Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #217: Verbs in -es

Today's we'll shift from those "you" forms of 1st-conjugation verbs ending in -as, to the "you" forms of the 2nd-conjugation, which, as you can probably guess, end in -es.

So, to put that in context, here are all the 2nd-conjugation verbs you have seen so far, using doceo as a sample verb:

doceo = doc-eo: I teach
doces = doc-es: you teach
docet = doc-et: she/he/it teaches
docetur = doc-etur: is taught
docere = doc-ere: to teach
doce! = doc-e! teach!

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before: you know all but two of today's words already!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Mulges hircum.
You’re-milking (a) billy-goat.
mulges hircum.

There is one new word in this saying: hircus, "goat, billy-goat." The word hircum is the accusative form; it is the object of the verb.

The word mulges is the 2nd-person form of the verb mulget.

The key detail here is that hircus is specifically a male goat... and while you can get milk from a female goat, you cannot get milk from a male goat. So, this is another one of those proverbs that is a fool's errand, like the English "trying to get blood from a stone."

2. Asinum tondes.
You’re-trying-to-shear (a) donkey.
A-sinum tondes.

You know all the words in this saying already.

The word asinum is the accusative form of the noun asinus; it is the object of the verb.

The word tondes is the 2nd-person form of the verb tondet.

This is another fool's errand: if you want to get wool, you need to shear a sheep, not a donkey! Compare a similar saying that you saw earlier: Ab asino lanam, "wool from a donkey." In other words, something that you will never get!

This is a Latin saying borrowed from Greek; it appears in Aristophanes’ comic play, The Frogs.

3. Mustelam habes.
You-have (a) weasel.
mus-TE-lam habes.

There is one new word in this saying: mustela, "weasel." The word mustelam is the accusative form; it is the object of the verb.

The word habes is the 2nd-person form of the verb habet.

This saying is based on the fact that the weasel was an ill-omened animal. So, having a weasel was not a good thing! In particular, it was associated with people losing their voice or being tongue-tied. Compared the English saying, "the cat's got your tongue."

4. Doctum doces.
You’re-teaching (a) person-who’s-been-taught.
Doctum doces.

You know all the words in this saying too!

The word doctum is the accusative form of the adjective doctus; it is the object of the verb.

The word doces is the 2nd-person form of the verb docet.

What makes this a fun saying is that the word doctus is also a form of the verb docet. Specifically, it is the passive participle: someone who is doctus is someone who has been taught. Which is why it is a waste of your time to taught someone who has already been taught!

Compare the English saying "teaching your grandmother to suck eggs," which even has its own article at Wikipedia.
This Latin saying was used by the Roman playwright Plautus in his play, Poenulus.

5. Memorem mones.
You’re-reminding (a) person-who-remembers.
ME-morem mones.

And you know all the words in this one also!

The word memorem is the accusative form of the adjective memor; it is the object of the verb.

The word mones is the 2nd-person form of the verb monet.

This saying is like Doctum doces; you don't need to remind someone who already remembers on their own!

This is another saying found in the playwright Plautus, this time in his play Captivi.

Here's a recap: