Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #89: More -a imperatives

The focus for today's lesson is another set of 1st-conjugation imperative verbs ending in -a.

You're also going to see an example of a negative imperative using the word ne. Previously, you've seen verbs negated with non. You cannot use non with an imperative, though. Instead, you use ne.

So, excita means "wake!" and ne excita means "don't wake!"

There are other ways to create negative imperatives that you will learn later, and you will also learn other uses of the word ne. For now, though, suffice to say that you can create a negative imperative with ne plus the imperative.

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Lauda finem.
Praise (the) end.
lauda finem.

You haven't seen the verb lauda before, but you have seen this noun: laudator. You also know this root from the Latin phrase we use in English summa cum laude (the form laude is a noun in the ablative case; you'll be learning more about that later).

The word finem is the accusative of finis, and it is the object of the imperative verb.

The idea is that you should wait until the end of something to declare that it is good. Praise the end, not the beginning of the middle. Compare a saying that you saw earlier: Finis coronat opus. You can also compare the English saying, "Don't count your chickens until they're hatched."

2. Vigila et ora.
Keep-awake and pray.
VI-gila et ora.

The verb vigila means "stay awake! keep watch!" You can see this same root in English "vigilant."

This phrase is a popular motto; you can see it here on the Bourne city crest.

3. Longa via est: propera.
(The) way is long: hurry.
longa via est: PRO-pera.

The verb propera means "hurry!"

This saying can apply to a literally way: if you have a long journey, you need to make haste to get to your journey's end. Metaphorically, it can refer to a task that will take a long time.

The words come from Ovid's Tristia, the poetry that he wrote when exiled to distant Tomis (in what is now Romania). Ovid is speaking to the book of poetry that he is writing, sending the book to Rome, and telling it to hurry; the journey is long... around 1500 miles from Tomis back to Rome.

4. Rem omnem considera.
Inspect (the) whole thing.
Rem omnem con-SI-dera.

The word rem is the accusative form of res, and omnem is the accusative form of omnis. This accusative noun phrase is the object of the verb.

The imperative considera gives us English "consider."

The idea is that you must based your judgments on a full understanding of any situation, rem omnem. Don't rush to judgment; consider the whole situation.

5. Canem sopitum ne excita.
Don't awake (a) sleeping dog.
Canem so-PI-tum ne EX-cita.

The word canem is the accusative form of canis.

The adjective sopitum literally means "lulled to sleep, put to sleep." This noun phrase, canem sopitum, is the object of the verb. You can see this same root in English "soporific."

The little word ne creates a negative imperative: ne excita, "don't wake!"

Compare the English saying "Let sleeping dogs lie."

You may also know the English phrase "a sop to Cerberus." This refers to the way that the Sibyl in Vergil's Aeneid quieted the hound of Hades, Cerberus, by making him go to sleep by giving him a lump of bread that was infused with sleep-inducing honey and herbs.

Here's a recap: