here's a recap:

• Bibe, si bibis.
• Ride, si sapis.
• Vive dum vivis.
• Dum vivis, sperare decet.
• Dum quaeris, hora fugit.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #223: More -is verbs

The focus for today's lesson is more -is verbs, plus a little preposition review, and some dative forms too!

Prepositions: Remember how some prepositions can take either the ablative case or the accusative case? The meaning is different depending on which case they take. Today you will get a review of what happens when the preposition in takes the ablative ("in") versus when it takes the accusative ("into").

You'll also get a review of some dative forms of the 1st declension (dative ending -ae), 2nd declension (dative ending -o), and the 3rd declension (dative ending -i).

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before, which is most of the words!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. In aqua scribis.
You're-writing in water.
in aqua scribis.

You know all the words in this saying!
The word scribis is the 2nd-person form of the verb scribit.

The word aqua (aquā) is the ablative form of aqua, ablative with the preposition in.

This is another one of those fool's errands. If you writing in water, in sand, etc., your words will be washed away; they won't last.

2. In caelum exspuis.
You're-spitting into (the) sky.
in caelum EX-spuis.

The word exspuis, "you're spitting," is the 2nd-person form of the verb exspuit, literally "spit out," ex-spuit. This verb gives us English "sputum."

The word caelum is the accusative form of caelum (the neuter nominative and accusative always look the same). With the accusative, the preposition in now means "into."

Spitting up into the sky is not a good idea: it will fall back down and hit you in the face. Compare the English saying, "Don't spit into the wind."

3. Mari aquam addis.
You're-adding water to-the-sea.
mari aquam addis.

You know all the words in this one too!

The word addis is the 2nd-person form of the verb addit.

The word aquam is the accusative form of the noun aqua, and it's the direct object of the verb.

The word mari is the dative form of mare, the indirect object of the verb.

Another fool's errand: if there is anyone would doesn't need more water, that would be the sea! Compare the English saying, "coals to Newcastle."


4. Oleum camino addis.
You're-adding oil to-the-furnace.
O-leum ca-MI-no addis.

The word oleum is the accusative form of the noun oleum, "oil, olive  oil," and it's the direct object of the verb. You can see this Latin word in English "petroleum" and "linoleum."

The word camino is the dative form of caminus, "furnace," the indirect object of the verb. This is ultimately the origin of English "chimney."

Compare the English saying, "adding fuel to the fire."
 

5. Ranae vinum infundis.
You're-pouring wine for-the-frog.
ranae vinum in-FUN-dis.

The word infundis, "you're pouring, pouring on, pouring upon," is the 2nd-person form of the verb infundit, which gives us English "infusion."

The word vinum is the accusative form of the noun vinum, direct object of the verb.

The word ranae is the dative form of rana, the indirect object of the verb.

This is a waste of wine: a frog would be perfectly happy with water!


Here's a recap:

• In aqua scribis.
• In caelum exspuis.
• Mari aquam addis.
• Oleum camino addis.
• Ranae vinum infundis.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 76 Catch-Up Day

Here is the new catch-up day post for the -es verbs and -is verbs (both 3rd and 4th conjugation!) from the past two weeks, along with 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!

• #219: More 2nd conjugation -es
• #220: 4th-conjugation -is
• Week 75 Vocabulary Review
• #221: 3rd-conjugation -is
• #222: More 3rd-conjugation -is

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!

Calvum ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

vellis

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Vides horam, ______ tuam.
fill in the blank:

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nescis

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Ultra Epimenidem ______.
fill in the blank:

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dormis

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Frange nucis tegmen, si ______ esse nucem.
fill in the blank:

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cupis

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Cribro aquam ______.
fill in the blank:

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hauris

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In arena ______.
fill in the blank:

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scribis

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Ante victoriam ______ triumphum.
fill in the blank:

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canis

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Aquam in cribro ______.
fill in the blank:

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geris

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Acum in meta faeni ______.
fill in the blank:

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quaeris

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Ex arena funiculum ______.
fill in the blank:

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nectis

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A pumice aquam ______.
fill in the blank:

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petis

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Lucernam ______ in meridie.
fill in the blank:

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adhibes

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Murem ex leone ______.
fill in the blank:

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efficis

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Ab ______ lanam petis.
fill in the blank:

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asino

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Animum debes mutare, non ______.
fill in the blank:

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caelum

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Aut non ______ tentes, aut perfice.
fill in the blank:

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rem

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______ implere debes, non arcam.
fill in the blank:

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animum

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In pertuso hauris ______.
fill in the blank:

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dolio

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Personam, non ______ geris.
fill in the blank:

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faciem

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Si ______ iugulare tentes, fortiter apprehende.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

leonem

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Latin Lesson #222: More 3rd-conjugation -is verbs

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with the 3rd-conjugation "you" verbs, which end in -is. Also, each of today's sayings also has a prepositional phrase, so it's a nice review of prepositional phrases as well!

To get started, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before, and you have indeed seen most of the words in today's sayings already!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. In arena scribis.
You're-writing in sand.
in a-RE-na scribis.

You know all the words in this saying!

The verb scribis is the 2nd-person form of the verb scribit.

The word arena (arenā) is the ablative form of the noun arena, ablative because of the preposition in.

This is another of those fool's errands: you don't want to write in water or in sand or in ash. It's never going to last if you do that!


2. A pumice aquam petis.
You're-seeking water from (a) stone.
a PU-mice aquam petis.

The verb petis is the 2nd-person form of the verb petit, "seeks, asks for," as in the English word "petition." You haven't see this verb before, but you've seen it in a compound form: appetit.

The word pumice is the ablative form of the noun pumex, ablative because of the preposition a.

The word aquam is the accusative form of the noun aqua, accusative because it is the object of the verb.

Another fool's errand! Compare the English saying, trying to get "blood from a stone" or "blood from a turnip."


3. Ab asino lanam petis.
You're-seeking wool from (a) donkey.
ab A-sino lanam petis.

You now know all the words in this saying, since you learned petis in the previous saying.

The word asino is the ablative form of the noun asinus, ablative because of the preposition a, which is spelled ab here because of the following vowel: ab asino. (Compare the use of "n" in English in a phrase like "an apple").

The word lanam is the accusative form of the noun lana, accusative because it is the object of the verb.

And yet again, another fool's errand: you get wool from sheep, not from donkeys.


4. Acum in meta faeni quaeris.
You're-looking-for (a) needle in (a) stack of-hay.
acum in meta faeni quaeris.

The two new words here are the needle, acus, in the stack, meta of hay; you already know the word for hay: faenum. And yes, the word acus is related to the "sharp" words in English like "acuity" and "acumen." But, as far as I know, we don't get any English words from Latin meta; all those meta- words in English (like metaphor, metadata, etc.) are from Greek meta, not Latin.

The verb quaeris is the 2nd-person form of the verb quaerit.

The word meta (metā) is the ablative form of the noun meta, ablative because of the preposition in, and faeni is the genitive of faenum, so: in meta faeni, "in a stack of hay," i.e. in the proverbial haystack!

The word acum is the accusative form of the noun acus, accusative because it is the object of the verb.

Not quite a fool's errand this time, but a very difficult task! We have the same saying in English, looking for a needle in a haystack.


5. Ante victoriam canis triumphum.
You're-singing (the) victory-song before (the) victory.
ante vic-TO-riam canis triumphum.

The new word here is triumphus, the celebration of victory in ancient Rome — the highest military honor that a general could win — and it's easy to recognize because this is the origin of the English word "triumph."

The verb canis is the 2nd-person form of the verb canit. And yes, the Latin word canis also means dog! The words canis, "you sing," and canis, "dog," are homographs in Latin: different words with the same spelling. Of course, we have lots of homographs in English also, far more than Latin does. For example, you use a "bat" to play baseball, but "bats" are also animals!

This is the Roman imperial version of "counting your chickens before they're hatched."


Here's a recap:

• In arena scribis.
• A pumice aquam petis.
• Ab asino lanam petis.
• Acum in meta faeni quaeris.
• Ante victoriam canis triumphum.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #221: 3rd-conjugation -is

The focus for today's lesson is the 2nd-person forms for the 3rd-conjugation. No surprise, the ending is -is! Here's a review of all the 3rd-conjugation forms that you know:

• -o. scribo: I write. (also -io, capio. I take.)
• -is. scribis: you write.
• -it. scribit: she/he/it writes.
• -itur. scribitur: is written.
• -ere: scibere: to write.
• -e: scribe! write!

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before. There is only one new word in today's sayings. You have seen all of the words here before!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Calvum vellis.
You’re-plucking (a) bald (man).
calvum vellis.

You know both words in this saying already!

The word calvum is the accusative form of the adjective calvus, accusative because it is the object of the verb. The adjective is being used substantively as a noun, "bald, a bald man."

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands: a bald man has no hair for you to pluck.


2. Personam, non faciem geris.
You’re-wearing (a) mask, not (your) face.
per-SO-nam, non FA-ciem geris.

You know all of these words too!

The word geris is from the verb gerit, which has a wide range of meanings. In this saying, it means "wear."

The word personam is the accusative form of the noun persona, and faciem is the accusative form of the noun facies, accusative because these are objects of the verb.

This is a way to describe someone who is being hypocritical, presenting a false face to the world, a mask, not their true face.

3. Aquam in cribro geris.
You’re-carrying water in (a) sieve.
aquam in cribro geris.

These words are also familiar! In this saying, the verb geris means "carry."

The word aquam is the accusative form of the noun aqua, accusative because it is the object of the verb. 

The word cribro is the ablative from of the noun cribrum, ablative because of the preposition in.

This is another one of those fool's errands: if you carry water in a sieve, you will have lost all the water by the time you get to your destination.


4. Murem ex leone efficis.
You’re-making (a) mouse out-of (a) lion.
murem ex le-O-ne EF-ficis.

You'll recognize these words also.

The word murem is the accusative form of the noun mus, accusative because it is the object of the verb. 

The word leone is the ablative from of the noun leo, ablative because of the preposition ex.

This saying goes in the opposite direction of proverbs you've seen before: instead of making a big thing out of a small thing (compare "making a mountain out of a molehill"), this saying goes in the opposite direction: making something big and valuable into something small and worthless.

5. Ex arena funiculum nectis.

You’re-weaving (a) rope out-of sand.
ex a-RE-na fu-NI-culum nectis.

  
This is the one new word for today: the word nectis, "you weave," is from the verb nectit. This is where we get English "connect" and also "nexus," which is a Latin word we use in English.

The word funiculum is the accusative form of the noun funiculus, accusative because it is the object of the verb. 

The word arena (arenā) is the ablative from of the noun arena, ablative because of the preposition ex.

Another fool's errand: if you try to make a rope out of sand, it will fall apart; it will not be a rope.

Here's a recap:

• Calvum vellis.
• Personam, non faciem geris.
• Aquam in cribro geris.
• Murem ex leone efficis.
• Ex arena funiculum nectis.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 75 Vocabulary Review

The review this week is... the 3rd conjugation! You'll see a variety of forms: 1st-person active, -o and -io (remember, this conjugation has those two different 1st-person forms!); 3rd-person present active, -it; present passive, -itur (sometimes with active meaning); imperative: -e; and active infinitive, -ere. 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!

Quietae aquae non ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

credo

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Dum ______, spero.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

vivo

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Non pudor est non scire; pudor, nil ______ velle.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

discere

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Rex numquam ______.
fill in the blank:

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moritur

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Sum, ergo ______; ______, ergo sum.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

bibo

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Patientia ______.
fill in the blank:

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vinco

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Poeta ______, orator fit.
fill in the blank:

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nascitur

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Deo fortunaeque ______.
fill in the blank:

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committo

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______ audacter.
fill in the blank:

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perge

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Contentus ______ parvo.
fill in the blank:

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vivo

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Ultra ______.
fill in the blank:

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aspicio

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Avarus, nisi cum ______, nil recte facit.
fill in the blank:

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facit

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Sapientia est vera: nolle nimis ______.
fill in the blank:

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sapere

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Nec cupio nec ______.
fill in the blank:

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metuo

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Noctem dies ______.
fill in the blank:

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sequitur

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Felis amat piscem, sed non vult ______ flumen.
fill in the blank:

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tangere

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Interdum stultus bene ______.
fill in the blank:

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loquitur

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Tolle ______, tolle ______.
fill in the blank:

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lege

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Lupus lupum non ______.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

edit

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Dormienti vulpi ______ intra os nihil.
fill in the blank:

reveal/hide answer

cadit

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And here's a random cat:

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