Latin Lesson #171: Mixed conjugations

Today's lesson contains some sayings that have verbs from different conjugations, some passive and some active. So, just as a review, here are the four conjugations:

1. -at active and -atur passive (long a: ātur)
2. -et active and -etur passive (long e: ētur)
3. -it active and -itur passive
4. -it active and -itur passive (long i: ītur)

Remember also that you will not always be using an English passive verb to translate a Latin passive verb: sometimes the Latin passive is really an intransitive verb, and you have to decide based on context. Here are some examples you've seen before:

• movetur: is moved ... or: moves
• rumpitur: is broken ... or: breaks
• submergitur: is submerged ... or: submerges

You'll see two more examples of intransitive passive verbs in the final saying today!

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Si non obstatur, permittitur.
If (something) isn't blocked, (it) is-permitted.
si non ob-STA-tur, per-MIT-titur.

The verb obstatur is the passive form of obstat.
The verb permittitur, "permitted," is the passive form of permittit. You haven't seen this compound verb before, but you have seen the uncompounded form: mittit.

Compare the English legal maxim, "Everything which is not forbidden is allowed," which has its own Wikipedia article.


2. Eripitur persona, manet res.
(The) mask is-pulled-off, (the) thing remains.
e-RI-pitur per-SO-na, manet res.

The verb eripitur, "is snatched away, is pulled off," is the passive form of eripit. You haven't seen this compound verb before, but you have seen the uncompounded form: rapit. The subject of the verb is persona. 

The words come from the Roman poet Lucretius. You can see the saying in context here. The idea is that in danger, you discover someone's true identity, as their social veneer, their public mask, is stripped away.

3. Alius peccat, alius plectitur.
One makes-a-mistake, another is-beaten.
A-lius peccat, A-lius PLEC-titur.

The verb plectitur, "is twisted, bent, beaten," is the passive form of plectit. 

Notice that in English we use two different words in the phrase "one... another..." but in Latin, just one word: "alius... alius....", "another... another..."

This saying is found in the emblems of Alciato: the illustration shows a man throwing a stone at a dog; the dog then attacks the stone instead of attacking the man that threw it.

4. Paulatim evellitur cauda equina.
(A) horse tail is-plucked-out little-by-little.
pau-LA-tim e-VEL-litur cauda e-QUI-na.

The verb evellitur, "is plucked out," is the passive form of evellit. The subject is cauda, a feminine noun, so the adjective is also feminine: equina. You haven't seen this adjective before, but you have seen the noun: equus.

If you try to pull out a horse's tail all at once, you will fail; it can't be done. Instead, you must pull it out one hair at a time. The saying thus applies to any big task you can only complete one little bit at a time.

5. Salix flectitur sed non frangitur.
(The) willow bends but doesn't break.
salix FLEC-titur sed non FRAN-gitur.

The verb flectitur, "is bent," is the passive form of flectit. You can see this Latin root in English words like "deflect" and "reflect."

The verb frangitur is the passive form of frangit.

Both of these verbs are intransitive: flectitur can mean "is bent" but here it means "bends," and frangitur can mean "is broken," but here it means "breaks."
The subject of both verbs is salix, "willow tree." You can see this root in the scientific name for aspirin: acetylsalicylic acid, from salicin, which is found in willow bark.

This is the motto of the Swiss House of Salis.

Here's a recap:

• Si non obstatur, permittitur.
• Eripitur persona, manet res.
• Alius peccat, alius plectitur.
• Paulatim evellitur cauda equina.
• Salix flectitur sed non frangitur.

And here is today's audio:



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