Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #195: 1st-person 1st-conjugation

Now that you have had lots of practice with the 3rd-person (she, he, it) forms of the verbs, it's time to learn the 1st-person forms. The vast majority of the verbs you will encounter in Latin will be 3rd-person forms, but the 1st-person form is also the dictionary form! So whenever you are using the wiktionary or other Latin dictionary, you will see the 1st-person form of the verb listed first, followed by the infinitive. So, that's very useful!

Here is how the 1st-person form works for the 1st-conjugation verbs: the 1st-person form just ends in o! For example:
spero: I hope

The stem is sper- and -o is the ending.

Next in the dictionary comes comes the infinitive, which has -are as the ending:
sperare: to hope.

You can see how that works at the wiktionary: spero. (Click on the link to find out more.) First comes spero, and then sperare; then comes the perfect form and the supine, which you will learn more about later. Based on the 1st-person form and the infinitive, you can be sure this is a 1st-conjugation verb, but the dictionary also provides that information for you.

All the sayings for today feature 1st-person forms of 1st-conjugation verbs, and here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Aspiro.
I-aspire.
a-SPI-ro.

The verb aspiro, "I desire, aspire," is the 1st-person form of the verb aspirat; the infinitive is aspirare. It is a compound verb: ad+spirat, "breathes in, breathes at," with many metaphorical meanings based on this literal, physical meaning. You can see the range of meaning at the Logeion Latin dictionary online. This range of meaning is why in English "aspiration" can have the sense of "hope, desire," but can also have the physical meaning of breathing, as when you pronounce aspirated consonants.

For the uncompounded form of this verb, see #3 below.

This is the motto of the Curry family. Many of these 1st-person Latin sayings are mottos. Maybe as we work on all these 1st-person sayings in the coming lessons, you will find a Latin motto you want to adopt as your own motto, or perhaps you will be inspired to compose one of your own.

2. Lucem spero.
I-hope-for the-light.
lucem spero.

The verb spero is the 1st-person form of the verb sperat; the infinitive is sperare. You haven't seen this verb before, but you know the root noun: spes.

The word lucem is the accusative form of the noun lux, and it is the object of the verb.
You can also find this in a longer form: Post tenebras, spero lucem, "After the darkness, I hope for the light."

3. Dum spiro, spero.
While I-breathe, I-hope.
dum spiro, spero.

The verb spiro, "I breathe," is the 1st-person form of the verb spirat; the infinitive is spirare.

As you can see, this Latin saying depends on word-play between spiro and spero. The words are not linguistically related, but their similar sounds makes it seem as if they must have something to do with each other! The verb spiro is related to spiritus, "spirit," while the verb spero is related to spes, "hope."

This saying is quite famous and has a Wikipedia article of its own; it is motto of the state of South Carolina.

Notice how you can see Spes embodied as a goddess. The other Latin phrase, animis opibusque parati, means "(we are) ready with our minds and resources."

4. Non nimium curo.
(I) don't care overmuch.
non NI-mium curo.

The verb curo is the 1st-person form of the verb curat; the infinitive is curare.

The word nimium is a neuter adjective which is being used adverbially, as often happens with neuter adjectives in Latin.

You can find this phrase used by the poet Martial. Compare the English cliche, "I couldn't care less."

5. Vento navigo meo.
I-sail by-my-own wind.
vento NA-vigo meo.

The verb navigo is the 1st-person form of the verb navigat; the infinitive is navigare. The root of this verb is the noun navis, "ship."
The noun phrase, vento meo, wraps around the verb, and it is in the ablative case. You haven't seen the masculine form of this adjective before, but you have seen the feminine form: mea.

The idea is that you do not depend on some casual, external wind; you can propel yourself by means of your own wind.

Here's a recap: