Latin Lesson #114: Finishing Up Week 27

The focus for today's lesson is a review of prepositions with the 2nd declension, both ablative (-o ending) and accusative (-um ending). So, as you read through the sayings today, keep an eye out for which prepositions are taking the accusative and which ones are taking the ablative.

Then after you finish this little review, it will be time for the ablative ending of the 3rd declension next week!

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. In vino feritas.
In wine, ferocity.
In vino FE-ritas.

The word vino is the ablative form of the noun vinum, which you have seen before. The preposition in takes the ablative case here: in vino.
The noun feritas means "ferocity," and you can also see this same root in English "feral" and "fierce."

The saying is a play on the traditional form of a saying you have seen before: In vino veritas. The proverb scholar Wolfgang Mieder calls these types of sayings "anti-proverbs."


2. Ab asino lanam.
(Seeking) wool from (a) donkey.
Ab A-sino lanam.

The word asino is the ablative form of the noun asinus, which you have seen before.
The noun lana means "wool," and you can see this root in English "lanolin."

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands: you are never going to get would from a donkey, no matter how hard you look. Compare the English saying "hen's teeth."

3. Reductio ad absurdum
Reduction to (the) absurd.
Re-DUC-tio ad ab-SUR-dum.

The word absurdum is the accusative form of the adjective absurdum, which gives us English "absurd."
The noun reductio gives us English "reduction." This is a 3rd-declension noun, nominative case, and it is the subject of the sentence.

We use this Latin phrase in English, and it has a Wikipedia article of its own: Apagogical argument.


4. Sera in fundo parsimonia
Saving (is) late at (the) bottom.
Sera in fundo parsi-MO-nia.

The word fundo is the ablative form of the noun fundus, "bottom," as in the bottom of the barrel (it's too late to spare the wine when you're at the bottom of the barrel), or the bottom of the money-chest (it's too late to practice economy when the money-chest is empty). You can see this root in English "fund" and  "fundament."
You haven't seen the feminine adjective sera before, but you have seen the neuter form serum and the adverbial form sero.


5. Ad stagnum resilit, tenet etsi rana cathedram.
(A) frog jumps-back into (the) marsh, even-if it has a throne.
Ad stagnum resilit, tenet etsi rana cathedram.

The word stagnum is the accusative form of the noun stagnum, "swamp, marsh." You can see this root in English "stagnant." This word is in the accusative because of the preposition ad.

The word cathedram is the accusative form of the noun cathedra, which means "throne," specifically a bishop's throne, and it also refers to a "chair" in the sense of a professor's chair. You can see this root in English "cathedral." This word is in the accusative because it is the object of the verb tenet.

The verb resilit, "leaps back," gives us English "resilience."

The verb tenet, "holds, has," and gives us the English noun "tenet."

The word etsi is a compound: et-si, "even if." You've see the adverbial et before, which means "even, also" (instead of the usual conjunction "and"), and you've seen si, "if," so know you have the compound: etsi.

The noun rana means "frog," and the saying is making fun of some ridiculous, unworthy person (the "frog") who is appointed to the position of a bishop or a professor and then proceeds to embarrass himself. Notice how the word order puts rana right next to cathedram, emphasizing this comical juxtaposition!

Here's a recap:

• In vino feritas.
• Ab asino lanam.
• Sera in fundo parsimonia.
• Reductio ad absurdum.
• Ad stagnum resilit, tenet etsi rana cathedram.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #113: Prepositions with the accusative

For the past week you've looked at prepositions that take the ablative, but remember: some prepositions take the accusative case. Here are the prepositions with the accusative that you saw a couple weeks ago with the 1st declension; I've underlined the prepositions, and bolded the prepositional phrase.

• Asinus ad lyram.
• Ardua ad gloriam via.
• Vade ad formicam, o piger!
• Ut piscis extra aquam.
• Nihil novum super terram.

So today you will see some prepositions that take the accusative but with 2nd declension nouns and adjectives. The 2nd-declension accusative ending is -um.

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

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Otium post negotium.
Leisure after business.
O-tium post ne-GO-tium.

The word negotium is the accusative of the neuter noun negotium (nominative and accusative the same as always for neuter nouns). The word is a compound: nec-otium, "not-leisure," i.e. "business."

The preposition post, "after," takes the accusative. You've seen this in Latin phrases like post partum, "after birth."

The idea is that you need to get business done first, but then you can have fun. Compare the English saying, "Business before pleasure." The Latin word play with otium-negotium makes the Latin version of this saying more fun though!


2. Leonis exuvium super asinum.
(A) lion's skin on (a) donkey.
le-O-nis ex-U-vium super A-sinum.

The word asinum is the accusative of the masculine noun asinus which you have seen before. 

You've also seen the preposition super before.

The noun exuvium, "skin," is new. Specifically, it means a snake's sloughed off skin, but here it is used to refer to a skin stripped from a lion.

The saying refers to the Aesop's fable about the donkey in the lion skin: at first people thought he was a lion, so he was able to graze where he wanted and do as he pleased, but when they figured out he was really a donkey, they pulled the skin off him and beat him for his bad behavior. It's a saying for people pretending to be something they are not!

3. Serum auxilium post proelium.
Help after (the) battle (is) late.
serum aux-I-lium post PROE-lium.

The word proelium is the accusative of the neuter noun proelium (nominative and accusative the same as always for neuter nouns), and you've seen this noun before.

The neuter noun auxilium is new, and it means "help, aid, assistance." You can see this root in English "auxiliary." It is in the nominative case, the subject of the sentence. 

The adjective serum agrees with auxilium: nominative neuter singular. You haven't seen this form of the word before, but you've seen the adverbial form, sero, "late" (the ablative form of a word sometimes does double-duty as an adverb).

The idea is that if you are going to help someone, you should help them when they are in trouble, not waiting until after the trouble is over.

4. Testudo intra tegumentum tuta.
(The) turtle (is) safe inside (her) shell.
tes-TU-do intra tegu-MEN-tum tuta.

The word tegumentum is the accusative of the neuter noun tegumentum (nominative and accusative the same as always for neuter nouns). The noun means a "covering," or specifically a "shell" when you're talking about turtles. You can see this root in the English word "integument."

The preposition intra means "within, inside, on the inside." You can find this in many English compounds like "intravenous" and "intramural."

Part of the charm of this saying is the sound-play: listen to all those t-sounds! Seven 7 t-sounds in just 4 words!


5. Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit.
(A) wise man doesn't piss against (the) wind.
vir prudens non contra ventum mingit.

The word ventum is the accusative of the masculine noun ventus which you have seen before.

The preposition contra, "against," shows up in lots of English compounds like "contradiction" and "contraception."

The adjective prudens gives us English "prudent" (the stem of the adjective is prudent-). This Latin word is a contraction of pro-videns, "before-seeing," i.e. "seeing things in advance, anticipating what is to come." That's the original meaning of "prudent."

The verb mingit means "urinates, pisses." You can see this Latin root in the English medical term "micturate."

So, the idea is that the prudent man can see in advance what will happen if he pisses into the wind. And it will not be good... so he doesn't do it. :-)


Here's a recap:

• Otium post negotium.
• Leonis exuvium super asinum.
• Serum auxilium post proelium.
• Testudo intra tegumentum tuta.
• Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 27 Vocabulary Review

It's time for this week's vocabulary review: you can use it as a quiz, or just as some proverbs and cats from previous weeks to look at once again. The more you repeat, the more you will learn! And of course you will get to know the cats better too :-)

So, below is this week's vocabulary review, and for more information, you can always click on the English translation to go back to the original lesson. Here is a link to the full-size show. 

If you want to do even more reviewing (review! review! review!), here are the review slideshows from Week 26, Week 25, and Week 24. The more you repeat, the more you will remember!

And... here's a random cat:

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Latin Lesson #112: More prepositions with the ablative

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with prepositions that take the ablative case, which has -a as the 1st-declension ending and -o as the 2nd-declension ending.

What follows is a inguistic aside: feel free to skip this: I got an email from someone asking why the ablative would be the case that gives us modern Romance language forms like Italian amico or Spanish amigo for Latin amicus. That's an excuse to say something important here about Latin pronunciation and how the kind of pronunciation taught in Latin textbooks is probably not really like how the ancient Romans spoke. Italian amico and Spanish amigo derive from the accusative case, Latin amicum, which was pronounced not with an "um" sound at the end but instead with a nasalized "o" sound. That final m is does not indicate a consonant like English m (as in English words like "gum" and "hum" and "rum"); instead, that final m indicates nasalization of the preceding vowel (m and n are the nasal consonants). How do we know this? Well, Spanish and Italian give us a clue, but there is a clue within Latin itself, specifically in the rules for Latin poetry, where the final-m is treated as if it does not exist. So, when a word like amicum is followed by a word that begins with a vowel, the final -m elides. But here's the thing: consonants don't elide; only vowels elide. So, on the one hand some textbooks teach students this elision rule, but they also tell students to pronounce the final m as a consonant, as in English. Speaking for myself, I'm not attempting any kind of reconstructed Roman pronunciation in my audio recordings, just something to help you become familiar with written Latin by using your English ears... but if I did aspire to Roman pronunciation, I'd be nasalizing those final -am and -um vowels. :-)

And now, back to our regular routine: here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before that appear in today's sayings:

And here are today's sayings:

1. De nihilo nihil.
Nothing from nothing
de NI-hilo nihil.

The word nihilo is the ablative form of the noun nihil, which you know already, being used with the preposition de, which you also know already. Sometimes de means "about" and sometimes it means "from," which is the meaning here.

This saying contradicts the saying you saw yesterday: Creatio ex nihilo. You can read more about the de nihilo nihil doctrine in this Wikipedia article: Creatio ex materia.

2. Lucerna sub modio.
(A) light under (a) bushel.
lu-CER-na sub MO-dio.

The noun lucerna means "light, lamp," and it is related to the word you already learned for light: lux (stem: luc-).

The word modio is the ablative form of the noun modius, which means "bushel" in the sense of a measure of grain. This is a new word, but you've seen a related word before: modus, which means a measure or limit (but not a specific unit of measure, like modius). 

The ablative here is being used with the preposition sub, which you have seen before.

To get a sense of just what that "bushel" would look like, here is a photograph of an ancient Roman modius.

This is a famous phrase alluding to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke; here is the King James version of the verse in Matthew: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.


3. De alieno disce periculo.
Learn from another's danger.
de ali-E-no disce pe-RI-culo.

The word periculo is the ablative form of the noun periculum, which you know already. It is a neuter noun, and so alieno is the ablative form of the neuter adjective alienum. You haven't seen this neuter form before, but you have seen the masculine form: alienus.

The word disce is the imperative form of discit: "learn!"

Notice how the preposition phrase de alieno ... periculo wraps around the verb.

The idea is that it's better to observe other people's mistakes and the dangers they face so that you can successfully avoid those mistakes and escape those dangers.


4. Fertilior seges est alieno in arvo.
(The) crop is more-abundant in another's field.
fer-TI-lior seges est ali-E-no in arvo.

The adjective fertilior is a comparative form of fertilis: "more fertile, more fruitful, more abundant." It is a feminine adjective agreeing with the feminine noun seges, "harvest, crop." 

The word arvo is the ablative form of the noun arvum, "field." You can see the same Latin root in the English word "arable." 

The ablative adjective alieno agrees with arvo, and notice how the noun phrase wraps around its preposition: alieno in arvo.

Compare the English saying: "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." In other words, we often disparage what is ours, while being jealous of what others have.


5. Sicut piscis sine aqua, sic monachus sine claustro.
Just-as (a) fish without water, so (a) monk without (a) cloister.
sicut piscis sine aqua, sic MO-nachus sine claustro.

The word aqua is the ablative form (aquā) of the feminine noun aqua, which you have seen before. 

The word claustro is the ablative form of the neuter noun claustrum, which is an "enclosure," and specifically, a "cloister" (the Latin word is what gives us the English word). This word is new, but you have seen a related word before: claudit.

You've seen the word sicut before, and it is actually a compound: sic-ut. In this saying, you now see sic on its own, meaning "thus, so, as." The Latin word sic is sometimes used in English to indicate that a word or phrase in a printed text which appears to be in error actually reflects the original text as printed ("sic").

This is a medieval Latin saying that relates to another saying you saw earlier about "fish out of water" — Ut piscis extra aquam.


Here's a recap:

• De nihilo nihil.
• Lucerna sub modio.
• De alieno disce periculo.
• Fertilior seges est alieno in arvo.
• Sicut piscis sine aqua, sic monachus sine claustro.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #111: Another week of prepositions

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with those -o ablative endings for the 2nd-declension nouns and adjectives. These ablatives are all being used with prepositions; you'll learn some other uses of the ablative later.

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Cum grano salis.
With (a) grain of-salt.
cum grano salis.

The word grano is the ablative form of granum, a word you've seen before, and you've also seen the preposition cum before.

The word salis is the genitive form of sal, another word you've seen before. You know all the words in this saying already!

We also use this phrase in English, taking something "with a grain of salt." It even has its own Wikipedia article.


2. Creatio ex nihilo.
Creation from nothing.
cre-A-tio ex NI-hilo.

The word nihilo is the ablative form of nihil, a word you've seen before, and you've also seen the preposition ex before.
The noun creatio also ends in -o, but this is one of those 3rd-declension nouns that ends in -o in the nominative form. So, this is a nominative noun, and it is the subject of the sentence.

This is another saying we use in English, with a Wikipedia article of its own: Creatio ex nihilo.


3. Natura abhorret a vacuo.
Nature shrinks from (a) vacuum.
na-TU-ra ab-HOR-ret a VA-cuo.

The word vacuo is the ablative form of vacuum, a word you've seen before.

You've seen the preposition a before, but in a different form: ab ovo Ledae. The preposition is spelled a before a consonant, but it is spelled ab before a vowel (compare English "a" before consonants which becomes "an" before a vowel: a banana, an orange).

You actually saw a different version of this before: Natura vacuum abhorret. That's the version that gives us the English version: "Nature abhors a vacuum." But in Latin, as you can see, it makes sense for the compound verb ah-horret to take a prepositional phrase as its complement: abhorret a vacuo

Notice also that the compound verb is a clue that the Romans actually did not pronounce their "h" like a consonant because the prefix a is spelled ab here, as it would be before a vowel: ab(h)orret.

And, yes, another famous saying that has its own Wikipedia article: Horror vacui.


4. In sterculino margaritam reperit.
(He) finds a pearl in (a) dung-pile.
in stercu-LI-no marga-RI-tam RE-perit.

The word sterculino is the ablative form of sterculinum, which means a "dung-pile" or a "manure-heap." You can see this Latin root in the English medical term "stercoraceous" (a synonym of "fecal").

The word margaritam is the accusative form of margarita, which means "pearl." This is also the origin of the English name "Margaret."
The verb reperit means "finds, discovers," and you can see this root in English "repertoire."

This saying alludes to an Aesop's fable about a rooster who finds a pearl (or some other precious gem) in a dung-heap, but he would have preferred a grain of barley instead. You can read that fable here: The Rooster and the Gem. The fable has been interpreted in different ways over the century, but the proverbial phrase here means someone who discovers something of immense value but who does not recognize its value.


5. Utrum prius gallina ex ovo an ovum ex gallina?
Does (the) chicken (come) from the egg first, or the egg from the chicken?
utrum prius gal-LI-na ex ovo an ovum ex gal-LI-na?

The word ovo is the ablative form of ovum, a word you've seen before. 

You've also got an ablative from of a 1st-declension noun: gallina (gallinā) is the ablative form of gallina, another word you know already.

The phrase utrum...an introduces an alternate question, such as a yes-or-question or a this-or-that, with utrum before the first option and an before the second option.

The word prius is an adverb meaning "before, earlier than." You can see the same root in Latin prior, which we use as a word in English: "prior."

This is the proverbial chicken or the egg... but as found in Macrobius's Saturnalia. It also has its own Wikipedia article: Chicken or the egg.


Here's a recap:

• Cum grano salis.
• Creatio ex nihilo.
• Natura abhorret a vacuo.
• In sterculino margaritam reperit.
• Utrum prius gallina ex ovo an ovum ex gallina?

And here is today's audio:



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Week 26 Catch-Up Day

Week 26 is over: half a year of Latin! Wow! You've learned 4 of the 5 cases, with hundreds of sayings. I hope you have found a few sayings that you've memorized along the way. The focus so far has been on the nouns; we still need to do the dative case, the plurals and the pronouns... and then there's a whole world of verbs that can occupy us for the rest of the year.

In the meantime, here's this week's catch-up post to help you review any lesson(s) you missed this past week and/or to work on whatever kind of practice is most useful to you.

So, here are the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks, and you'll find the review slideshow before:

• 107: Reviewing the 2nd Declension
• 108: Reviewing 2nd-declension genitive
• Week 26 Vocabulary Review
• 109: The 2nd-Declension Ablative
• 110: More Ablatives in -o

This is the slideshow with all the sayings from the week. Read out loud, first with the English to remind you of the vocabulary... and then with the cat!

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

And here's the random cat:

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Latin Lesson #110: More Ablatives in -o

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with the Ablative ending, -o, for those 2nd-declension nouns and adjectives with prepositions, so to get started, take a quick look at the ablatives you learned yesterday; I've underlined the prepositional phrase in each one:

• In vino veritas.
• Ex humo homo.
• Ab ovo Ledae incipit.
• Vox clamantis in deserto.
• Ex pravo pullus bonus ovo non venit ullus.

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

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Ex parvo satis.
From (a) little, enough.
ex parvo satis.

The word parvo is the ablative form of the adjective parvum, which is being used here substantively as a noun, "(a) little (thing)." You haven't seen parvum before, but you've seen the masculine and feminine forms of this adjective: parvum and parva.

The idea is that even if you have just a little, that can be enough. Compare the English saying, "want what you have, and you'll have what you want." You've also seen a similar Latin saying before: Si satis est, multum est.


2. Ex vitulo bos fit.
(The) ox is-made from (a) calf.
ex VI-tulo bos fit.

The word vitulo is the ablative form of the noun vitulus, which means "calf," and it's also the origin of English "veal."

Compare this English saying: "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow." So, when you look at an oak, remember that it started as a little acorn, and when you look at the ox, remember that he began as a calf.


3. Pullus de nido avolat.
(The) chick flies-away from (the) nest.
pullus de nido A-volat.

The word nido is the ablative form of the noun nidus, which you have seen before. 

The verb avolat is a compound, a-volat, "away-flies, flies away." You haven't seen avolat before, but you've seen the verb volat before.

This saying is included in Polydorus's Adagia (Erasmus's less famous rival), adapted from the Biblical Book of Isaiah, referring to the hesitant and timid flight of chicks as they leave the nest, barely able to fly on their own.


4. Sub pallio sordido sapientia.
(There is) wisdom under (a) filthy cloak.
sub PAL-lio SOR-dido sapi-EN-tia.

The word pallio is the ablative form of the noun pallium, which is the origin of English "pall" and also of "palliative." 

The word sordido is the ablative form of the adjective sordidum, which gives us English "sordid." 

The ablative noun phrase, pallio sordido, is in the ablative with the preposition, sub, "under," which you can see in all those English sub- compounds, like "submarine" and "subterranean." 

Compare the English saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover."


5. De calceo sollicitus, at pedem nihil curans.
Worried about (the) shoe, but caring nothing (for the) foot.
de CAL-ceo sol-LI-citus, at pedem nihil curans.

This saying might look intimidating because it is so long, but you know all of the words except two already!
The word calceo is the ablative form of the noun calceus, which gives us this very obscure English word "discalceate," which means: "barefoot" (un-shoed).
The adjective sollicitus, "concerned, anxious," gives us English "solicitous." 

The idea is that someone would be very foolish is all they did was think about their shoes but neglected their feet.


Here's a recap:

• Ex parvo satis.
• Ex vitulo bos fit.
• Pullus de nido avolat.
• Sub pallio sordido sapientia.
• De calceo sollicitus, at pedem nihil curans.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #109: The 2nd-Declension Ablative

The focus for today's lesson is something new: the ablative ending for the 2nd declension nouns and adjectives. The ending is -o.

So, you now have 4 case endings for this declension: 

• amicus. nominative (subject of verb) 
• amicum. accusative (object of verb) 
• amici. genitive (possession / "of") 
• amico. ablative

As you've already learned, the ablative is used with many prepositions, and that is what you will see in today's sayings. (Later on, you'll learn some other uses for the ablative, in addition to using it with prepositions.)

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

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. In vino veritas.
In wine (there is) truth.
in vino VE-ritas.

The word vino is the ablative form of the neuter noun, vinum, which you have seen before. 

The idea is that after someone has drunk some wine, they might talk more freely, and they might even say things they will later regret having said. Compare a similar saying that you've already seen: Vinum os facundum facit.


2. Ex humo homo.
(A) human (comes) from (the) ground.
ex humo homo.

The word humo is the ablative form of the feminine noun humus (yes, there are a few feminine nouns in the 2nd declension), which means "ground, soil, earth." We use this word in English as "humus" (not to be confused with the Arabic word hummus), and you can see the root in the verbs "inhume" and "exhume."

This is a fascinating proverb because it reflects an actual linguistic connection: the words homo and humus are related, signaling a close association between human beings and the earth-as-mother. You can find out more about the etymology of homo and humus at Wiktionary.

Also, the idea that human beings were originally made from some kind of earth or clay or rocks is found in Greek, Roman and also Christian mythology, so this saying resonates with Latin along all those different dimensions. 

Compare a saying you say earlier: Homo humus, fama fumus, finis cinis.

3. Ab ovo Ledae incipit.
(It) starts from the egg of-Leda.
ab ovo Ledae IN-cipit.

The word ovo is the ablative form of the neuter noun ovum, which you have seen before, and it's with the preposition ab, which means "from, beginning from, away from."

The name Ledae is the genitive form of Leda, an important character from mythology; see Wikipedia: Leda.

The verb incipit, "begins, starts," and we actually use this word in English, "incipit," to refer to the first word(s) of a manuscript. You can see the same root in "inception."

This is another mythology proverb! Do you recognize the allusion? Leda was the woman whom Zeus seduced in the shape of a swan, so when she gave birth to Zeus's children, they were hatched from eggs. And who was one of those children who came out from one of Leda's eggs? Helen of Troy came from Leda's egg, and so did Clytemnestra. Thus: the beginning of the Trojan War and all its tragic aftermath. It's all in this Wikipedia article: Ab ovo.


4. Vox clamantis in deserto.
(The) voice of-(someone)-shouting in (the) desert.
vox cla-MAN-tis in de-SER-to.

The word deserto is the ablative form of the masculine noun desertus, which gives us English "desert."
The word clamantis is the genitive form of the masculine adjective (participle), clamans, "crying, shouting." You can see this same root in English "exclamation."

These famous words come from the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, referring to John the Baptist, and echoing the Book of Isaiah.


5. Ex pravo pullus bonus ovo non venit ullus.
A good chick never comes from (a) bad egg.
ex pravo pullus bonus ovo non venit ullus.

The word pravo is the ablative form of the neuter adjective pravum, which you have seen before.

This is a rhyming proverb, pullus-ullus, and this leads to an entwined word order. Literally, it says: "From bad chick good egg does not come any." In English, that is very confusing, but the Latin word endings make it work: ex pravo ovo is the prepositional phrase, "from a bad egg," and pullus bonus is the noun phrase that is the subject of the sentence.

The word ullus, "any," is a masculine adjective, agreeing with the pullus bonus, also masculine.

You've seen two Proverbs which are similar to this one: Malum ovum, malus pullus and Mala gallina, malum ovum.


Here's a recap:

• In vino veritas.
• Ex humo homo.
• Ab ovo Ledae incipit.
• Vox clamantis in deserto.
• Ex pravo pullus bonus ovo non venit ullus.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 26 Vocabulary Review

It's time for another vocabulary review, and once again you can use it as a quiz if you want, or just as some proverbs and cats from previous weeks to look at once again. It takes many repetitions to learn new words, so the more you can repeat, the better!

So, below is this week's vocabulary review, and remember: you can use the linked English translation to go back to the original post if you want more information. Here is a link to the full-size show. 

If you want to do even more reviewing (you cannot review too much!), here are the review slideshows from Week 25, Week 24, and Week 23. The more you repeat, the more you will remember!

And... here's a random cat (I recently updated the randomizer, so there are something like 500 cats in there now!)

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Latin Lesson #108: Reviewing 2nd-declension genitive

The focus for today's lesson is reviewing the genitive ending of the 2nd declension: you have the nominatives in -us (male) and -um (neuter), the accusative ending is -um, and the genitive ending is -i. All of today's sayings will feature a 2nd-declension noun or adjective in the genitive case... and then later this week it will be time for the ablative ending!

And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before: you've seen most of the words for today!

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Christi crux est mea lux.
Christ's cross is my light.
Christi crux est mea lux.

The word Christi is the genitive form of the masculine noun Christus, "Christ." The "ch" in the spelling is a clue that this is a borrowing from Greek' chi is a letter in the Greek alphabet. You can read more about the etymology at Wikipedia: Christ.
The 3rd-declension noun crux is sometimes used as a word in English, "crux," and it is also the origin of "cross."

This is a medieval Christian proverb featuring rhyme, crux-lux. 


2. Omnis creatura Dei bona.
Every creature of-God (is) good.
omnis crea-TU-ra Dei bona.

The word Dei is the genitive form of the masculine noun Deus, which you have seen before.

The 1st-declension noun creatura gives us English "creature."

The words are from the 1st Letter of Timothy in the New Testament.


3. Paulum lucri quantum damni.
(A) little of-profit, so-much of-loss.
paulum lucri quantum damni.

The word damni is the genitive form of the neuter noun damnum, "loss, injury," and it is also the origin of the English word "damage."

The saying applies to a situation where, in exchange for a trivial amount of gain someone endures a terrible loss. 

Notice the parallel construction: paulum + genitive, quantum + genitive. You saw a similar construction in this saying: Paulum fellis disperdit multum mellis, but with multum instead of quantum.


4. Lingua mali pars pessima servi.
(The) tongue (is the) worst part of-(a)-bad servant.
lingua mali pars PES-sima servi.

The word servi is the genitive form of the masculine noun servus, "slave" or "servant" (depending on cultural context), a root you can see in English "servant" and "servitude."

The word mali is the genitive form of the masculine adjective malus, agreeing with servi. 

Notice how the genitive noun phrase mali servi, "of the bad servant," wraps around the other noun phrase, pars pessima.

The feminine adjective pessima, "worst," is the root of English "pessimist." This feminine 1st-declension adjective agrees with the 3rd-declension feminine noun pars. 

The words come from the Roman satirical poet Juvenal; you can find out more about Juvenal at Wikipedia. 


5. Optimum cibi condimentum fames.
Hunger (is) food's best sauce.
OP-timum cibi condi-MEN-tum fames.

The word cibi is the genitive form of the masculine noun cibus, "food, meal." You can seen this root in the medical term "cibophobia."

You've seen a saying similar to this one already: Optimum condimentum fames, and also: Fames optimus est coquus. We have sayings like this in English too: "Hunger is the best sauce" and "Hunger is the best spice."


Here's a recap:

• Christi crux est mea lux.
• Omnis creatura Dei bona.
• Paulum lucri quantum damni.
• Lingua mali pars pessima servi.
• Optimum cibi condimentum fames.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #107: Reviewing the 2nd Declension

The focus for this week is the ablative case for the 2nd declension, and just like last time, we'll start off reviewing the 2nd declension forms that you know already, starting today with the nominative -us and accusative form -um endings of the masculine 2nd-declension nouns and adjectives. 

There are also neuter nouns and adjectives in the 2nd declension, and those also end in -um. for both the nominative and the accusative. (Don't forget the secret of neuter nouns and adjectives in any Indo-European language: the nominative and accusative forms are always the same.)

And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before, and you have seen almost all the words in today's sayings before!

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Bonum habe animum.
Have (a) good spirit.
bonum habe A-nimum.

The word animum is the accusative form of the masculine noun animus, and the word bonum is the accusative form of bonus. Notice how the noun phrase bonum animum wraps around its verb.
The sense of this saying is something like "be of good cheer!" in English, be confident, be optimistic. It's a saying found in classical Latin; the Roman playwright Plautus used it, for example, in his play Aulularia.


2. Invenit deus maleficum.
God finds (the) evildoer.
IN-venit deus ma-LE-ficum.

The word maleficum is the accusative form of the masculine noun maleficus, "evil-doer" (male-ficus, from the verb facit; see below).

So, deus is the subject of the verb, and maleficum is the object.


3. Amicus amicum adiuvat.
(A) friend helps (a) friend.
a-MI-cus a-MI-cum AD-iuvat.

The word amium is the accusative form of the masculine noun amicus, both of which you see in this saying: amicus is the subject, and amicum is the object. 


4. Factum stultus cognoscit.
(A) fool understands the-done-deed.
factum stultus cog-NOS-cit.

The word factum is a 2nd-declension neuter adjective, and it's a participle from the verb facit, "makes, does," and factum thus means "made, done," and also a thing-that-is-done, a deed. (Much as English "deed" is related to English "did").

You can deduce that factum is in the accusative case here because stultus is the subject. Notice that the object comes before the subject here, the opposite of the usual English word order.

The idea behind this saying is that a fool, stultus, doesn't understand things in the abstract, and he acts without thinking, only recognizing, cognoscit, the danger or risk after something has been done, factum, and he suffers the consequences.

5. Cucullus non facit monachum.
The cowl doesn't make (the) monk.
cu-CUL-lus non facit MO-nachum.

The noun cucullus means "hood," especially a monk's hood, and it is the origin of the English word "cowl." 
The word monachum is the accusative form of the masculine noun, monachus, so monachum is the object of the verb, and cucullus is the subject. 

You've already seen two other sayings that express the same idea: Habitus non facit monachum and Non tonsura facit monachum.


Here's a recap:

• Bonum habe animum.
• Invenit deus maleficum.
• Amicus amicum adiuvat.
• Factum stultus cognoscit.
• Cucullus non facit monachum.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 25 Catch-Up Day

Here's this week's catch-up post to help you review any lesson(s) you missed this past week and/or to work on whatever kind of practice is most useful to you as you keep on getting familiar with the ablative case, along with this new use of the accusative case.

So, here are the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks, and you'll find the review slideshow before:

• #103: More ablative prepositions
  
• #104: More practice with the ablative
  
• Week 25 Vocabulary Review
  
• #105: Prepositions with the accusative
  
• #106: Wrapping up Week 25

This is the slideshow with all the sayings from the week. Read out loud, first with the English to remind you of the vocabulary... and then with the cat!

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.

And here's the random cat:

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