Latin Lesson #68: Compound Sentences

There are two sentences in today's sayings that are worth your special attention because they are compound sentences, but without a conjunction to connect the two ideas; instead, the sentences are coordinated by a parallel verb. Here's an analysis of those two sentences to show you how they are two sentences combined in one.

This sentence combines two statements that share the same object and verb, but with different subjects:

Vitam regit fortuna, non sapientia.

a) Vitam regit fortuna. Luck rules life.

b) (Vitam) non (regit) sapientia. Wisdom doesn't rule life.

Luck, not wisdom, rules life.

This sentence combines two statements that share the same verb, but the subjects and the objects are different: 

Otium stultitiam, labor scientiam generat.

a) Otium stultitiam (generat). Leisure produces stupidity.

b) Labor scientiam generat. Work produces knowledge.

Leisure produces stupidity; work (produces) knowledge. 

This omission of words, which is far more common in Latin than in English, is called ellipsis; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Ellipsis (linguistics).

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

And now, here are today's proverbs:

1. Psittacus senex ferulam neglegit.
(The) old parrot ignores the stick.
PSIT-tacus senex FE-rulam NEG-legit.

The noun psittacus, "parrot," is a borrowing from Greek, as you can guess from the initial ps- which is a letter of its own in Greek, ψ psi. The word is masculine, and so it takes a masculine adjective: senex (3rd-declension adjective).

The word ferulam is the accusative of ferula, which is a stick or rod used to discipline people, especially schoolboys. Literally, ferula was a giant fennel stalk, and it is the scientific name of the giant fennel.
The verb neglegit is the origin of English "neglect." The verb is a compound, literally meaning to not pick something up, to not gather: nec-legit, "not-gather."

So, the idea behind this saying is that the old parrot, unlike a young schoolboy, doesn't care if he is struck with a stick; he's stubborn, and is going to do whatever he wants, even if you try to discipline him. Compare this similar saying: Asinus esuriens fustem negligit, "A hungry donkey neglects the cudgel."


2. Non rudit onager cum herbam habet.
(The) onager doesn't bray when (he) has grass.
non rudit O-nager cum herbam habet.

The verb rudit means "roars, brays." In Latin, lions do this (so "roar") and donkeys do this too (so "bray"). The onager is a type of wild donkey; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Onager. 
The verb habet, "has," is new to you, but you've seen the verbal noun habendum, "having."

The idea is that when someone has food to eat (or, metaphorically, anything that they greatly desire), then it will absorb their full attention and they will fall silent.


3. Exiguus ignis quantam silvam incendit!
How-much forest (a) small fire burns!
ex-I-guus ignis quantam silvam in-CEN-dit!

The masculine adjective exiguus, "tiny, small, petty," is the origin of English "exiguous." The masculine adjective agrees with the masculine noun, ignis.

The verb incendit, "burns, set fires to," is the origin of English "incense."

The word quantam is the accusative form of quanta, a feminine adjective meaning "how much." You can see this Latin root in English "quantity." 

The feminine noun silva, "woods, forest," is the origin of the name Sylvia. The feminine noun takes a feminine adjective: quanta.

This saying is based on the paradox of a tiny fire causing a great disaster; it's literally true about forests, and metaphorically true about other disasters too.


4. Vitam regit fortuna, non sapientia.
Luck, not wisdom, rules life.
vitam regit for-TU-na, non sapi-EN-tia.

The verb regit, "rules, directs, controls," is new, but you've seen a related word: regula. You can see the root of this Latin verb in English "direct" and "correct." 

There is a kind of competition in Latin sayings between the advocates of fortuna, "luck," and the advocates of sapientia, "wisdom." Some proverbs insists that wisdom is the most important thing, the most valuable thing, the most powerful thing (Scientia potentia!), but there are proverbs that insist instead on luck as being in charge, as in this saying.


5. Otium stultitiam, labor scientiam generat.
Leisure produces stupidity; work (produces) knowledge.
O-tium stul-TI-tiam, labor sci-EN-tiam GE-nerat.

The word stultitiam is the accusative of the noun stultitia, "foolishness," which is formed from the root stult-, "foolish." You can see this root in the English "stultify."
The Latin noun labor gives us the English noun "labor" too!

The verb generat, "produces, creates," gives us the English verb "generate."

The charm of this saying depends on the word-play between the words stultitiam and scientiam.


Here's a recap:

1. Psittacus senex ferulam neglegit.
2. Non rudit onager cum herbam habet.
3. Exiguus ignis quantam silvam incendit!
4. Vitam regit fortuna, non sapientia.
5. Otium stultitiam, labor scientiam generat.

And here is today's audio:



Plus the LOLCats!

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Latin Lesson #67: Another Week of Accusatives

This will be another week of practicing with accusative nouns. There will be more -am accusative nouns of the 1st declension, and you will also learn how to form accusatives for 2nd-declension nouns too.

The idea is to get so familiar with the look/sound of Latin accusative nouns that you react to them just as you do with English pronouns like him and them: you immediately recognize the accusative noun and can thus start to understand the meaning of the sentence, even if the accusative comes before the verb.

For a little practice with that to get started, here are some sayings you have seen already where the accusative object comes before the noun:

• Aquilam testudo vincit.
• Industriam adiuvat deus.
• Minervam sus docet.
• Aquilam cornix provocat.
• Naturam Minerva perficit.
• Elephas muscam non curat.
• Copia nauseam parit.
• Cura curam trahit.
• Gratia gratiam parit.
• Pecunia pecuniam parit.
• Scarabeus aquilam quaerit.
• Una linea geometram non facit.

Plus... I decided to give you a sneak preview of the accusative plural today. You'll see that in the final saying, which is a saying about an actual cat. :-)

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Frangit iram dulce verbum.
(A) sweet word breaks-down anger.
frangit iram dulce verbum.

The neuter noun verbum means "word," and it gives us English "verb."

Because verbum is neuter, it takes the neuter form of the adjective: dulce. The -um ending is the neuter ending of the 2nd declension, while -e is the neuter ending of the 3rd declension.

The verb frangit means "break, break off, shatter," and it gives us English "fracture" and "fraction."

The idea is that speaking kindly is not a sign of weakness; instead, it is a kind of strength: sweetness can shatter anger.


2. Aquila non parit columbam.
(An) eagle doesn't give-birth-to (a) dove.
A-quila non parit co-LUM-bam.

You already know all the words in this saying! The eagle is regularly used as a symbol of war, while the dove is a symbol of peace. So, metaphorically speaking, someone who is war-like and belligerent is not likely to propose a plan for peace.


3. Exspectat bos aliquando herbam.
(The) ox expects grass eventually.
ex-SPEC-tat bos ali-QUAN-do herbam.

The 3rd-declension noun bos (stem: bov-), "ox, cow," gives us English "bovine" and also "beef."
The verb exspectat means "expects, looks out for, waits for," as in English "expectation." The Latin verb is a compound: ex-specto, "out-look for," i.e. "look out for."

This saying is used to refer to something well-deserved that is slow in coming. The ox works hard to make the farm prosper, but he has to wait for the harvest; metaphorically, we are all hard-working oxen hoping that we, too, will eventually get our just reward eventually.


4. Etiam capillus suam facit umbram.
Even (a) hair makes its shadow.
etiam ca-PIL-lus suam facit umbram.

The verb capillus means "hair," and gives us English "capillary."

This is also the first time you have seen an accusative adjective: umbram is feminine accusative, so the adjective suam is also feminine accusative.

Notice also how the accusative phrase suam umbram wraps around the verb: suam facit umbram, a stylistic device which is called hyperbaton. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Hyperbaton.

The idea is that even something as tiny as a hair can cast a shadow, so, metaphorically speaking, don't disparage something or something just because it is small.


5. Pardus maculas numquam deponit.
(The) leopard never sets-aside (its) spots.
pardus MA-culas numquam de-PO-nit.

The word pardus, "panther," can be seen in English "leopard."
The verb deponit, "sets aside, puts down," gives us English "deposit" and "depot."

The word maculas is the accusative plural of the noun macula, "spot, blemish," which you can see in English "immaculate" (from Latin im-maculatus, "not-blemished, spotless"). And if you like caffè macchiato, that is an Italian word, also from macula: "spotted" coffee.

So, maculam is the accusative singular, and maculas is the accusative plural (yes, there is an -s plural ending in Latin, much like in English!). We'll be working on plurals systematically later on, but I thought it would be fun to have this saying in the mix since it is a famous saying featuring an actual cat, a BIG cat. 

Compare the English saying, "The leopard does not change its spots." The idea is that someone cannot change their nature. There's even a version of this saying in the Biblical Book of Jeremiah.


Here's a recap:

1. Frangit iram dulce verbum.
2. Aquila non parit columbam.
3. Exspectat bos aliquando herbam.
4. Etiam capillus suam facit umbram.
5. Pardus maculas numquam deponit.

And here is today's audio:



Plus the LOLCats!

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Week 15 Catch-Up Day

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. There's also a slideshow below to help you review all the accusative nouns that you saw last week! Here are the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks:

• 63: The Accusative Case
• 64: More -am Accusative
• Week 15 Vocabulary Review
• 65: Idiom and Style
• 66: Wrapping Up Week 15

And here's a slideshow you can use to review all the sayings with the accusative nouns, plus their cats! Remember that you can access the original post with more information by using the Sayings page or the Dictionary page which link to the relevant post.

I also made a printable crossword PDF with this week's sayings as the prompts; you need to supply the accusative noun for each saying. Screenshots below. :-)

Here's the random cat:

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Latin Lesson #66: Wrapping Up Week 15

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with the -am accusative nouns. Each time you see an -am noun ending in the proverbs today, you know that it is the object of the verb. The object might come after the verb (like in English) or it might come before the verb; either way, you know it is the object of the verb because of the accusative ending: -am. 

Soon you will be learning the accusative endings for the other kinds of Latin nouns (2nd-declension, 3rd-declension, etc.), but for now the focus is on the 1st declension, where the theme vowel is -a- and the accusative ending is -am.

To get started, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before: there are a lot of familiar words today!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Ars perficit Naturam.
Art perfects Nature.
ars PER-ficit Na-TU-ram.

The new verb here is perficit which means "perfects, completes, finishes." It is a compound of per-ficit, "completely-does," and you will see the uncompounded verb, facit, below. This Latin verb gives us English "perfect."

While you've seen some other sayings that make Nature superior to Art (for example: Omnis ars naturae imitatio est), this saying declares that it requires Art to bring Nature to perfection, as if Nature herself were otherwise incomplete.


2. Naturam Minerva perficit.
Minerva perfects Nature.
na-TUram Mi-NER-va PER-ficit.

You know all the words in this saying, and the idea is the same as in the previous saying, but now the goddess Minerva (Greek Athena), the goddess of wisdom and crafts, takes the place of Ars.


3. Scarabeus aquilam quaerit.
(The) beetle seeks (the) eagle.
scara-BE-us A-quilam quaerit.

The new noun here is scarabeus (also spelled scarabaeus), which means "beetle," as in the English word "scarab."

This saying is from an Aesop's fable. There are quite a few sayings that come from Aesop's fables, like "sour grapes" (from the fable about the fox and the grapes) or "the lion's share" (about the lion and his hunting companions). The fable about the beetle and the eagle is less well known, but you can read it here: The Eagle and the Beetle. Short version: the eagle committed a crime against the beetle, so the beetle vowed revenge, and that's why the beetle is seeking the eagle... and that's bad news indeed for the eagle, because when the beetle finds the eagle's nest, he rolls all the eggs out and smashes them. So, the saying thus means that even someone who is powerless and weak, like the beetle, can seek revenge against the great and powerful, like the eagle.


4. Fortuna non addit sapientiam.
Luck doesn't add wisdom.
for-TU-na non addit sapi-EN-tiam.

The verb addit gives us English "adds," and also words like "addition," etc. The verb is a compound of a verb you already know: dat, "gives." So, addit is ad-dit: "toward-give."

The idea here is that when someone is lucky and/or when they get rich, that doesn't mean that they will become wise. 


5. Una linea geometram non facit.
One line doesn't make a geometer.
una LI-nea ge-O-metram non facit.

The feminine una, "one," is new, but you've seen the masculine form, unus, before.

The feminine noun linea gives us English "line"  and also words like "linear," etc.

The masculine noun geometra is borrowed from Greek, γεωμέτρης / geometres. It is a compound in Greek: geo-metres, "earth-measurer." You can see the same compound in English "geometry."
(Yes, there are some masculine nouns that belong to the 1st declension, including other words borrowed from Greek, like poeta and pirata.)
The verb facit, "makes," is the verb that gives us factum, a word you have seen before. You also saw a compound of this verb above: perficit.

There are a variety of Latin sayings that use this same formula; for example, Flos unus non facit hortum, "One flower does not make a garden." (See the -um ending there? That's the accusative ending for nouns of the 2nd declension; you'll be learning all about that soon too!)

And here is today's recap:

1. Ars perficit Naturam.
2. Naturam Minerva perficit.
3. Scarabeus aquilam quaerit.
4. Fortuna non addit sapientiam.
5. Una linea geometram non facit.

Plus today's audio:



And the LOLCats!

And while I don't have a LOLCat for the beetle and the eagle, here is an illustration of that story: you can see the beetle taking revenge on the eagle by rolling the eagle's eggs out of the nest:

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Latin Lesson #65: Idiom and Style

The focus for today's lesson focuses on sayings that have a repeated word. For example: Gratia gratiam parit, "Kindness produces kindness." In English, there is a different way of making this statement: "One good turn deserves another." Latin repeats the word: gratia gratiam, while English uses the phrase "one... another..." without actually repeating the noun.

Idiomatic expressions like these are the product of stylistic choices; they are not grammatical rules. English, in fact, does not always use this "one... another..." idiom. The saying "It takes a thief to catch a thief" uses a repetition that is like the Latin repetition.

So, learning a language is not just a matter of learning the vocabulary and grammatical rules; it is also a matter of learning the different styles of expression. That's why I try to focus on the Latin by itself, without the English, in the review exercises. The more you can immerse yourself in the Latin — in its vocabulary and rules, and also its style — the more you will develop the Latin part of your brain, and the more you will remember!

To get ready for today's new sayings, here's a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's sayings:

1. Cura curam trahit.
Worry brings worry.
cura curam trahit.

The verb trahit means "pull, drag, attract," and you can see this root in English "tractor" and "attract."

The idea is that one worry brings on another, and another, and another. 

Notice here that the word cura has a negative connotation: this is care or concern in the sense of being worried about something, being troubled. Compare the English saying, "Troubles never come singly."


2. Gratia gratiam parit.
Kindness produces kindness.
GRA-tia GRA-tiam parit.

The noun gratia (accusative: gratiam) has a wide range of meanings in Latin: "thanks, kindness, friendship, grace, gracefulness." You can see this root in English "grace" and "gratitude," and also in Spanish gracias. When you "say grace" before eating, you are saying "thanks."

Compare the English saying, "One good turn deserves another."


3. Pecunia pecuniam parit.
Money makes money.
pe-CU-nia pe-CU-niam parit.

You've seen all the words in this saying before! Compare the English saying, "It takes money to make money."


4. Iniuria non excusat iniuriam.
(A) wrong doesn't excuse (a) wrong.
in-IU-ria non excusat in-IU-riam.

The noun iniuria (accusative: iniuriam) means "wrong, injustice, harm," and it gives us English "injury." The word is a compound: in-iuria, "in-justice, not-right."

Compare the English saying "Two wrongs don't make a right."


5. Furcifer non evadit furcam.
(A) gallows-bird doesn't escape (the) gallows.
FUR-cifer non E-vadit furcam.

The verb evadit means "goes out, gets away, escapes," and it gives us English "evade." The word is a compond: e(x)-vadit, "out-go, goes out."
The word furcam is the accusative form of furca, a two-pronged wooden stake; the Latin word gives us English "fork."

The furca was used as a form of punishment in ancient Rome. In the milder form of punishment, the victim's arms were tied to the prongs of the furca and he was forced to carry it, something like wooden stocks, but a mobile version. The furca could also be used for capital punishment: the victim was tied to the furca and then whipped to death, or the furca was used like a cross, and the victim was left to die of exposure. You can read more about ancient crucifixion at Wikipedia.

The noun furcifer is a compound: furci-fer, "fork-carrier, fork-bearer," and it refers to the mobile form of punishment. Someone who was literally carrying a furca was someone who had been branded a criminal; by extension, the word came to mean anyone who was a criminal or scoundrel. There are words like this in English: "hang-dog" is a bad dog who will be hanged sooner or later; "wag-halter," "gallows-bird," etc. I chose "gallows-bird" and "gallows" for the English translation, but there's really no way to translate this very Roman saying into English. 

So, the idea is, literally, the criminal carrying his furca cannot escape his punishment and, in general, a criminal cannot escape being punished, sooner or later.

Here's a recap:

1. Cura curam trahit.
2. Gratia gratiam parit.
3. Pecunia pecuniam parit.
4. Iniuria non excusat iniuriam.
5. Furcifer non evadit furcam.

And here is today's audio:



Plus the LOLCats!

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Week 15 Vocabulary Review

Per usual on Wednesday, there's a vocabulary slideshow quiz, with cats too! Here's a link to the full-size show. There's an English prompt and also some Latin sayings to help jiggle your memory: can you supply the Latin word? The next slide will tell you if you identified the word correctly. As always, if you want to review the notes and translation for a saying, you can use the Sayings list or Dictionary, which both have links to the original posts. 

Here's another way that you can review: it's a slideshow with all the sayings so far, randomized. The English translation appears, linked to the original blog post if you want to review the notes. You've now seen literally hundreds of sayings, and reviewing some of them at random like this is really good practice! Reading Latin out loud is the best kind of review. Read slowly, with feeling... and hopefully you will start to "feel" the meaning in Latin, not English.

And here's a random cat:

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Latin Lesson #64: More -am Accusative

The focus for today's lesson is practicing some more with the -am accusative nouns from the 1st declension. Just like yesterday, you will see a variety of word order patterns, sometimes subject-verb-object (like in English), but you'll also see verb-subject-object, object-subject-verb, and subject-object-verb. The freedom of word order is one of the most important features of Latin style! So, as you read each saying, analyze the word order to see the different patterns.

To prepare for today's sayings, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Amat victoria curam.
Victory loves carefulness.
amat vic-TO-ria curam.

The verb amat, "loves" is related to words you have seen before: the participle amans, "loving," and the adjective amabile, "lovable."

This saying expresses the same idea as yesterday's Cura dat victoriam. This time, however, victoria is the subject, personifying "victory" as if it were a person... a person who loves, amat, carefulness, curam.


2. Exceptio probat regulam.
(The) exception tests (the) rule.
ex-CEP-tio probat RE-gulam.

The 3rd-declension noun exceptio gives us English "exception."

The verb probat means "tests, demonstrates, approves," and this root gives us English "proof" and "prove," and also "probe."

The word regulam is the accusative of regula, "rule," which gives us English "rule" and also "regulate." The root of regula is the same that you have seen in the words rex (stem reg-), "king, ruler," and also regnum, "kingdom."

This Latin saying is the origin of the English saying: "The exception proves the rule." For details about this legal principle, see the wiktionary.

3. Minervam sus docet.
(The) pig is-teaching Minerva.
Mi-NER-vam sus docet.

The word Minervam is the accusative of Minerva, which is the Roman name of the goddess known as Athena in Greek, the goddess of wisdom and learning.

The 3rd-declension noun sus means "pig," and it is related to the English words "sow" and "swine." These words all come from the Indo-European root suH-.

The pig in this saying is a fool: there is nothing a pig could hope to teach Athena that the goddess of wisdom does not already know! If you are curious, you can listen to a discussion in Latin of this saying in this YouTube video: Sus Minervam.


4. Aquilam cornix provocat.
(The) crow provokes (the) eagle.
A-quilam cornix PRO-vocat.

The 3rd-declension noun cornix means "crow," specifically "she-crow."
The verb provocat gives us English "provoke" and "provocative." The Latin word is a compound: pro-vocat, "forth-call," i.e. "calls forth." You've seen the noun that gives the root of this verb: vox (stem voc-), "voice."

Like the previous saying, the idea here is that something absurd is happening: the crow might have a loud voice, but for a crow to squawk at a mighty bird like the eagle, provoking the eagle to a fight, is ridiculous.


5. Elephas muscam non curat.
(An) elephant doesn't worry (about) a fly.
E-lephas muscam non curat.

The 3rd-declension noun elephas gives us English "elephant." The -ph- is a clue that the word is of Greek origin, with "ph" being used to transliterate the Greek letter phi.

This saying takes up the same idea as the previous sayings, but from a different angle: a mighty animal like the elephant doesn't worry about something as small and unimportant as a fly. 

Compare the English saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff."


Here's a recap:

1. Amat victoria curam.
2. Exceptio probat regulam.
3. Minervam sus docet.
4. Aquilam cornix provocat.
5. Elephas muscam non curat.

And here is today's audio:



Plus the LOLCats!

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Latin Lesson #63: The Accusative Case

Today is something new: the accusative case! So far you have learned the nominative case, which is used for the subject of the verb, along with the genitive case, which expresses possession. Now with the accusative case, the verbs can have objects.

We'll start with the accusative case of the 1st-declension nouns:

• victoria: victory (subject of verb)
• victoriae: of the victory, victory's
• victoriam: victory (object of verb)

The accusative case ending is -m. Just add that -m to the -a- vowel that marks the 1st declension, and you get -am.

In English, we only have the accusative case for a few pronouns, and sometimes the English accusative ending is also -m, like in Latin: him is the accusative of he ("I saw him"),  whom is the accusative of who, them is the accusative of they.

For English nouns, however, there is no accusative case marker. You cannot tell if a noun is the subject or object of the verb just by looking at the noun; instead, English uses word order, with the subject coming before the verb, while the object comes after the verb.

In Latin, the word order does not matter; what matters is the word ending. If you see the word victoria, then you know it is the subject of the verb; if you see the word victoriam, then you know it is the object of the verb.

So, as you look at today's sayings, pay close attention to the word endings, especially when the object comes before the verb and/or the subject comes after the verb. Anything is possible!

To get ready for today's sayings, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And now here are today's proverbs, each of which features an accusative 1st-declension noun (for today, I've underlined those accusative nouns to help them stand out):

1. Cura dat victoriam.
Carefulness bestows victory.
cura dat vic-TO-riam.

The verb dat means "gives, bestows," and you can see this root in English "data" and also "date."

The idea is that if you want to win, you need to take care, prepare, pay attention to what you are doing, etc.

Here the word order is the same as in English: subject-verb-object.

2. Copia nauseam parit.
Abundance produces disgust.
CO-pia NAU-seam parit.

The noun copia, "abundance," is the root of English "copious," and you can also see the Latin word in "cornucopia."
The word nauseam is the accusative form of nausea, which gives us English "nausea." The Latin word is a borrowing from Greek ναυσία, "seasickness" from the Greek word ναῦς, which mean "ship."

The verb parit means "gives birth to, produces," and it is the root of English "parent."

Compare the English saying "You can have too much of a good thing."

This time the word order, subject-object-verb, which is different from English subject-verb-object.


3. Aquilam testudo vincit.
(The) tortoise defeats (the) eagle.
A-quilam tes-TU-do vincit.

The word aquilam is the accusative of aquila which gives us English "eagle" and also "aquiline."
The verb vincit, "conquers, defeats, beats" can be seen in English "invincible" (i.e. un-beatable) and also "convince." The verb vincit shares the same root as the noun victoria.

This saying was used to refer to some surprising turn of events: in a race between the slow-moving tortoise and the swiftly flying eagle, of course the eagle would win... but — surprise! — this time the turtle beats the eagle, much like the tortoise defeats the hare in the famous Aesop's fable.

In this sentence, the object comes first!


4. Superbia anteit ruinam.
Pride precedes ruin.
su-PER-bia AN-teit ruinam.

The noun superbia, "pride," has the same root as in English "superb" and "superior."

The verb anteit, "precedes, goes before," is a compound: ante-it, "before-goes." You can see the  ante in English words like "anterior" and "anteroom," and also the "ante" in poker.

The word ruinam is the accusative of ruina, "ruin, downfall, disaster." The noun is related to a verb you have seen before: ruit.

Compare the English saying "Pride goeth before a fall."

This sentence has the word order that you would have in English: subject-verb-object.


5. Industriam adiuvat deus.
God helps effort.
in-DUS-triam AD-iuvat deus.

The word industriam is the accusative of industria, "activity, work, effort," which gives us English "industry."

The verb adjuvat, "helps, assists," gives us English "adjutant."

Here you have yet another word order option here: object-verb-subject. This is exactly the opposite of English subject-verb-object word order.

Compare the English saying, "God helps them that help themselves."

Here's a recap:

1. Cura dat victoriam.
2. Copia nauseam parit.
3. Aquilam testudo vincit.
4. Superbia anteit ruinam.
5. Industriam adiuvat deus.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 14 Catch-Up Day

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. There's also a slideshow below to help you review all the verbs of the four different conjugations. You've had 51 different verbs so far!

Here are the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks:

• 59: More -it Verbs
• 60: The 4th Conjugation
• Vocabulary Review
• 61: Reviewing the Verbs
• 62: Finishing up Week 14

And here's a slideshow you can use to review all the sayings with verbs... with cats. This time all the verbs are organized by conjugation: 1st conjugation (-at blue), 2nd conjugation (-et purple), 3rd conjugation (-it yellow), and finally the 4th conjugation (-it green). Remember that you can access the original post with more information by using the Sayings page or the Dictionary page which link to the relevant post.

I also made a printable crossword PDF with this week's sayings as the prompts. Screenshots below. I hope you will like the way the crossword puzzle gives you some hints as you try to supply the missing word.

Here's the random cat:

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Latin Lesson #62: Finishing up Week 14

Today's lesson reviews the verb endings again:

• -at: 1st-conjugation verbs
• -et: 2nd-conjugation verbs
• -it: 3rd-conjugation AND 4th-conjugation verbs

Remember also to pay attention to the word order so that you can get used to the way that, in Latin, the subject can sometimes come before the verb!

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Nihil perpetuo durat.
Nothing lasts forever.
Nihil per-PE-tuo durat.

You haven't seen the adverb perpetuo, "forever, perpetually" before, but you have seen the neuter noun, perpetuum.

Likewise, the verb durat, "lasts, endures," is new, but it is related to the adjective dura, "hard," which you have seen in the superlative form: durissima, "hardest."

A fuller form of this saying, Nihil durare potest tempore perpetuo, "Nothing can endure for everlasting time," appears in the graffiti preserved at Pompeii. You can see a photograph and transcription from Pompeii here. That is a very ironic bit of graffiti: Pompeii was destroyed... but the graffiti has endured.

2. Fervet olla, vivit amicitia.
(The) pot boils, friendship lives.
Fervet olla, vivit ami-CI-tia.

The verb vivit, "lives, is alive," is new, but you have seen the participle: vivens, "living."

This is another version of the saying you saw yesterday: Amicus dum olla fervet.

Notice that you have two verbs here, and for both verbs, the subject comes after the verb.   

3. Omne nimium nocet.
Every excess harms.
Omne NI-mium nocet.

The verb nocet, "harms, hurts," is new, but you have seen the noun nocumentum, "injury, harm."

The word nimium is a neuter adjective, "excessive," but it is being used as a noun here: "excess" (i.e. "excessive thing").

This is another version of a saying you saw earlier: Omne nimium non bonum.

4. Abundans cautela non nocet.
Abundant caution doesn't hurt.
A-BUN-dans cau-TE-la non nocet.

The 3rd-declension adjective abundans gives us English "abundant." The root is unda, "wave, flood," so something that is "abundant" is like a river overflowing its banks, full of water.

The adjective is feminine in form, agreeing with the feminine noun cautela.

Compare the English phrase, "out of an abundance of caution..." The English phrase even has its own wiktionary entry, which explains that it is an imitation of the Latin.


5. Veritas non erubescit.
Truth doesn't blush.
VE-ritas non eru-BES-cit.

The verb erubescit literally means "turns red," i.e. "blushes." The root is rubeus, "red," as in English "ruby."

This is another one of those verbs with -sc- that indicates a process: turning red. Some other -sc- verbs you have seen include crescit, "grows, increases," arescit, "turns dry, dries," and senescit, "grows old." 

You have also seen several words with this -itas suffix, which creates an abstract noun: brevitas, "brevity," caritas, "charity," felicitas, "happiness, felicity," mediocritas, "mediocrity," utilitas, "utility," and veritas, "truth, verity."

This saying has a life of its own in English too: Truth doesn't blush. The idea is that the truth, no matter what it might be, has nothing to be ashamed of. 


Here's a recap:

1. Nihil perpetuo durat.
2. Fervet olla, vivit amicitia.
3. Omne nimium nocet.
4. Abundans cautela non nocet.
5. Veritas non erubescit.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #61: Reviewing the Verbs

Today and tomorrow there will be some more practice with verbs... and then next week you will learn about the accusative case which is used for the objects of verbs. You will then b able to read all kinds of sentences in Latin. For now, just remember that you now know three different verb endings:

• -at: 1st-conjugation verbs
• -et: 2nd-conjugation verbs
• -it: 3rd-conjugation AND 4th-conjugation verbs

And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before to review some words you will see again today:

And now, here are today's proverbs:

1. Delectat varietas.
Variety delights.
De-LEC-tat va-RI-etas.

From the Latin noun varietas we get English "variety." You've also seen some related Latin adjectives already: varius and variabilis.

Notice that the the subject comes after the verb, a word order that English cannot imitate. I think that the variety of word order in Latin is one of Latin's many delights!


2. Docet umbra.
(The) shadow teaches.
Docet umbra.

The verb docet, "teaches," is the root of English "docent" and also "doctor." You've already seen some Latin nouns from this same root: doctrina and documentum.

This is a saying that you can often find on sundials, where the sun's shadow teaches you the time. You can see an example here.

This is another example of the subject coming after the verb.


3. Aqua haeret.
(The) water is-stuck.
Aqua haeret.

You can see the Latin noun aqua, "water," in English "aquatic" and "aquarium."

The verb haeret, "sticks, is stuck," is the root of English "adhere" and "adhesive."

This is a Latin idiom used when anything gets stuck and cannot proceed as planned. Since water naturally flows and does not stop flowing, when the water is stuck, aqua haeret, that means things are definitely not going as planned. The Roman politician Cicero was in the habit of using this phrase in his letters, and he indicates that it was a popular saying by adding the words ut aiunt, "as they say."


4. Amicus dum olla fervet.
(A) friend while the pot boils.
A-MI-cus dum olla fervet.

The noun olla means "pot," in the sense of a cooking pot.

The verb fervet, "boils, seethes, is hot," and gives us English "fervent" and "fervid."

The idea here is that when you can feed your friends, your friends will be plentiful, but when there is no more food, your friends will disappear. The same is true metaphorically for whatever you might share with your friends: when those good times are over, the friendship will be over too. 


5. Crescit fama.
Rumor grows.
Crescit fama.

You know all the words in this saying already, and this is one more example of the subject coming after the verb. The noun fama can mean "fame" in the sense of a good reputation, but it can also mean "rumor" in the sense of a report that goes around, perhaps true, but probably false. This saying emphasizing that as a rumor is told to one person and then to another and to another, the rumor "grows," i.e. it becomes more and more exaggerated. Compare a saying you saw earlier: Mendax fama.


Here's a recap:

1. Delectat varietas.
2. Docet umbra.
3. Aqua haeret.
4. Amicus dum olla fervet.
5. Crescit fama.

And here is today's audio:



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