Here's another Latin cantilena to wrap up the week: it's my version of "Rain Rain Go Away," Imber, Desine. You can read about this song at Wikipedia.
Here is one English version:
Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!
Little Arthur wants to play. Rain, rain, go away!
And here is my Latin version:
Imber, desine! Veni alio die!
Volo solem hodie. Imber, imber, desine!
Rain, stop! Come here another day!
Let the sun return today. Rain, rain, stop!
And now I have a recording of the Latin, thanks to Genesis Staple, a recent graduate of the UT Music School here in Austin. You can hear more of Genesis's Latin recordings at this work-in-progress wiki: Cantilenae.
The focus for today's lesson is more practice with "(they) are" proverbs, using the plural form of est, which sunt.
As you'll find out next week, the -nt is the sign of the 3rd-person plural across all the conjugations. So, while the verb "to be" is irregular, by practicing with sunt, you are getting ready for all plural verbs to come.
And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before... which is all the words except for two today!
Then here are today's proverbs:
1. Patres vestri ubi sunt? Where are your fathers?
patres vestri ubi sunt?
The new word here is vester, "yours, belong to you" (plural). To say "yours" (singular), it would be tuus, but vester is the word you need for speaking to a group of people.
The word patres is the plural of pater.
The word vestri is the plural of vester, and notice how the -e- disappears when you add the ending.
The words come from the Biblical book of the prophet Zechariah; here is the complete verse: Patres vestri, ubi sunt? et prophetae numquid in sempiternum vivent? "Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?" Zechariah's message is that the human world passes away; it is only God who is eternal. You can find out more at Wikipedia.
2. Libri muti magistri sunt. Books are silent teachers.
libri muti ma-GIS-tri sunt.
You know all the words in this saying!
The word libri is the plural of liber.
The word magistri is the plural of magister, and notice againhow the -e- disappears when you add the ending. That often happens with 2nd-declension nouns that end in -er instead of the usual -us.
The word muti is the plural of mutus, agreeing with the word magistri.
As someone who has learned an awful lot from books, I am a fan of this saying. Books may not be able to talk, but they have plenty to say!
3. Multi sunt asini bipedes. Many are the-donkeys with-two-legs.
multi sunt A-sini BI-pedes.
You even know all the words in this saying. Do you remember when you saw bipes before? Homo animal bipes implume. When Plato defined a human being as a "featherless biped", Diogenes brought Plato a plucked chicken and said, "Here is Plato's man." (Lesson 115)
The word multi is the plural of multus, so it means "many."
The word asini is the plural of asinus.
The word bipedes is the plural of bipes, agreeing with the asini.
In other words, in addition to all the four-legged donkeys, there are plenty asini bipedes... i.e. homines stulti.
4. Ubi amici, ibi sunt opes. Where (there are) friends, there are resources.
ubi a-MI-ci, ibi sunt opes.
The new word in this saying is ops, which means "power, strength, ability" in the singular, but in the plural, opes, it means "wealth, resources." You can see this root in English "opulent."
The word amici is the plural of amicus.
You've seen lots of these ubi...ibi sayings in the past, and now you have one with plural nouns.
The idea is that where you have friends, you have resources, you have help when you are in need it.
5. Ubi sunt divitiae, ibi est invidia. Where (there are) riches, there is envy.
ubi sunt di-VI-tiae, ibi est in-VI-dia.
You know all these words too.
The word divitiae is one of those special words in Latin that is used only in the plural.
There's an ubi...ibi... saying which has one plural part, sunt, and one singular part, est.
In other words, if you have money, be prepared for the envy that others might feel towards you.
Now that you've gotten familiar with plural nouns — 1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions! — now it's time for some plural verbs. We'll start with the plural form of est... sunt! So, now, you have a plural verb to go with the plural nouns that you already now.
And here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before — which is all the words today except for one.
And here are today's plural proverbs with verbs:
1. Hic sunt leones. Here (there) are lions.
hic sunt le-O-nes.
You know all these words already.
The word leones is the plural of leo, with that 3rd-declension ending -es (masculine) on the stem leon-.
The word hic is that special locative adverb meaning "here, in this place."
This is a phrase associated with medieval mapmaking: the phrase hic sunt leones can refer to literal lions or to some kind of endemic danger. Another similar phrase: hic sunt dracones, "here there are dragons." For examples, see Wikipedia.
2. Amantes amentes sunt. Lovers are out-of-their-minds.
a-MAN-tes a-MEN-tes sunt.,
You know all these words too!
The word amantes is the plural of amans, and the word amentes is the plural of amens. Both adjectives are 3rd-declension, with that -es ending.
The word amans is a participle from the verb amat, so it literally means "loving," but when it is used substantively as a noun, it is equivalent to "lover" in English.
The word amens is not really a participle; instead, it is a kind of joking word play: a-mens, "without-mind," i.e. "out of one's mind." The whole point is the how amans sounds like amens, making it basically impossible to really translate into English.
3. Antiqua sunt optima. Old (things) are (the) best (things).
an-TI-qua sunt OP-tima.
The new word here is the neuter adjective antiquum, which gives us English "antique." You can see the 2nd-declension neuter ending, -a. The root of the word is ante, "before," so "antique" things are the things that came before us in time. You can also see Latin ante in English "ancient."
The word optima is the plural of optimum, agreeing with antiqua.
Roman culture was inherently conservative, strongly favoring antiqua, "the old things," with a great suspicion regarding things that are new, nova.
4. Dei plena sunt omnia. All (things) are full of-God.
dei plena sunt OM-nia.
You know these words, and you saw a variation on this saying last week: Iovis omnia plena.
The word omnia is the plural of omne (the focus of yesterday's lesson), and the adjective plena is also plural, agreeing with omnia. Notice that the neuter nouns of the 3rd-declension, like the 2nd-declension nouns. (I don't want to bore everybody with historical linguistics, but neuter nouns and adjectives are just *different* from the masculine and feminine nouns, often with unusual distinguishing features, and not just in Latin, but across the Indo-European languages.)
The word deus is the genitive of dei, equivalent to the genitive Iovis that you saw in the previous saying. The word plena takes a genitive complement, as in English: full of (something)."
5. Omnia mea mecum sunt. All my (things) are with-me.
OM-nia mea mecum sunt.
And these words are all familiar too! You see omnia again, and the word mea is the plural of meum, agreeing with omnia.
The word mecum is a special kind of compound: me-cum, "me-with," equivalent to cum me, "with me." You can actually see this Latin phrase in "vademecum" in English, which comes from Latin: vade mecum, "come with me."
This phrase is associated with a famous story about the Greek poet Simonides. When he was shipwrecked and seemed to have lost everything, he had no worries because, as he said: omnia mea mecum sunt. In other words, he had his life, his good sense, his abilities; he did not lose any of those things in the shipwreck and would be able to carry on with his life going forward. The Roman poet Phaedrus tells the story of Simonides' shipwreck in one of his fables.
Here is the new catch-up day post for the past two weeks: practicing with lots of plurals! As usual, there is a cat-show of those sayings, plus a link to the downloadable crossword and the self-quiz.
Meanwhile, the very weird but fun Vergil project carries on; we're now on Lesson 64:A New Beginner's Latin: THE AENEID. Take a look if you are curious!
And here's the slideshow with all the sayings. You can read out loud, first with the English to remind you of the vocabulary... and then read out loud again with the cat!
I also made a printable crossword PDF as usual, and the same prompts for the crossword are used in the quiz questions below. Enjoy!
Neque mel, neque ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerapes______ furtivae dulciores. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerAquaeNon semper ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerBacchanalia______ mites. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerBeatiOmnia ______ desuper. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerbonaPauci sed ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerboniNolenti omnia ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerdifficiliaTantali ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerhortiMontani semper ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerliberi______ Cretenses. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerMendacesNon ______ sed nove. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answernova______ eodem luto. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerOmnesBeati ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerpacificiIovis omnia ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerplenaOmnia deo ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerpossibiliaSi radix sancta, et ______. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerramiOmnia ______ mendacia. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answersomnia______ peccati mors. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerStipendiaNe ______ pro farina. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerverbaVestigia ______ retrorsum. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answernulla
The focus for today's lesson is more practice with plurals, and this time it's the neuter plural form of the 3rd declension. Here's what's cool: the ending is -a, just like for neuter plurals of the 2nd declension. So, for the 2nd declension, bona means "good things." For the 3rd declension, omnia, means "all things." Every saying today has the word omnia in it!
1. Iovis omnia plena.
All-things (are) full of-Jupiter.
Iovis OM-nia plena.
The word omnia is being used substantively here, "all (things)," and it is the subject of the verb.
The word plena is the plural form of the 2nd-declension neuter adjective plenum; you haven't seen this neuter form of the adjective, but you have seen the feminine form: plena. (And yes, the neuter plural and the feminine singular forms do look the same.)
This adjective takes a genitive complement: Iovis, which is the genitive of Iuppiter.
These words come from one of the Eclogues by the Roman poet Vergil.
2. Omnia bona desuper.
All good-things (come) from-above.
OM-nia bona DE-super.
The word omnia is being used as an adjective here, modifying the word bona, a 2nd-declension neuter plural being used substantively, "good (things)." Put the phrase together and you have omnia bona, "all good things." The word desuper is an adverb, "from above," de-super.
This is a popular Christian saying, also used in family mottoes.
3. Omnia deo possibilia.
All-things (are) possible for-god.
OM-nia deo possi-BI-lia.
The word omnia is being used substantively here, "all (things)," and it is the subject of the verb.
The word possibilia is the plural of the 3rd-declension neuter adjective, possibile, "possible." You haven't seen this adjective before, but you know the verb that it comes from: possum, "I am able, I can."
The word deo is the dative form of deus, explaining for whom all things are possible. It can also be written as Deo in order to emphasize a more specifically Christian usage. You can also find it phrased this way: Cum Deo omnia possibilia, "With God all things are possible."
You know all the words in this saying. Once again, the word omnia is being used substantively, "all (things)," and it is the subject of the verb.
The word difficilia is the plural of the 3rd-declension neuter adjective, difficile, "difficult."
The word nolenti is the dative form of nolens, a participle (verbal adjective) being used substantively: "for (the person who is) not-willing." It explains for whom all things are difficult.
5. Omnia somnia mendacia.
All dreams (are) lies.
no-LEN-ti OM-nia diffi-CI-lia.
You know all the words in this saying too! The word omnia is being used as an adjective here, modifying the noun somnia, the plural of somnium. Put the phrase together and you have omnia somnia, "all dreams."
The word mendacia is the plural of the 2nd-declension noun mendacium.
The focus for today's lesson is the plural form of 3rd-declension nouns!
You might recall that the 3rd declension is different from the 1st and 2nd declensions. With 1st- and 2nd-declension nouns and adjectives, you can look at the nominative singular form and see the stem, and then use that stem to make the plural. So the 1st-declension noun aqua has as its stem aqu-, so to make the plural, you just put the -ae ending on: aquae. The 2nd-declension masculine noun hortus has as its stem hort-, so to make the plural, you just put the -i ending on: horti. The 2nd-declension neuter noun saxum has as its stem sax-, so to make the plural, you just put the -a ending on: saxa.
But with 3rd-declension nouns, things are different: sometimes you can see the stem in the nominative form, but sometimes not. To be sure, you need to look at one of the inflected forms (genitive, dative, accusative, ablative) to see the stem; the genitive form is the one that is given in the dictionary. So, after you find the stem of the noun or adjective, you can add the plural ending, which is -es. I've provided the genitive form for each of the 3rd-declension plurals below, and you can always use the wiktionary to look up the stems as well; here is mitis at the wiktionary, for example.
To get started, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before... and you already know almost all the words in today's sayings!
The word mites is the plural form of the adjective mitis (genitive form is also mitis, so the stem is mit-). The adjective is being used substantively, as a noun: mites, "meek (people)."
The word beati is the plural form of the adjective beatus (2nd-declension masculine).
This famous saying comes from the Biblical Gospel of Matthew, in the "Sermon on the Mount." This is the entire verse: Beati mites : quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land."
2. Omnes eodem luto. All (people are from the) same clay.
omnes e-O-dem luto.
The word omnes is the plural form of the adjective omnis (genitive form is also omnis, so the stem is omn-). This adjective is also being used substantively, as a noun: "all (people)."
The word luto is the ablative form of lutum, in the sense of origin: all people come from the same clay. The word eodem is a special kind of adjective that you'll learn about later: it is eo-dem, also ablative, meaning "the same."
The idea is that rich or poor, man or woman, from any country, from any time, we are all born from the same clay.
The word mendaces is the plural form of the adjective mendax (genitive form is mendacis, so the stem is mendac-).
The word Cretenses is the plural form of the adjective Cretensis (genitive form is also Cretensis, so the stem is Cretens-). This is another adjective being used substantively, as a noun: "Cretan (people)," i.e. "Cretans."
Cretans were proverbial for telling lies in the ancient world, and it was this assumption that gave rise to a philosophical paradox: "Everything I say is a lie." You can read more about the liars' paradox at Wikipedia.
4. Neque mel, neque apes. Neither honey, nor bees.
neque mel, neque apes.
You know all the words in this saying too.
The word apes is the plural form of the noun apis (genitive form is also apis, so the stem is ap-).
The pair neque...neque... literally means "and not... and not..." — but it is used just like English "neither... nor..."
This saying refers to people who would rather renounce something pleasant, like mel, because they do not want to cope with the associated discomfort: the apes. Here is a commentary by Taverner, an Elizabethan writer: "I have neither honie, nor bees. As who should say: I have no hony, bycause I have no bees, nor will not take the paines, to kepe and abide the bitinge and stinginge of them."
5. Aquae furtivae dulciores.
Stolen waters (are) sweeter.
aquae fur-TI-vae dulci-O-res.
And these words are all familiar too!
The word dulciores is the plural form of the adjective dulcior (genitive form is dulcioris, so the stem is dulcior-).
The word aquae is the plural form of the noun aqua (1st-declension feminine), and the adjective furtivae is also feminine plural, 1st-declension.
You've seen a variation on this saying before: Furtiva Venus dulcior. This version comes from the Biblical Book of Proverbs: Aquae furtivae dulciores sunt, et panis absconditus suavior, "Stolen waters aer sweeter, and concealed bread tastes more delightful."
Here's another Latin nursery rhyme to wrap up the week: it's my version of "Three Blind Mice," although, thanks to polysyllabic Latin, these mice don't have to be blind: they are just Tres Mures, "The Three Mice." You can find out more about this traditional nursery rhyme at Wikipedia.
Here is one English version:
Three blind mice, three blind mice:
See how they run! See how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's wife.
She cut off their tails with a carving knife.
Did you ever see such a thing in your life
As three blind mice!
And here is my Latin version:
Tres mures, tres mures:
Ecce currunt! Ecce currunt!
Hi mures ad feminam volant,
Quae secat has caudas et cachinnat.
Mirabilius umquam quis viderat,
Quam tres mures?
Three mice, three mice:
Behold, they run! Behold, they run!
These mice fly towards the woman,
Who cuts their tails and cackles.
Who ever had seen something more marvelous
Than the three mice?
And here's a YouTube video to inspire you to sing along... it's a jazz version!
So far you have had the plural of feminine nouns and adjectives of the 1st declension: bona, singular, becomes bonae, plural. You have also seen the plural of masculine nouns and adjectives of the 2nd declension: bonus, singular, becomes boni.
For today, you will learn the plural of neuter nouns and adjectives of the 2nd declension: bonum, "good (thing)," singular, becomes bona, "good (things)." You actually know this neuter ending already because we sometimes use it to make Latin plurals in English: "medium" gives us plural "media," "datum" gives us plural "data, " bacterium" gives us plural "bacteria," and "curriculum" gives us plural "curricula."
1. Non nova sed nove. Not new (things), but in-a-new-way.
non nova sed nove.
The word nova is the plural form of novum.
The word nove is an adverb formed from this same adjective: "newly, in a new way."
2. Ne verba pro farina. Don't (offer) words instead-of flour.
ne verba pro fa-RI-na.
The word verba is the plural form of verbum. It could be either nominative or accusative, and you have to decided based on context. In this saying, it is the accusative object of an implied verb.
The word ne is a conjunction in Latin that goes with an imperative or a subjunctive verb, so even though there is no explicit verb in this saying, you can supply a verb based on the context: "Don't (offer, give, provide, etc.) words instead of flour." In other words: when someone is hungry, words will not fill their stomach.
The word farina, "flour" or "meal" (i.e. cornmeal, oatmeal, etc.) refers metaphorically to bread, and to food in general. The form here is ablative (farinā), the form needed for the preposition pro.
This is one of the sayings that Erasmus included in his Adagia.
The word stipendia is the plural form of stipendium, which gives us English "stipend."
The word peccati is the genitive form of peccatum, "mistake, error" or, in this Christian saying, "sin." You haven't seen this noun before, but you have seen the verb peccat, and you can see this root in English "impeccable" and "peccadillo."
4. Vestigia nulla retrorsum. Not-any footprints going-back-out.
ves-TI-gia nulla retr-OR-sum.
The word vestigia is the plural form of vestigium, "footprint, track," as in English "vestige" and also "investigate." The adjective nulla is neuter plural, agreeing with vestigia.
This saying alludes to a famous Aesop's fable about a lion who pretends to be sick, and when his loyal subjects come to visit their king, he gobbles them up. The fox, however, is skeptical and refuses to come in. When the lion asks why, she says its because vestigia nulla retrorsum; she can see lots of footprints going in, but no footprints coming out.
5. Non semper Bacchanalia. (It's) not always a-Bacchanalia.
non semper Baccha-NA-lia.
The word Bacchanalia is a noun used only in the plural. It is a wild feast in honor of the the Greco-Roman god Bacchus, who presides over wine. You can read more about this old Roman festival at Wikipedia: Bacchanalia.
The idea is that, sooner or the later, the party's over! Compare the English saying "Christmas comes but once a year."
The focus for today's lesson is more plurals. You had the plural of the 1st declension last week (like divitiae, "riches"), and this week, it will be the nominative plurals of 2nd-declension nouns, starting with the masculine nouns: the plural ending is -i.
So, if you have a -us masculine noun or adjective, you remove the -us and add the -i ending: bonus, "good," boni.
If you have a masculine noun or adjective ending -r, you just add the -i: liber, "free," becomes liberi.
Notice that in English, we do have a distinctive ending for plural nouns: a "book" becomes "books." But we do not have an ending for plural adjectives in English: a "good book" becomes "good books." In Latin, on the other hand, both nouns and adjectives have plural endings. (So far, you are just learning the nominative plural endings, and later you will have plural endings for all the cases: genitive, accusative, dative, and ablative.)
1. Tantali horti. The gardens of Tantalus.
TAN-tali horti.
You know all the words in this saying! The word horti is the plural of hortus, while the word Tantali is the genitive of Tantalus.
Just like with the 1st declension, there are some ambiguous endings. It is only from context that you know Tantali is genitive singular and horti is nominative plural.
You have encountered the story of Tantalus before in the saying: In medio Tantalus amne sitit. For his outrageous crimes, Tantalus was punished in the afterlife by standing in water he could never drink, and also by standing in sight of fruit trees where the fruit was always out of reach. Hence, the Tantali horti are a curse, not a blessing: you will starve to death in those gardens.
2. Beati pacifici. Blessed (are) the peacemakers.
Be-A-ti pa-CI-fici.
You also know all the words in this saying! The word beati is the plural of beatus, and pacifici is the plural of pacificus.
This saying comes from the Gospel of Matthew in the "Sermon on the Mount." It comes specifically from the "Beatitudes," which gets its name from the series of sayings that being with the word beati. You can find out more at Wikipedia.
3. Pauci sed boni. Few (men), but good.
Pauci sed boni.
The word boni is the plural of bonus.
The word pauci is new: it is the plural of paucus. In the singular, paucus means "small, little," but it is very rarely used; the more common word for "small" is paulus. (Both words, in fact, come from the same root.) In the plural, however, pauci means "few, a few," and it is very commonly used! It is not technically a "plural-only" word like divitiae, but it is very nearly only in the plural.
You can see this root in English "paucity," and it also gives us Spanish poco.
Compare the English saying, "A few good men," which was first used for recruiting soldiers into the U.S. Marines in 1779, which was then revived by the Marines in the 1970s.
4. Montani semper liberi. Mountain-men (are) always free.
Mon-TA-ni semper LI-beri.
The word liberi is the plural form of the adjective liber, "free" (as in "liberty"), and the word montani is the plural of montanus, an adjective meaning "mountain," so montani means "mountain (men)." You haven't seen this word before, but you do know mons already, the noun "mountain."
5. Si radix sancta, et rami. If the root is holy, the branches (are) too.
Si radix sancta, et rami.
The word rami is the plural of ramus, "branch." You can see this Latin word in English "ramifications."
Meanwhile, the word radix is singular; it means "root," and gives us both English "radical" and "radish." It is a feminine noun, so it takes a feminine adjective: sancta. You haven't seen this form before, but you have seen the masculine form: sanctus.
Here is the new catch-up day post for the past two weeks: more 5th-declension nouns... and then the start of the plural nouns! (Just one lesson of plurals so far; we're just getting started.) As usual, there is a cat-show of those sayings, plus a link to the downloadable crossword and the self-quiz.
Meanwhile, the very weird but fun Vergil project carries on; we're now on Lesson 52:A New Beginner's Latin: THE AENEID. Take a look if you are curious!
And here's the slideshow with all the sayings. You can read out loud, first with the English to remind you of the vocabulary... and then read out loud again with the cat!
I also made a printable crossword PDF as usual, and the same prompts for the crossword are used in the quiz questions below. Enjoy!
Res bene parta manet; res _____ parta perit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answermaleVerus amicus noscitur ex _____, more, ore, re. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answeramoreRara menda _____ caret. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerfaciesVulgare amici nomen, sed rara est _____. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerfidesLeonis exuviae super _____. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerasinum_____ una vis, una facies est. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerveritatisTempus divitiae, tempus _____ meus. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answeragerMortua res _____ sine Baccho et Cerere. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerVenusPersonam, non _____, gerit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerfaciemAmicus certus in re _____ cernitur. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerincertaOmni in re _____ est optimus. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answermodus_____ factam etiam stultus intellegit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerremMidae _____. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerdivitiae_____ crocodili lacrimulae. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerfictaeIn _____ novaculae consistit. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answeracieIn verbo suavis, in re _____. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answergravisRe magis quam _____. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answerspecie_____ in modo, fortiter in re. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answersuaviter_____ potentis acutae. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answersagittaeRes est admodum fragilis humanum _____. fill in the blank: reveal/hide answercorpus
We'll be starting a big new adventure today: the plural forms of nouns and of verbs. So far, all the nouns and verbs you have seen (with just a few exceptions) have been singular nouns and singular verbs. Now we will start working on plurals, beginning with plural nouns. No surprise: we'll start with the nominative plural form of feminine nouns of the 1st declension, which are the nouns we used to begin the whole course.
So, the nominative form of 1st-declension nouns ends in -a, like this: sagitta, "arrow."
And here is the plural form: it ends in -ae, so from sagitta you get sagittae, "arrows."
You might find that a bit surprising, because you already know that -ae is the genitive ending of the 1st-declension, sagittae, "of the arrow," and also the dative ending, sagittae, "to the arrow." Just as you had to figure out whether sagittae was genitive or dative, now you will also have to ask yourself if might not be nominative plural instead!
We have ambiguities like this in English too, including ambiguous genitive and plural: if I say "the arrow's tip," that is the genitive in English ("arrow's" = "of the arrow"), while "the arrows" is plural. Of course, in writing we have a little clue in English, with the use of the apostrophe, but that clue is only available in writing. When we speak, "the arrow's" and "the arrows" sound just the same, but you rarely get confused about that in English because the context helps you to know the meaning.
Latin is the same: the context will help you recognize the meaning!
But first, to get started here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
This little saying is a great way to get started, because Midae is a genitive singular noun of the 1st declension, and divitiae is nominative plural! The word Midae is the genitive form of Midas, which is a Greek name that belongs to the 1st declension in Latin, even though Midas is a masculine name.
The word divitiae only appears in the plural: "riches, wealth." It does not have a singular form.
Midas was a king, famous for his "golden touch" which meant that everything he touched turned to gold. Midas asked the gods to give him a "golden touch" so that whatever he touched turned to gold. Midas thought this would be a great blessing, but it turned out to be a curse. For example, when he touched his food or his drink, they turned to gold and he could not each or drink. Finally Midas had to beg the gods to release him from this curse... so the riches of Midas are something that you would never want to have! You can read more about Midas at Wikipedia.
The word lacrimulae is the plural form of lacrimula, "little tear," a diminutive of a noun you have seen before: lacrima. The adjective fictae is also nominative plural, agreeing with lacrimulae.
The word crocodili is the genitive singular of crocodilus, "crocodile."
We continue to use the phrase "crocodile tears" in English to mean the same thing: someone pretends to weep tears of sadness, but they are secretly rejoicing. The saying even has its own Wikipedia article: Crocodile tears.
4. Leonis exuviae super asinum. A-lion's skin on a-donkey.
le-O-nis ex-U-viae super A-sinum.
The word exuviae, "hide, skin, slough," is like divitiae: it is only found in the plural.
The word leonis is the genitive singular of leo, while asinum is the accusative form of asinus, used here with the preposition super, which takes an accusative complement.
The "donkey in the lion skin" is one of the most famous fables of Aesop, and it even has its own Wikipedia article.
5. Tempus divitiae, tempus ager meus. Time (is) wealth, time (is) my field.
tempus di-VI-tiae, tempus ager meus.
You know all the words in this saying already, since you saw divitiae already today in the first saying: Midae divitiae.
We have the saying "Time is money" in English as well, but I like the second half of the saying even better, in which time is like a field that you work: plowing, planting seeds, and then harvesting crops from the field of time. You don't want to let your time go to waste just as you would not want a potentially fertile field to go to waste either.
The focus for today's lesson is finishing up the 5th declension with a few more common 5th-declension nouns: facies, "face" — acies, "sharp edge or point" —- and fides, "faith." Here's a reminder about the special endings:
1. Rara menda facies caret.
(It's a) rare face (that) lacks a-blemish.
rara menda FA-cies caret.
Here you see facies in the nominative, the subject of the verb, and the adjective rara is also nominative, agreeing with facies. Don't let the word order fool you: rara...facies. Remember also that when an adjective modifies the subject of the verb in Latin, it's often easier to translate that as an adverb in English: "Rarely does a face lack a blemish."
The new word here is menda, "fault, blemish," and here it is in the ablative case, mendā, because the verb caret takes an ablative complement, not accusative. You can see Latin emenda in English "emend" and "amend" and also "mend."
You might be wondering how we know for sure that rara goes with facies and not with menda. That's because this is a bit of poetry from Ovid, and the meter lets us know that rara here is rara (short final a), not rarā. Here it is in the Ars Amatoria: Rara tamen menda facies caret: occule mendas,"It's a rare face that lacks a blemish: cover up your blemishes." )
2. Personam, non faciem, gerit.
(Someone) wears a-mask, not a-face.
per-SO-nam, non FA-ciem, gerit.
You know all the words in this saying, and you've seen this one before in 2nd-person: Personam, non faciem geris. The only difference is that this saying shifts geris, 2nd-person, to gerit, 3rd-person. And since this is something we all do, at least sometimes, you could also put it this way: Personam, non faciem, gerimus, where gerimus is 1st-person plural: "we wear."
The word facies appears in the accusative here: faciem, the subject of the verb, and personam is the accusative form of persona.
3. Veritatis una vis, una facies est.
(There) is one power, one face of-truth.
veri-TA-tis una vis, una FA-cies est.
You know all the words in this saying too!
Here facies is in the nominative again, with una in the nominative also.
The word vis is also in the nominative and because, like facies, it is also a feminina noun, it also takes the feminine form of the adjective, una.
The word veritatis is the genitive form of veritas, expressing the idea of possession, so you could also translate this as "Truth has one force, one face." The words come from the writings of the Roman philosopher Seneca.
4. In acie novaculae consistit.
(It) stands on the-edge of-a-razor.
in A-cie no-VA-culae con-SIS-tit.
There are two new nouns here: acie is the ablative form of acies, "sharp edge," and novaculae is the genitive form of novacula, "razor" and also "dagger."
The verb consistit means "stands still, stops, comes to a halt." As the meaning evolved over time, it came to mean something that is stable, hence English "consistent," "consist," etc.
The idea is that something is at a crucial juncture at a single, specific moment in time, a moment as thin as the edge of a razor... and perhaps just as dangerous!
This is one of the sayings collected by Erasmus in his Adagia.
5. Vulgare amici nomen, sed rara est fides.
The-name of-friend is common, but rare (is) trust.
vul-GA-re a-MI-ci nomen, sed rara est fides.
The word fides here is in the nominative, and it is also feminine (as is the general rule for 5th-declension nouns), so it takes a feminine adjective: rara.
The word nomen is also nominative, and because it is neuter, it takes a neuter adjective: vulgare.
The word amici is the genitive form of amicus. The name of a friend is common, but a friend's trustworthiness, fides, is rare; the word amici is implied in the second half of the saying. As often, Latin does not repeat something twice: Vulgare amici nomen, sed rara est (amici) fides.
The idea that people say "friend" about all kinds of people, but someone you can truly trust is hard to find. The words come from a fable told by the Roman poet Phaedrus and Socrates; you can read that fable in Latin here, and there's an English translation here.
