Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #87: Imperatives

The focus for today's lesson is something new: the imperative form of the verb. The imperative form is a command, and you can see that the word "imperative" itself comes from a Latin root, as the verb imperat means "commands."

The imperative is usually the shortest, simplest form of the verb (I personally like to think that is because the imperatives were the original verbs: language was invented to boss other people around!). This week, the focus will all be on imperative verbs in the first conjugation, ending in -a.

For example, you know the verb dat, "gives." The imperative form would be da! "Give!"

The imperative just the stem of the verb, ending in its theme vowel. For the first conjugation, that theme vowel is -a.

To get ready for today's lesson, here is a little slideshow with some first conjugation sayings that you have seen earlier. For practice, try changing each first conjugation form into an imperative. If the saying says vorat, "devours," then you would say vora! "devour!"

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Diu delibera.
Ponder a-long-time.
diu de-LI-bera.

You already know the adverb diu, and the verb delibera gives us English "deliberate!" The verb is a compound de-libera, "about-weigh." You can see the root of Latin libra, "scales, balance" (the device used for weighing something) in the astrological sign, Libra.

The idea here is that you should not act rashly; instead, take a long time to consider your options.

The charm of this saying lies in the alliteration: D... d...

2. Festina lente.
Hurry slowly.
fes-TI-na lente.

The verb festina means "hurry!"

The adverb lente, "slowly," is from the adjective lent- with the adverbial ending -e. You've already seen some other adverbs form in this same way, such as bene, male and impune.
Compare the English saying, "More haste, less speed." The idea is that if you must hurry, don't hurry too much; if you hurry too much, you are likely to make mistakes.

3. Minime iudica.
Judge as-little-as-possible.
MI-nime IU-dica.

The adverb minime means "as little as possible." This is another adverb form with -e. You can see this root in the English word "minimum," which is itself a Latin neuter adjective, "the littlest possible (thing)."

The verb iudica, "judge!" is the root of English words like "adjudicate" and "judicial." You've already seen the related Latin word iudex.

The use of minime here is a way of expressing a negative imperative: "Judge as little as possible," i.e. "Don't just at all!" The saying is from an ancient collection known as the Dictichs of Cato.

4. Ora et labora.
Pray and work.
ora et la-BO-ra.

The verb ora has a range of meanings, including "give a speech" (as in the noun you already know, oratio) and also "beg, entreat." In Christian Latin, it came to have the special meaning of "pray," which is the meaning here. Rhyming proverbs like this one are medieval in origin, and thus often feature Christian Latin vocabulary.
You do not know the verb labora, but you do know the noun: labor.

This motto is especially associated with monastic Rule of Saint Benedict. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Ora et labora.

5. Separa et impera.
Divide and rule.
SE-para et IM-pera.

The verb separa means "divide," and it gives us English "separate."
You already know impera, which is also the root of English "imperative."

Compare the saying "Divide and conquer" in English.

Here's a recap: