Latin Lesson #57: The 3rd Conjugation

The focus for today's lesson is verbs of the 3rd conjugation, which have -it as their ending. The 3rd conjugation is the most common of the conjugations; you will be seeing lots of -it verbs as you read more Latin!

So, now you will be familiar with 3 of the 4 conjugations; you'll have the 4th conjugation next week! Here are conjugations 1-2-3:

1. -at. example: Nihil obstat.
2. -et. example: Cicatrix manet.
3. -it. example: Tempus fugit. (You'll have that one today: Time flies.)

To get ready, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before. And remember to read some of the Latin out loud; that's how you will really learn Latin. Maybe you can read the saying that you see on each of the cat slides. :-)

Okay, now you are ready for today's proverbs:

1. Tempus fugit.
Time runs-away.
tempus fugit.

The verb fugit, "flees, runs away, flies," is not one you have seen before, but you've seen this related adjective fugax in this saying: Res est forma fugax. You could now rephrase that saying as follows: Forma fugit, "Beauty is fleeting." From this Latin root we get English "fugitive."

Of course we say "Time flies" in English also! The idea is that time goes by quickly, so quickly that the present instantly turns into the past. There is a Wikipedia article: Tempus fugit where you can see examples of this saying inscribed on sundials.


2. Parum sufficit.
(A) little is-enough.
parum SUF-ficit.

The verb sufficit, "is enough, suffices," gives us English "suffices" and "sufficient."

This is the Barrows family motto.


3. Nemo solus satis sapit.
No-one is-wise enough alone.
nemo solus satis sapit.

The verb sapit, "is wise," is not one you have seen before, but you've seen the participle sapiens, "being wise, wise," in this saying: Sapiens non eget. You've also seen the noun: sapientia, "wisdom."

This saying explains why I love the Internet: when I have a question, I can usually find an answer, and it is often at someone else's blog or website — and of course I also hope that others can sometimes find answers to their questions at one of my blogs or websites.


4. Cito arescit lacrima.
(A) tear dries quickly.
cito a-RE-scit LA-crima.

The verb arescit means "dries, dries up." This verb is related to the adjective aridus, "dry," which you can see in English "arid."

The noun lacrima, "tear, tear drop," gives us English "lachrymose."

This saying is quoted by Cicero, and in a very cynical context: Cito arescit lacrima, praesertim in alienis malis, "A tear dries quickly, especially in other people's troubles" (alienis malis). Literally it's true: tears do dry quickly, and metaphorically, the idea is that while you might cry over something, you'll get over it quickly enough.

5. Mendacium non senescit.
(A) lie doesn't grow-old.
men-DA-cium non se-NE-scit.

The verb senescit, "grows old," is related to the adjective you've seen before, senex, "old," and also the noun senectus, "old age."

Notice the -sc- in the verbs arescit and senescit. This -sc- indicates a process of growth, as in senescit, "grows old, becomes old" and arescit, "grows dries, becomes dry." You'll see more of these -sc- verbs as you learn more of these 3rd conjugation verbs.

This saying has the same sense as a saying you saw earlier: Nullum mendacium semper occultum. A lie cannot grow old because it cannot stay hidden for long, and that puts an end to it. As we say in English: "The truth will out."


Here's a recap:

1. Tempus fugit.
2. Parum sufficit.
3. Nemo solus satis sapit.
4. Cito arescit lacrima.
5. Mendacium non senescit.

And here is today's audio:



Plus the LOLCats!

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