Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #235: The Fifth Declension

The focus for today's lesson is the final declension: the fifth declension. There are not a lot of nouns in this declension, but some of the nouns are among the most common words in the Latin language. This week, we'll focus on the word spes, "hope." So, this week is going to be a week of hope. (I don't know about you, but that's something I could use right about now!)

Here's how the 5th declension works; it's theme vowel, as you will see, is -e-. These are the different forms of "hope," spes:

spes. nominative
spei. genitive
spei. dative
spem. accusative
spe. ablative

And yes, the genitive and the dative are the same, so when you see a 5th declension noun ending in -ei, you'll have to use the context to determine if it is genitive or dative.

And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Ubi spes, ibi pax.
Where (there is) hope, there (there is) peace.
ubi spes, ibi pax.

You know all the words in this saying already! You've also seen these ubi... ibi... sayings before, for example: Ubi mel, ibi fel and Ubi libertas, ibi patria.

This saying is featured in the Victory Hugo garden of Hauteville House, Guernsey; find out more: Hugo in Guernsey Society.

2. Inter spem et metum.
Between hope and fear.
inter spem et metum.

You know all the words in this saying too!

The word spem is the accusative form of spes, and the word metum is the accusative form of metus; the preposition inter is one of those prepositions that takes the accusative case.

This saying describes that weird but very common feeling when you are both hopeful and afraid at the very same time.

3. Spe labor levis.
With-hope work (becomes) light.
spe labor levis.

The form spe is the ablative form of spes. As often, the ablative answers the question "how?" So, how does work become light? Spe labor levis, work becomes light with hope!

The word levis, "light, not heavy," is new, and you can see this root in English "levity" and "levitate," and also in compounds like "alleviate" and "relieve."

4. Spe non saginatur venter.
(The) stomach isn't fattened with-hope.
spe non sagi-NA-tur venter.

This time spe answers a different "how" question: "How does the stomach get fat?" The answer is in the negative: spe non saginatur, "it does not get fat with hope."

This verb saginat is new; in the active it means "fattens, makes fat," while in the passive, as here, it means "gets fat, becomes fat."

You need food to fill the belly, not just the hope of food.

5. Spes una hominem nec morte relinquit.
Hope alone doesn't abandon (a) person (even) in-death.
spes una HO-minem nec morte re-LIN-quit.

The new word here is the verb, relinquit, "abandons, relinquishes." You haven't seen this verb before, but it is a compound, and you have seen the uncompounded form, linquit.

The word spes here is the subject, modified by the adjective una: spes una, "hope alone, only hope."

The word hominem is the accusative form of homo, object of the verb.

The word morte is the ablative of mors, referring now to time (as often with the ablative, which can refer to location in space or in time): "in death."

The word nec, you might remember, is a contraction meaning "not and, and not." What makes its use here distinctive is that it is not nec is not a conjunction, but is instead adverbial (and you have seen adverbial et before, meaning "also, too, even"). So I had to use two words to translate nec in this sentence: "not" and "even."

This is one of the sayings in the so-called "Sayings of Cato." Specifically, it is the second line of a couplet which begins, "In adverse circumstances, don't lose heart," Rebus in adversis animum submittere noli: spem retine; spes una hominem nec morte relinquit.

Compare a saying you saw earlier (which is a sort of personal motto of mine): Spes ultima dea, which means that even though all the other gods and goddesses may have departed, hope remains; she is the last goddess.

Here's a recap: