Because the -i- is a long vowel, as in the 1st and 2nd conjugations, the stress is on the infinitive ending: audire, "to hear," is pronounced au-DI-re. You'll be practicing the 4th conjugation infinitives today!
To get ready, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And now here are today's proverbs:
1. Timendi causa est nescire.
(The) cause of-fear is to-not-know.
ti-MEN-di causa est ne-SCI-re.
You've seen all the words in this saying before.
The word nescire is the infinitive of the verb nescit.
5. Bonum et dulce est dormire in cute integra.
(It) is good and sweet to-sleep in (an) uninjured skin.
bonum et dulce est dor-MI-re in cute IN-tegra.
The word dormire is the infinitive of the verb dormit, which you have seen before.
To get ready, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
1. Timendi causa est nescire.
(The) cause of-fear is to-not-know.
ti-MEN-di causa est ne-SCI-re.
You've seen all the words in this saying before.
The word nescire is the infinitive of the verb nescit.
The word timendi is the genitive form of the verbal noun timendum.
In other words, ignorance is the cause of fear. In Latin, an infinitive like nescire is much more like a noun than the English infinitive.
The words come from the philosopher Seneca's essay on earthquakes.
2. Praestat sero quam non venire.
(It) is-better to-come late than not (to-come).
praestat sero quam non ve-NI-re.
You've also seen all the words in this saying before.
The word venire is the infinitive of the verb venit, which you have seen before.
2. Praestat sero quam non venire.
(It) is-better to-come late than not (to-come).
praestat sero quam non ve-NI-re.
You've also seen all the words in this saying before.
The word venire is the infinitive of the verb venit, which you have seen before.
You can compare this "better late than not" to the "better late than never" sayings you've already seen in Latin: Praestat sero quam numquam and Praestat sero quam numquam discere.
3. Miserum est venire post festum.
(It) is wretched to-come after (the) celebration.
MI-serum est ve-NI-re post festum.
You haven't seen the neuter adjective miserum before, but you have seen the feminine form: misera. It's a neuter adjective because it agrees with venire, which is a neuter noun.
3. Miserum est venire post festum.
(It) is wretched to-come after (the) celebration.
MI-serum est ve-NI-re post festum.
You haven't seen the neuter adjective miserum before, but you have seen the feminine form: misera. It's a neuter adjective because it agrees with venire, which is a neuter noun.
The word festum is the accusative form of the neuter adjective festum, "merry, joyful," which gives us English "festive" and also "feast." Here the adjective is being used as a noun: "festival, celebration." The preposition post takes the accusative case.
The previous saying said that it's better to arrive late than not to arrive at all, while this saying is about what a sad thing it is to arrive after the party is already over!
4. Facilius est Nili caput invenire.
(It) is easier to-find (the) Nile's head(waters).
fa-CI-lius est Nili caput inve-NI-re.
Another saying where you know all the words already!
The word invenire is the infinitive of the verb invenit, which you have seen before.
4. Facilius est Nili caput invenire.
(It) is easier to-find (the) Nile's head(waters).
fa-CI-lius est Nili caput inve-NI-re.
Another saying where you know all the words already!
The word invenire is the infinitive of the verb invenit, which you have seen before.
The word Nili is the genitive form of Nilus, and in reference a river like the Nile, the word caput means "headwaters, source."
The word caput is the accusative form of caput (remember, neuter nouns are the same in the nominative and accusative cases). It is the object of the infinitive.
This is a saying that you can use when you are confronting a really difficult problem, one that is hard to solve — so hard that finding the headwaters of the Nile would be easier by comparison.
And are you curious about the source of the Nile now? You can find out more at Wikipedia: Nile — Sources.
5. Bonum et dulce est dormire in cute integra.
(It) is good and sweet to-sleep in (an) uninjured skin.
bonum et dulce est dor-MI-re in cute IN-tegra.
The word dormire is the infinitive of the verb dormit, which you have seen before.
The word cute is the ablative of the noun cutis, "skin," with the preposition in. You can see this Latin root in English words like "cuticle" and "subcutaneous."
Because cute is feminine, it takes a feminine ablative adjective: integra, "whole, untouched, uninjured." You can see this root in English "integer" (i.e. "whole number") and "integrity."
Because cute is feminine, it takes a feminine ablative adjective: integra, "whole, untouched, uninjured." You can see this root in English "integer" (i.e. "whole number") and "integrity."
The phrase in cute integra is like the English phrase "safe and sound," where "sound" is an adjective meaning "healthy, whole."
Here's a recap:
Plus the LOLCats!
Here's a recap:
- Timendi causa est nescire.
- Praestat sero quam non venire.
- Miserum est venire post festum.
- Facilius est Nili caput invenire.
- Bonum et dulce est dormire in cute integra.
Plus the LOLCats!
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