Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #194: Fourth Conjugation, cont.

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with 4th-conjugation verb forms: those present-tense forms in -it, passive forms in -itur, plus the imperative in -i and the infinitive in -ire.

Here's a comparison of the four conjugations since you have now had a chance to review them all!

1: amat	2: habet	3: capit	4: audit
amatur	habetur	capitur	auditur
amare	habere	capere	audire
ama!	habe!	cape!	audi!

It's the 3rd conjugation that is the sneakiest: because its theme vowel is a short i, it sometimes looks like the 4th conjugation (capit, capitur) and it sometimes looks like the 2nd conjugation (capere, cape!), but it is different than both of them: the 3rd conjugation vowels are short, which is why the stress is different too: haBEre but CApere, and auDItur but CApitur.

And don't worry: you'll get used to it all after a while, especially because those 3rd-conjugation verbs are the most common. The key is to read out loud every time you are working on Latin, and your ears will learn which verb is which!

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before... and you've seen most of the words before!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. I, piger, ad formicam.
Go, lazy (person), to (the) ant.
i, piger, ad for-MI-cam.

The word i is the imperative form of it.

The word formicam is the accusative form of formica with the preposition ad.

The idea is that the ant is a proverbial hard worker, and you've seen a variation of this saying before: Vade ad formicam, o piger!

2. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Thus passes (the) glory of-the-world.
sic transit GLO-ria mundi.

The word mundi is the genitive form of the word mundus, so the phrase gloria mundi means "glory of the world."

This Latin phrase is so famous that it has its own Wikipedia article, which explains the use of the phrase during the crowning of a new pope starting back in the early 15th century and continuing all the way up until 1963.

3. Nullum infortunium venit solum.
No misfortune comes alone.
nullum infor-TU-nium venit solum.

The word infortunium, "misfortune," is new, but you know the root word: fortuna.

Compare the English saying: "Troubles never come singly."

4. Potest ex casa vir magnus exire.
(A) great man can emerge from (a) hut.
potest ex casa vir magnus ex-I-re.

The word exire, "to go out, come out, emerge," is the infinitive of the verb exit, a compound: ex+it.
The word casa is the ablative form (casā) of casa, which is a "hut" or "cottage."

The idea is that a great man can come from humble beginnings.

Of course, this Latin word went on to enjoy a long life in the Romance languages, where casa became the standard word for "house," not just a lowly "hut" or "cottage."

5. Arguendo et disputando veritas invenitur.
(The) truth can-be-found by-arguing and by-discussing.
argu-EN-do et dispu-TAN-do VE-ritas inve-NI-tur.

The word arguendo is the ablative form of arguendum, a verbal noun from arguit, "argues," and disputando is the ablative form of disputandum, a verbal noun from disputat, "discusses."

Here's a recap: