Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #190: 2nd Conjugation, cont.

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with the 2nd conjugation, which has e as its theme vowel, as you can see in the endings -et and -etur for the active and passive, -ere for the infinitive, and -e for the imperative. You'll see examples of all those verbs forms in today's sayings!

Plus, you know almost all of the words in today's sayings; here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's sayings:

1. Ultimam time.
Fear (the) l, iast (hour).
UL-timam time.

You know all the words in this saying, and you also know the implied word that is the key to its meaning: hora.

The word ultimam is the accusative form of the adjective ultima, and it is feminine to agree with the implied horam.

The verb time is the imperative form: "fear!" The idea is to fear the last hour, which means the last hour of life, which means: death.

This is a memento mori saying, and it is one you can find inscribed on sundials, as you can see here. For another sundial motto, see #3 below.

2. Mons cum monte non miscetur.
Mountain doesn't mix with mountain.
mons cum monte non mis-CE-tur.

The verb miscetur is the passive form of miscet, and mons is the subject.

The word monte is the ablative form of mons with the preposition cum.

Erasmus included this in his book of Adagia, explaining that the mountain here stands for a great person, a lofty person, and the idea is that when people are extremely powerful, they are loners; they cannot mingle with others of equal power.

3. Transit hora sed lux permanet.
(The) hour passes, but (the) light remains.
transit hora sed lux PER-manet.

The verb permanet means "remains, lasts," as in English "permanent." You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen the uncontracted form: manet.
This is another sundial motto: in the case of a sundial, it literally means that the hour (or time) passes, but the light, i.e. the sunlight, remains. Metaphorically, it also suggests that while the mortal things of the world pass away in time, the light of the spirit, the divine light, remains.

4. Noli de mortuo inimico tuo gaudere.
Don't rejoice about your dead enemy.
noli de MOR-tuo ini-MI-co tuo gau-DE-re.

The word gaudere is the infinitive of gaudet, and it is used here with noli to create a negative imperative: don't rejoice.

The word inimico is the ablative form of inimico with the preposition de. The adjectives mortuo and tuo agree with the masculine ablative inimico.

The words come from the Biblical Book of Ecclesiasticus (also known as the Book of Sirach).

5. Fructus amarus avi saturatae saepe videtur.
Fruit often seems bitter to-the-bird (who is) well-fed.
fructus a-MA-rus avi satu-RA-tae saepe vi-DE-tur.

The verb videtur is the passive form of videt, and as you may recall, it has a special meaning: "seem." The subject is fructus, and the predicate is amarus: "fruit seems bitter," fructus videtur amarus.

The word avi is the dative form of avis, used with videtur: "seems to the bird."

The adjective saturatae, "full, well-find," is also dative, and it is feminine, agreeing with avi. You haven't seen this adjective before, but you have seen the related masculine adjective: satur, as in a similar saying you have seen before: Mel nimium saturo muri censetur amarum.

Here's a recap: