Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #253: 3rd-conjugation plural, -iunt

Remember how the 3rd-conjugation verbs come in two classes: the plain -o verbs and the -io verbs?

In the previous lesson, you saw how the plain -o verbs formed the plural form with -unt: Semper bene cadunt Iovis tesserae, "Jupiter's dice always fall, cadunt, nicely."

In this lesson, we'll look at the -io type of 3rd-conjugation verbs, which take -iunt as the plural ending. Here are the verbs you will see in today's sayings:

fio: fit ~ fiunt, "they become"
sapio: sapit ~ sapiunt, "they are wise, they know"
fugio: fugit ~ fugiunt, "they flee, they run away"

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

These are today's proverbs:

1. Omnia fato fiunt.
All things happen by fate.
OM-nia fato fiunt.

You know all the words in this saying!

The word fiunt is the plural form of fit.

The subject, omnia, "all (things)," is the plural form of omne, "all, every (thing)." It's an adjective being used substantively as a noun.

The word fato is the ablative form of fatum. This is the type of ablative that explains "how" something is happening. How do all things happen? They happen by fate, fato.

2. Omnia casu fiunt.
All things happen by chance.
OM-nia casu fiunt.

Just one word is different: casu, instead of fato.

The word casu is the ablative form of casus. How do all things happen? They happen by chance, casu.

3. Omnia causa fiunt.
All things happen for a reason.
OM-nia causa fiunt.

And this time, causa instead of casu and fato.

The word causa (causā) is the ablative form of causa. How do all things happen? They happen by chance, casu.

4. Sero sapiunt Phryges.
(The) Phrygians are-wise too-late.
sero SA-piunt Phryges.

The word sapiunt is the plural form of sapit.

The word Phryges is the plural form of Phryx, "Phrygian," giving us the subject of the verb. The Phrygians were a people of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), neighbors and allies of the Trojans. The term "Phrygian" was also used as a synonym for "Trojan," as in this saying, which refers to the foolishness of the Trojans in letting the Trojan Horse into their city. They grew wise too late, sero sapiunt: they only realized their mistake after the Greek warriors emerged from the wooden horse.

The saying apparently comes from a lost Roman play by Livius Andronicus: Equus Troianus (The Trojan Horse). Just a few fragments survive from the play as quoted in ancient authors. It was Cicero who quoted this saying in one of his letters, citing the title of the play.

5. Cum sol oritur, stellae fugiunt.
When (the) sun rises, (the) stars flee.
cum sol O-ritur, stellae FU-giunt.

The word fugiunt is the plural form of fugit. The word stellae is the plural form of stella, "star" (as in English "stellar"), giving us the subject of the verb.

The word oritur is a new verb: "rises." It is one of those verbs that looks passive, but is active in meaning. This is the origin of the word "Orient" in English, because the east is the direction where the sun rises, sol oritur.

The idea is that when something or someone great comes on the scene, their "brightness" and "brilliance" makes all the lesser things or lesser people vanish from sight.

Here's a recap: