Latin Catch-Up Day (Saturday Feb. 1)

Today is a catch-up day to review any lesson(s) you missed this past week and/or to work on whatever kind of practice is most useful to you. You will find the list of lessons below, plus a random cat. I've also made a slideshow (full-screen version) of the second-declension genitives you can use to quiz yourself with. Supply the genitive form, and then click to the next slide to see if you were correct:

And here are the lessons from this week; you can also see the complete list of lessons on its own page.

• 29: Second Declension Review
• 30: Second-Declension Genitive
• 31: More 2nd-Declension Genitives
• 32: 2nd-Declension Genitive Again
• 33: Genitive Gerunds

Random cat:

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Latin Lesson #33: Genitive Gerunds

The focus for today's lesson is about a special kind of noun called a "gerund," which is a noun formed from a verb. We have gerunds in English: from the verb "speak" there is the gerund "speaking," and from the verb "walk" you get "walking," etc. To form the gerund in English you just add -ing to the present stem of the verb. In Latin, the gerunds end in -ndum, and they are neuter nouns of the second declension.

So, for example, the verb timere means "to fear, to be afraid," so timendum means "fearing, being afraid," or you can even just translate it as "fear." You very rarely see the gerund in the nominative form (you'll learn why later on), but you will often see the gerund in other cases, including the genitive. You form the genitive in the usual way for a second-declension noun: remove the -um to get the stem, and then add the -i genitive ending: timendum has the stem timendi-, so the genitive is: timendi, "of fearing, of fear."

All of today's sayings have gerunds, and four of the sayings come from a famous passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Vulgate, which is the Latin translation of the Bible. You might know it from this song by The Byrds: Turn Turn Turn.

So, here are today's sayings with gerunds:

1. Dolendi modus, non est timendi.
(There is a) limit to grieving, but not to fearing.
do-LEN-di modus, non est ti-MEN-di

The genitive gerund dolendi is from the verb dolere, "to grieve." You've already seen another noun from this same root, dolor, in this saying: Ubi amor, ibi dolor.

The noun modus, "measure, limit, manner" gives us the English word "mode." You might know this Latin phrase used in English: modus operandi, a "way of working," which is another one of these gerund phrases!

The genitive gerund timendi is from the verb timere, "to fear, be afraid." You can see this root in English "timid."

The idea is that eventually grief comes to an end, but people can be afraid all their lives. Thanks to Google, I learned that this motto is inscribed over the entrance to the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv.


2. Tempus flendi et tempus ridendi.
(There is a time) of weeping and (a) time of laughing.
tempus flendi et tempus ri-DEN-di

This is the first of the sayings that come from the Book of Ecclesiastes mentioned above.

The genitive gerund flendi is from the verb flere, "to weep," so flendum means "weeping."

The genitive gerund ridendi is from the verb ridere, "to laugh." You've seen another noun formed from this same verb stem already, risus, "laughter," in the saying: Risus optima medicina.


3. Tempus tacendi et tempus loquendi.
(There is a time) of keeping silent and (a) time of speaking.
tempus ta-CEN-di et tempus lo-QUEN-di

You've seen tempus in several sayings already, such as Tempus est vitae magister.

The genitive gerund tacendi is from the verb tacere, "to be silent, not speak." This is the origin of English "tacit."

The genitive gerund loquendi is from the verb loqui, "to speak." You can see this root in English "loquacious."


4. Tempus nascendi et tempus moriendi.
(There is a time) of being born and (a) time of dying.
tempus nas-CEN-di et tempus mori-EN-di

The genitive gerund nascendi is from the verb nasci, "to be born, begin life." Another form of this verb is natus, "born," which you have seen before: Nemo magister natus.

The genitive gerund moriendi is from the verb mori, "to die." You've seen the noun mors, "death," in several proverbs already, like this one: Mors corona vitae.


5. Tempus plangendi et tempus saltandi.
(There is a time) of mourning and (a) time of dancing.
tempus plan-GEN-di et tempus sal-TAN-di

The genitive gerund plangendi is from the verb plangere, "to mourn, lament." The literal meaning of plangere is to beat or strike, and because people would beat their breast as a sign of mourning, that eventually became the most common meaning of the  verb, from which we get English "plangent."
The genitive gerund saltandi is from the verb saltare, "to leap, dance." From this root we get English "somersault." The Salii were the "leaping priests" of ancient Rome; you can read more about them at Wikipedia.

Here's a recap:

1. Dolendi modus, non est timendi.
2. Tempus flendi et tempus ridendi.
3. Tempus tacendi et tempus loquendi.
4. Tempus nascendi et tempus moriendi.
5. Tempus plangendi et tempus saltandi.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #32: 2nd-Declension Genitive Again

The focus for today's lesson is, once again, the genitive form of the second declension. Here's a quick review of the genitive phrases so far this week, arranged based on whether the genitive word comes first or second in the phrase; I've put the English for today's phrases. I've also put the nominative form for the genitive words:

• [animus] animi speculum
• [Deus] Dei simia
• [Deus] Dei lusus
• [Deus] Dei viva statua: God's living statue
• [iniquus] iniqui haeres: a crooked man's heir

• donum Dei [Deus] 
• umbra Dei [Deus] 
• regnum Dei [Deus] 
• oculus mundi [mundus] 
• caput mundi [mundus] 
• imago animi [animus] 
• eventus proelii [proelium] 
• dimidium facti [factum]: half of the deed 
• pulvinar diaboli [diabolus]: cushion of the devil
• os diaboli [diabolus]: mouth of the devil

That gives you a kind of sneak preview of today's sayings. Plus you've probably noticed: as you learn more and more sayings each day, that increases your vocabulary and there are fewer and fewer new words that you need to read the new day's sayings.

So, here are today's sayings:

1. Bonum initium est dimidium facti.
(A) good beginning is half of-(the)-deed.
bonum i-NI-tium est di-MI-dium facti

You've seen bonum in this saying already: Non omne dulce bonum.

You've also seen initium before: Omne initium difficile.

You've seen dimidium before too: Incertus animus dimidium est sapientiae.

The word facti is the genitive of factum, which you have also seen before: Simul dictum, simul factum.

Compare the English saying, "Well begun is half done."


2. Mundus est Dei viva statua.
(The) world is God's living statue.
mundus est Dei viva STA-tua

You've seen the word mundus in this saying:  Patria mea totus mundus est.

You've also seen the genitive Dei, from Deus, in many sayings, such as: Musica donum Dei.

The feminine adjective viva, "living," is related to the verb vivere, "to live." You can see this root in English "vivacious."

The feminine noun statua gives us English "statue."

The idea here is that the world of nature is a kind of divine artistry. Human art is subordinate to nature, but nature itself is the art of God, the creator. The difference between this "statue" and statues made by human artists is that this statua is alive, viva.


3. Otium est pulvinar diaboli.
Leisure is (the) devil's cushion.
O-tium est pul-VI-nar di-A-boli

You've seen a saying very similar to this one: Pigritia est pulvinar Satanae.

The words otium and pigritia are very close in meaning: otium means "leisure, not doing work," while pigritia means "laziness, not wanting to do any work." 

The words diaboli and Satanae are also synonyms: diabolus is "devil" and Satanas is "Satan."

Compare the English saying, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."

4. Bursa avari os est diaboli.
(The) miser's purse is (the) mouth of-(the)-devil.
bursa a-VA-ri os est di-A-boli

The feminine noun bursa is the origin of English "purse." You can also see this root in English "bursar."

The genitive avari is from avarus, which you have seen before: Avarus semper est pauper.

The neuter noun os, "mouth," has or- as its stem, which you can see in English "oral." (Next week you'll be learning about these third-declension words and their sneaky stems!)

Notice how the genitive phrase, os diaboli, wraps around the verb: os est diaboli.

This is a powerful metaphor: the idea is that the purse of a miser is full of money, but at the same time that purse is the gaping mouth of the devil, which of course leads down to hell. 

5. Dives aut iniquus est, aut iniqui haeres.
(A) rich (man) is either crooked or (the) heir of-(a)-crooked (man).
dives aut i-NI-quus est, aut i-NI-qui haeres

The masculine adjective dives, "rich," is being used here substantively: "a rich man." There is a contracted form of this word in Latin: Dis, which means "the underworld," the realm of the god Pluto (and Pluto, in Greek, was the god of wealth).

The word aut means "or," and the construction aut...aut... is like English "either...or..."

The masculine adjective iniquus, "unequal, unjust, crooked," is a compound word: in-aequus, "not-equal." You can see this root in English "iniquity."

The word iniqui is the genitive of iniquus.

The masculine noun haeres gives us English "heir," and you can also see this root in words like "inherit" and "heritage."

Here's a recap:

1. Bonum initium est dimidium facti.
2. Mundus est Dei viva statua.
3. Otium est pulvinar diaboli.
4. Bursa avari os est diaboli.
5. Dives aut iniquus est, aut iniqui haeres.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #31: More 2nd-Declension Genitives

Yesterday you learned how to make second-declension words into their genitive form: just remove the nominative -us (or -um) ending, and then you add the genitive ending, -i. 

All of yesterday's sayings featured the genitive Dei, "of God / God's." You will see different genitive forms in today's sayings; here are the genitives that you will see, and this should give you a clue about the sayings themselves:

• oculus mundi: the eye of the world / the world's eye
• caput mundi: the head of the world / the world's head
• imago animi: the picture of the mind / the mind's picture
• animi speculum: the mirror of the mind / the mind's mirror
• eventus proelii: the outcome of a battle / a battle's outcome

Remember, sometimes the genitive comes first in its phrase, and sometimes it comes second. Word order is just a matter of style in Latin! 

And now here are today's proverbs:

1. Sol oculus mundi.
(The) sun (is the) eye of-(the)-world.
sol O-culus mundi

The masculine noun sol, "sun," gives us English "solar."

You've seen the noun oculus, "eye," already in the saying Ubi amor, ibi oculus.

The genitive mundi comes from mundus, which you have also seen before: Patria mea totus mundus est.


2. Roma caput mundi.
Rome (is the) head of-(the)-world.
Roma caput mundi

You've seen Roma before in the saying Roma aeterna est.

The neuter noun caput, "head," gives us "capital" in English. We also use the Latin phrase per capita in English; capita is the plural of caput.

Although the origin of the name Roma is uncertain, the ancient Romans connected it to the name of their first king: Romulus. You can read more about the legend of Romulus at Wikipedia.

3. Vultus imago animi.
(The) fact (is the) image of-(the)-mind.
vultus i-MA-go A-nimi

The masculine noun vultus means "face, facial expression."

The feminine noun imago gives us English "image" and "imagination."

The genitive animi is from animus, which you've seen before: Incertus animus dimidium est sapientiae.

The idea if you look at the expression on someone's face you can guess what thoughts they have in their mind.


4. Vinum animi speculum.
Wine (is the) mirror of-(the)-mind.
vinum A-nimi SPE-culum

The neuter noun vinum is the origin of English "wine." 

The noun speculum, "mirror," is related to the verb specere, "to see, look at." English has borrowed the word "speculum" as the name of a medical instrument, and from this same root we get words like "inspect" and "speculate."

In the ancient world, mirrors were made of bronze, not of glass; you can read about bronze mirrors at Wikipedia.

The idea is that when you drink wine, especially if you drink too much wine, you will speak your mind more fully than when you are sober.

5. Varius eventus est proelii.
(A) battle's outcome is fickle.
VA-rius e-VEN-tus est PROE-lii

The masculine adjective varius, "various, diverse, fickle," and gives us English "various." 

The noun eventus, "outcome," is from the verb evenire, "to come out," a compound of ex-, "out," and venire, "to come." From this Latin word, we get English "event."

The genitive proelii is from proelium, "battle." Notice that the genitive form has two i's: the stem of this noun is proeli- and when you add the genitive -i ending, you get proelii, 3 syllables: proe-li-i.

Notice how the genitive phrase, eventus proelii, wraps around the verb: eventus est proelii.

The idea here is that you can never be certain what the outcome of a battle, or any kind of contest, will be until it is over.


Here's a recap:

1. Sol oculus mundi.
2. Roma caput mundi.
3. Vultus imago animi.
4. Vinum animi speculum.
5. Varius eventus est proelii.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #30: Second-Declension Genitive

The focus for today's lesson is the genitive ending for second-declension nouns and adjectives. For today's sayings, we'll just focus on one word: Deus, "God."

To get the stem of the word of this second-declension noun, you just remove the -us ending: De-us, gives you the stem De-.

Then you add the genitive ending, which is -i, to the stem: De+i. The vowels e and i are pronounced separately; ei is not a diphthong in Latin. So, Dei has two syllables, De~i.

This genitive noun, Dei, means "of God" or "God's." You will see the word Dei in each of the five sayings for today. 

Just as you would expect from the freedom of Latin word order, the genitive Dei can come first or second in its phrase; here are the phrases you will see today:

• Dei lusus: God's plaything = a plaything of God
• Dei simia: God's monkey = a monkey of God
• donum Dei: a gift of God = God's gift
• umbra Dei: the shadow of God = God's shadow
• regnum Dei: the kingdom of God = God's kingdom

So, here are today's sayings:

1. Musica donum Dei.
Music (is a) gift of-God.
MU-sica donum Dei

The feminine noun musica gives us English "music." The word comes from the Muses; you can find out more about the Muses at Wikipedia.

The neuter noun donum, "gift" can be seen in the English word "donation."

2. Lux umbra Dei est.
Light is God's shadow.
lux umbra Dei est

The feminine noun lux, "light," shows up in English words like "lucid" and "translucent."

The feminine noun umbra, "shadow, shade," gives us English "umbrella."

This is a paradoxical proverb: normally light and shadow are opposites, but the light we see is the shadow cast by God. This was a popular inscription on sundials, which involve both light and shadow; here is an example.


3. Dei lusus homo.
(A) human (is) God's plaything.
Dei lusus homo

The masculine noun lusus, "plaything," is from the verb ludere, "to play," which you can see in English "ludicrous."

You've seen homo before in the sayings: Homo bullus and Homo mundus minor.

The idea that human beings are the playthings or toys of the gods is connected to the idea of destiny or fate is something beyond our control that comes from the gods.


4. Diabolus est Dei simia.
(The) Devil is a monkey of-God.
Di-A-bolus est Dei SI-mia

The masculine noun Diabolus, "Devil," can be seen in English "diabolical" and it is also the origin of "devil."

You've seen simia before in the saying: Ars est simia naturae.

This is a saying from Christian Latin, based on the idea that the Devil cannot do anything of his own; all he can do is to imitate, badly, the original works of God. This saying parallels the saying about art and nature, where art is always just a failed imitation of the wonders of nature.


5. Non est regnum Dei esca et potus, sed justitia et pax.
(The) kingdom of-God is not food and drink, but justice and peace.
non est regnum Dei esca et potus, sed jus-TI-tia et pax

The neuter noun regnum, "kingdom" is related to the word rex, and gives us English "reign."

You've seen esca already in the saying: Nonne anima plus est quam esca?

You saw the word potus in this saying:  Potus furtivus dulcis est.

The conjunction sed means "but."

The feminine noun justitia gives us English "justice."

The feminine noun pax is the origin of English "peace."

The words come from the Letter to the Romans in the New Testament.

Here's a recap:

1. Musica donum Dei.
2. Lux umbra Dei est.
3. Dei lusus homo.
4. Diabolus est Dei simia.
5. Non est regnum Dei esca et potus, sed justitia et pax.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #29: Second Declension Review

The focus for today's lesson is reviewing the second-declension nouns and adjectives, the ones that end in -us (masculine) and -um (neuter). Tomorrow, you'll be learning the genitive endings for these words, but today the focus is on the nominative forms. This should be a quick lesson, with familiar forms and lots of familiar vocabulary too.

So, here are today's sayings:


1. Malum ovum, malus pullus.
Bad egg, bad chick.
malum ovum, malus pullus

The adjective malum is neuter, agreeing with ovum, while malus is masculine, agreeing with pullus. You've seen malum before: Nullum malum impunitum, and you've also seen malus: Nullus dies omnino malus.

The neuter noun ovum, "egg," gives us English words like "oval" and "ovulate."

The masculine noun pullus means "chick" and it can also refer to the young of other animals. You can see this root in English "pullulate" and also in Spanish pollo.

The idea here is that badness is predestined: a bad egg cannot help but result in a bad chick, something like genetic determinism, but traditional folklore rather than modern science.

2. Cito maturum, cito putridum.
Fast ripe, fast rotten.
cito ma-TU-rum, cito PU-tridum

The adverb cito, "quickly, fast" is from the verb ciere, "to put in motion, excite." The word is technically a neuter adjective (participle) in the ablative case; as you'll learn later, many Latin adverbs are formed from neuter adjectives.

The neuter adjective maturum, "ripe, mature" is the origin of English "mature."

The neuter adjective putridum, "rotten, decayed," gives us English "putrid."

This is a saying about doing things hastily: if something is done too quickly, it will also fall apart quickly. In other words: take your time! Don't rush!


3. Magnus liber magnum malum.
(A) big book (is a) big evil.
magnus liber magnum malum

The adjective magnum is neuter, agreeing with malum, while magnus is masculine, agreeing with liber, which you've seen before: Optimus magister bonus liber. You've seen the feminine form magna also: Parva domus, magna quies.

This is a Latin version of a famous Greek saying: mega biblion, mega kakon, μέγα βιβλίον, μέγα κακόν, associated with the poet Callimachus.

4. Patria mea totus hic mundus est.
My homeland is this whole world.
PA-tria mea totus hic mundus est

This saying is just a slight variation on a saying you've seen before: Patria mea totus mundus est.

The difference is the addition of hic which means "this," i.e. totus hic mundus, "all this world, this whole world." 

The word hic (masculine), along with hoc and haec (neuter and feminine), are very common Latin words; you will meet them often as you read more and more Latin.


5. Numquam minus solus quam cum solus.
Never less alone than when alone.
numquam minus solus quam cum solus

You've seen the adverb numquam before: Carcer numquam pulcher.

The adverb minus, "less," is the origin of English "minus." 

The masculine adjective solus, "alone, only," is the origin of English "sole," "solitary," etc.

You've seen quam used for comparison before: Melior est res quam spes.

The word cum means "when" (but be warned: there is another cum in Latin, and it means "with" as in magna cum laude).

This is a good saying for introverts like me! Of course, I would need feminine adjectives: Numquam minus sola quam cum sola.


Here's a recap:

1. Malum ovum, malus pullus.
2. Cito maturum, cito putridum.
3. Magnus liber magnum malum.
4. Patria mea totus hic mundus est.
5. Numquam minus solus quam cum solus.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Catch-Up Day (Saturday Jan. 25)

Today is a catch-up day to review any lesson(s) you missed this past week and/or to work on whatever kind of practice is most useful to you. You will find the list of lessons below, plus a random cat. I've also listed all the sayings with first-declension genitives for you to look through. They are organized into groups based on sentence structure: 

genitive phrases where the genitive comes first (vitae sal = "life's salt, the spice of life"), 

• Vitae sal amicitia.
• Invidia est animae tinea.
• Tempus est vitae magister.
• Dubium sapientiae initium.
• Rixa rixae causa est.
• Senectus vitae hiems est.
• Omnis ars naturae imitatio est.

genitive phrases where the genitive comes second (corona vitae = "the crown of life, life's crown"):

• Mors corona vitae.
• Historia magistra vitae.
• Mors ianua vitae.
• Ars est simia naturae.
• Pigritia est pulvinar Satanae.
• Finis miseriae mors est.
• Maximum remedium irae mora est.

genitive phrases that are interwoven with other words:

• Faber quisque fortunae suae est.
• Incertus animus dimidium est sapientiae.
• Avarus ipse miseriae causa est suae.

two genitive phrases in one saying:

• Finis irae        initium est paenitentiae.
• Est rota fortunae variabilis,      ut rota lunae.
• Vitae brevis est cursus,      gloriae sempiternus.

And here are the lessons from this week; you can also see the complete list of lessons on its own page.

• 24: First Declension Nominative Review
• 25: The Genitive Case
• 26: FirstDeclension Genitive
• 27: More First-Declension Genitives
• 28: Wrapping Up the First-Declension Genitive

Random cat:

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Latin Lesson #28: Wrapping Up the First-Declension Genitive

We're wrapping up the genitive forms of the first-declension nouns and adjectives today, and next week we'll move on to second-declension nouns and adjectives, with their genitive forms. 

So, before you get started on today's sayings, review the genitive forms that you have seen earlier this week. I've put the genitive in bold, and I've also underlined the genitive phrases, and I've highlighted them in different colors so you can see where the genitive comes first and where it comes second. I honestly had not realized that I had alternated the pattern back-and-forth so systematically; it really happened by accident. I only "saw" it when I used the colored highlight.

1. Vitae sal amicitia.
   
   
2. Mors corona vitae.
   
   
3. Senectus vitae hiems est.
   
   
4. Historia magistra vitae.
   
   
5. Tempus est vitae magister.
   
   
6. Mors ianua vitae.
   
   
7. Dubium sapientiae initium.
   
   
8. Ars est simia naturae.
   
   
9. Rixa rixae causa est.
   
   
10. Pigritia est pulvinar Satanae.
    
    
11. Invidia est animae tinea.
    
    
12. Finis miseriae mors est.
    
    
13. Faber quisque fortunae suae est.
    
    
14. Omnis ars naturae imitatio est.
    
    
15. Maximum remedium irae mora est.

And here are today's sayings:

1. Finis irae initium est paenitentiae.
(The) end of-anger is (the) beginning of-remorse.
finis irae i-NI-tium est paeni-TEN-tiae

You've seen finis before: Finis miseriae mors est.

You've seen irae (ira) before: Maximum remedium irae mora est.

You've seen initium before: Omne initium difficile.

The feminine noun paenitentiae is the genitive form of paenitentia, "repentence, remorse," which gives us English "penitence" and "penitentiary."

Notice how the genitive phrase initium paenitentiae wraps around the little verb est.

This finis-initium structure makes for a nice saying! As you learn more genitive forms over the next few weeks, perhaps you will invent your own finis-initium sayings.

2. Incertus animus dimidium est sapientiae.
(An) uncertain mind is half of-wisdom.
in-CER-tus A-nimus di-MI-dium est sapi-EN-tiae

You've seen the masculine incertus in its neuter form before: Praeteritum nihil, praesens instabile, futurum incertum.

The masculine noun animus has a wide range of meanings, including "the mind" and "the soul." You can read through the Latin dictionary entry to see how that works.

The neuter noun dimidium, "half," is related to another word you've seen before, medium, in the saying: Medium certum est.

You've seen sapientiae (sapientia) in a saying very similar to this one: Dubium sapientiae initium. 

Once again the genitive phrase dimidium sapientiae wraps around the little verb est.

The idea is that by having doubts, you are halfway to becoming wise! You could also vary the saying this way: Incertus animus initium est sapientiae.

3. Avarus ipse miseriae causa est suae.
(A) selfish (man) is himself (the) cause of-his-own-wretchedness.
a-VA-rus ipse mi-SE-riae causa est suae

You've seen avarus before: Avarus semper est pauper.

The word ipse is an intensifying pronoun: avarus ipse, "the greedy man himself." You can see a different form of this word in the phrase "ipso facto" which is also used in English.

You've seen miseriae (miseria) before in this saying: Finis miseriae mors est.

You've also seen causa before: Rixa rixae causa est.

And you've also seen suae (sua) before: Faber quisque fortunae suae est. 

Notice how this time the genitive noun and adjective, miseriae suae, wrap around the noun and verb: miseriae causa est suae.

4. Est rota fortunae variabilis, ut rota lunae.
(The) wheel of-fortune is changeable, like (the) wheel of-(the)-moon.
est rota for-TU-nae vari-AB-ilis, ut rota lunae

The feminine noun rota, "wheel," is what you see in the English verb "rotate." 

You've seen fortunae (fortuna) before: Fortuna caeca est.

The feminine adjective variabilis, "changing, variable," gives us English "variable." 

The word ut has many functions in Latin; here it is being used for comparison: "like, as."

The feminine noun lunae is the genitive of luna, "moon," which you can see in English "lunar" and also "lunatic."

This is a rhyming medieval proverb: fortunae-lunae. You can read more about the proverbial Rota Fortunae at Wikipedia.


5. Vitae brevis est cursus, gloriae sempiternus.
(The) course of-life is brief, (the course) of-glory (is) eternal.
vitae brevis est cursus, GLO-riae sempi-TER-nus

You've seen vitae (vita) many times now!

You've seen masculine brevis in its neuter form, breve, in this saying: Tempus breve est.

The masculine noun cursus, "course," is from the verb currere, "to run." This is the origin of English "course" and also "cursive." 

You've seen gloriae (gloria) before in this saying: gloria: Ubi pericula, ibi gloria.

The masculine adjective sempiternus, "eternal," gives us English "sempiternal."

Notice how this saying is based on parallels: vitae is parallel with gloriae while brevis is parallel with sempiternus. When a Latin statement has this type of parallel structure, it can leave out the repeated words that are part of the parallelism: Vitae brevis est cursus, gloriae sempiternus (est cursus).

Here's a recap:

1. Finis irae initium est paenitentiae.
2. Incertus animus dimidium est sapientiae.
3. Avarus ipse miseriae causa est suae.
4. Est rota fortunae variabilis, ut rota lunae.
5. Vitae brevis est cursus, gloriae sempiternus.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #27: More First-Declension Genitives

The focus for today's lesson is more genitive forms of first-declension words. I'll give you a sneak preview of the genitive phrases in today's sayings: maybe you can guess what they are going to say based on these clues!

• animae tinea: the moth of the soul
• finis miseriae: misery's end
• faber fortunae suae: the maker of his own fortune
• naturae imitatio: the imitation of nature
• remedium irae: anger's remedy

As you've seen before, there is no fixed word order: sometimes the genitive comes first in the phrase, and sometimes it comes second. It's just a matter of style, depending on the sound play in the sentence and what the speaker wants to emphasize.

So, here are today's sayings:

1. Invidia est animae tinea.
Envy is (the) moth (of the) soul.
in-VI-dia est A-nimae TI-nea

The feminine noun invidia is one you have seen before: Est vipera invidia.
The feminine noun animae is the genitive of anima, which you have seen before: Nonne anima plus est quam esca?

The feminine noun tinea is "moth," more specifically the gnawing moth-worm that eats clothes. Latin tinea can also refer to the gnawing worm that eats books, i.e. bookworms. In English, "tinea" refers to ringworm (but as doctors now know, it's not really a worm; it's a fungus).

So, the key idea here is that envy is something like a moth or bookworm that gets inside your soul and gnaws and gnaws! Envy slowly destroys your beautiful soul just as moths destroy beautiful clothes and as bookworms destroy beautiful books.

2. Finis miseriae mors est.
Death is (the) end of-misery.
finis mi-SE-riae mors est

The masculine noun finis, "end, limit, boundary," give us English "finish" and "final."
The feminine noun miseriae is the genitive of miseria, "wretchedness," a noun formed from an adjective, misera, that you have seen before: Omnis est misera servitus. This is where we get English "misery."
The feminine noun mors is one you have seen before: Mors corona vitae.

Compare this English proverb, "A dead mouse feels no cold."

3. Faber quisque fortunae suae est.
Everyone is (the) maker of-his-own luck.
faber quisque for-TU-nae suae est

The masculine noun faber, "maker," is at the root of English "fabricate."
The masculine pronoun quisque means "each person, everyone." Don't worry: there is a feminine "everybody" too; you'll learn all the forms of this pronoun later.
The feminine noun fortunae is the genitive of fortuna, which you have seen before: Fortuna caeca est. 

The feminine adjective suae is the genitive of sua, "one's own." 

This is the first time you have seen both a noun and an adjective in the genitive: fortuna sua is nominative, and fortunae suae is genitive. Both the noun and the adjective have a genitive ending. Notice also that the phrase faber fortunae suae is broken up: the words are not next to each other! But that's the freedom of Latin word order. Words can be in the same phrase but not necessarily next to each other. In English word order, this sentence would be: Quisque est faber suae fortunae.

This famous Latin saying is attributed to Appius Claudius Caecus, a famous politician and writer of the Roman Republic; he died in 279 B.C.E. 

Latin fortuna means both "fortune" and "luck" in English, and "luck" fits better for this saying, which boldly claims that you actually make your own luck!

4. Omnis ars naturae imitatio est.
Every art is (an) imitation of-nature.
omnis ars na-TU-rae imi-TA-tio est

You have seen the feminine adjective omnis before: Omnis est misera servitus.

You saw the feminine noun ars yesterday: Ars est simia naturae.

The feminine noun naturae is the genitive of natura, which you have also seen in this saying: Habitus est altera natura.

The feminine noun imitatio, "imitation, copy," gives us English "imitation."

This saying comes from one of the letters of Seneca (the Younger), a famous writer who lived under the emperors Claudius and Nero; he was forced to commit suicide by Nero. Find out more at Wikipedia.
 

5. Maximum remedium irae mora est.
Delay is anger's most effective cure.
MA-ximum re-ME-dium irae mora est

The neuter adjective maximum is one that you have seen in its masculine and feminine forms before: Hodie nullus, cras maximus and Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
The neuter noun remedium, "remedy, cure, antidote," gives us English "remedy."
The feminine noun irae, "anger, rage," is the source of English "ire" and also "irate."

The feminine noun mora, "delay, pause, stop," is at the root of English "moratorium."

These words also come from Seneca, in his famous essay called De Ira, "About Anger," which has its own Wikipedia article. 

So, the next time you are angry, just take a deep breath, PAUSE, and think about the Stoic philosopher Seneca. Hopefully that delay will help dissipate your anger!
 

Here's a recap:

1. Invidia est animae tinea.
2. Finis miseriae mors est.
3. Faber quisque fortunae suae est.
4. Omnis ars naturae imitatio est.
5. Maximum remedium irae mora est.

And here is today's audio:

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Latin Lesson #26: First-Declension Genitive

The focus for today's lesson is once again the genitive case of words in the first declension. What I want to talk about today is how every word has a stem, and you add different endings depending on the case. The endings also change based on whether the word is singular or plural; we'll get to plural nouns and adjectives later.

So, for the first declension noun vita, the stem is vit-. 

The nominative ending is -a, so vit- plus -a gives you vita.

The genitive ending is -ae, so vit- plus -ae gives you vitae.

You will see another vitae saying today, plus sayings with other genitive nouns.  So, keep an eye out for the -ae ending, making sure you understand how it expresses the idea of English "of" of apostrophe-s. Each genitive noun is part of a phrase, so make sure you see the whole phrase that gives the genitive its meaning in context.

Here are today's proverbs:

1. Dubium sapientiae initium.
Doubt is the beginning of-wisdom.
DU-bium sapi-EN-tiae i-NI-tium

The noun dubium means "doubt," and it is the origin of the English word "doubt" also.

The noun sapientiae is the genitive form of sapientia, which you have seen in two sayings already: Sapientia potentia and Sapientia felicitas.
The noun initium is also one you've seen before: Omne initium difficile.

The idea is that being uncertain about something is the key to learning something new: uncertainty makes you ask questions, and that then leads to wisdom.


2. Mors ianua vitae.
Death is (the) door of-life.
mors JA-nua vitae

The noun mors is one you saw yesterday: Mors corona vitae.

The noun ianua, or janua, "door, entry, entrance" gives us English "janitor."

The noun vitae is the genitive form of vita, as you learned in yesterday's sayings. The phrase is ianua vitae, "the door of life."

This saying comes from Christian Latin, expressing the idea that there is life-after-death, and so it is often found on funeral monuments (here's an example).

3. Ars est simia naturae.
Art is nature's monkey.
ars est SI-mia na-TU-rae

The noun ars, "art" is the origin of English "art." You will learn later that the stem of ars is art- which makes it easier to see how it could be the origin of English "art."

The noun simia, "ape, monkey" gives us English "simian." Just like in English, where "to ape" means "to imitate," Latin simia conveys the idea of an "imitator."

The noun naturae is the genitive form of natura, which you have seen already in this saying: Habitus est altera natura. The phrase is simia naturae, "nature's monkey."

The idea in this saying is that art is "just" an imitator; all art can do is to copy nature, and to do so imperfectly. 


4. Rixa rixae causa est.
(An) argument is (the) cause of-(an)-argument.
rixa rixae causa est

The noun rixa means "argument, quarrel," and its genitive form is rixae. 

The noun causa, "cause, reason," is the origin of English "cause." The phrase is rixae causa, "the cause of an argument."

Instead of repeating the word "argument" in the English, you could also translate it in English this way: "One quarrel is the cause of another" or "One quarrel leads to another."

5. Pigritia est pulvinar Satanae.
Laziness is Satan's pillow.
pi-GRI-tia est pul-VI-nar Sa-tanae

The noun pigritia, "laziness" is from the adjective piger (masculine) / pigra (feminine), which means "lazy."

The noun pulvinar, "pillow, cushion, sofa," is used in medical English; the pulvinar is part of the brain. The Latin word is also the origin of English "pillow."

The name Satanae is the genitive form of the nominative Satanas, "Satan," so pulvinar Satanae means "Satan's pillow." 

Do you see how this nominative form looks different from the other first-declension nouns you've seen so far? That's because it is a masculine noun in the first declension, which is unusual but not impossible, and the word "Satan" is even more unusual because it is a Hebrew word that was used in Greek and then adopted by Christian Latin, and also by English; more about the etymology of English "Satan."

The Latin pulvinar referred to the comfortable cushions on which guests sat at a banquet, which is the idea here: when you are lazy, you are giving Satan an invitation that he will be glad to accept. Compare the English proverb: "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop."

Here's a recap:

1. Mors ianua vitae.
2. Dubium sapientiae initium.
3. Ars est simia naturae.
4. Rixa rixae causa est.
5. Pigritia est pulvinar Satanae.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #25: The Genitive Case

The focus for today's lesson is the genitive case! Yes, something new! We have been working on the nominative case for several weeks, and now for the next 3 weeks, the focus will be on the genitive case.

The genitive case is similar to "of" in English, but without using an extra word. Instead, you just change the form of the word, and it means "of" that word.

• vita = life. vitae = of-life.

You can actually see the remnants of the genitive case in the English apostrophe-s. The genitive ending in Old English was -es and over time it turned into apostrophe-s. The result is that in English was have a choice: we can use the genitive case with apostrophe-s OR we can use the preposition "of" — "Brenda's book" is the same as "the book of Brenda." In Latin, however, there is not a preposition that means "of" like there is in English; instead, you use the genitive case to express that idea in Latin.

Unlike the nominative nouns and adjectives that you have seen before, which stand on their own, the genitive word does not stand on its own. Instead, it is connected to some other word in the sentence, forming a phrase. For example, in the first saying today, you will see the phrase vitae sal, "the salt of-life" or "life's salt." 

And remember: Latin word order is free! So sometimes the genitive word might come first in its phrase, but sometimes it might come second, as in CV, which stands for curriculum vitae, "the course of-life."

Tomorrow I'll have more to say about exactly how to put Latin words into the genitive case. For now, just focus on the idea that vitae means of-life. You will see vitae in each of today's sayings:

1. Vitae sal amicitia.
Friendship (is the) salt of-life / life's salt.
vitae sal ami-CI-tia

The noun vitae is the genitive form of vita, so it means "of life," and vitae sal means "salt of life." Compare the English phrase, "the spice of life." 

The noun sal "salt" is related to the English word "salt" because both are from Indo-European séh₂ls. You also see the Latin root in English words like "salary" and "saline."

The noun amicitia, "friendship," is derived from amicus, "friend."

You can see this Latin saying inscribed on a building in Kyoto, Japan (!), along with several other famous Latin sayings.

2. Mors corona vitae.
Death (is the) crown of-life / life's crown.
mors co-RO-na vitae

You've seen the noun mors already in this saying: Aequa mors est.

The noun corona, "crown," actually gives us the word "crown" in English, along with "corona" and "coronation." 

The phrase in this saying is corona vitae, "life's crown," with the genitive coming after the noun that it is modifying.

Compare the English phrase "a crowning achievement." The idea is that death is the crown, i.e. the crowning achievement, of life.


3. Senectus vitae hiems est.
Old age is (the) winter of-life / life's winter.
se-NEC-tus vitae hiems est

The noun senectus, "old age," is related to a word you have learned already, senex, which you saw in this saying: Bis puer est senex. 

The noun hiems, "winter," is at the origin of the English word "hibernate" (via the Latin adjective hibernus). This word is also related to "Himalaya," because in Sanskrit the word for snow is hima, a cousin of Latin hiems (Sanskrit is an Indo-European language like both Latin and English.)

The phrase in this saying is "vitae hiems," "the winter of-life," with the genitive coming before the noun that it is modifying. 

In this saying, a human life is mapped onto a calendar, with life beginning in spring, passing through summer and autumn, and then reading its ending in winter.


4. Historia magistra vitae.
History (is the) teacher of-life / life's teacher.
his-TO-ria ma-GIS-tra vitae

The noun historia gives us English "history," and the word goes back to Greek historia.

The noun magistra means "teacher," and it is feminine in form. That is because historia is a feminine noun. For the masculine form of "teacher," magister, see the next saying!

The phrase in this saying is magistra vitae, "life's teacher." The genitive comes second in the phrase.

The idea is that to live one's life in the present, you need to learn from life in the past, that is, from history. So, let history be your teacher!


5. Tempus est vitae magister.
Time (is the) teacher of-life.
tempus est vitae ma-GIS-ter

You've seen the noun tempus in several sayings already; for example: Tempus breve est.

The word magister, "teacher," is masculine, in contrast to magister, feminine. You've seen magister in several sayings already: Optimus magister bonus liber. 

The phrase in this saying is vitae magister, "life's teacher." Compare the word order in the previous saying: magistra vitae. The word order is just a matter of style! It does not change the meaning.

So, the idea again is that as time goes by, you accumulate experiences, and you should learn from those experiences. Let time be your teacher!


Here's a recap:

1. Vitae sal amicitia.
2. Mors corona vitae.
3. Senectus vitae hiems est.
4. Historia magistra vitae.
5. Tempus est vitae magister.

And here is today's audio:



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