Latin Lesson #259: Review of Plural Verbs 1 & 2

The focus for today's lesson is a review of plural verbs, starting with the 1st and 2nd conjugations: the 1st-conjugation verbs have -ant for their plural ending and the 2nd-conjugation verbs have -ent. For example, here are two verbs you will see in today's sayings:

• ambulat ~ ambulant: they walk.
• caret ~ carent: they lack.

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

 And here are today's proverbs:

1. Audacem iuvant fata.
(The) fates help (the) bold.
au-DA-cem iuvant fata.

The verb iuvant is the 3rd-person plural form of iuvat, "helps." You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen its compounded form: adiuvat.

The word fata is the plural of fatum, and it's the subject of the verb.

The word audacem is the accusative of audax, "bold," being used substantively here, "bold (person)," and it is the object of the verb. You haven't seen this adjective before, but you have seen the related adverb: audacter.
There's a similar saying about luck: Audentes Fortuna iuvat, "Fortune helps (people who are) daring." 
Compare the English saying: "to make your own luck."


2. Hic cocti porci ambulant.
Here walk roast pigs.
hic cocti porci AM-bulant.

The verb ambulant is the 3rd-person plural form of ambulat, "walks." 

The word porci is the plural of porcus, "pig," and it's the subject of the verb. You haven't seen this noun before, but you have seen the word for she-pig, porca.

The adjective cocti is the plural form of coctus, agreeing with "pig." 
These words come from Petronius's Satyricon, evoking the folkloric tradition, found in cultures all over the world, about a place where food abounds, so that cooked animals are walking around, houses are edible, etc.


3. Arma non servant modum.
Weapons don't observe moderation.
arma non servant modum.

The verb servant is the 3rd-person plural form of servat, "keep, preserve, observe." 

The word arma, "arms," is only used in the plural (like English "arms" in the sense of "weapons"), and it is the subject of the verb. 
These words are found in Seneca's Hercules Furens. Compare the English maxim, "War knows no law."


4. Carmina morte carent.
Poems lack death.
CAR-mina morte carent.

The verb carent is the 3rd-person plural form of caret, "lacks." 

The word carmina is the plural of carmen, "poem, poetry, song," and it's the subject of the verb.

The word morte is the ablative form of mors; the verb caret takes an ablative complement.
This bold claim about poetry comes from Ovid's Amores, and we can certainly say that while Ovid died long ago, much of his poetry (if not all of it) does live on!


5. Nec semper lilia florent.
Lilies don't flourish forever.
nec semper LI-lia florent.

The verb florent is the 3rd-person plural form of floret, "blooms, flowers, flourishes." You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen the related noun: flos.

The word lilia is the plural of lilium, as in English "lily," and it's the subject of the verb.
This is also adapted from Ovid; this time from the Ars Amatoria. Here is the full line of verse: Nec violae semper nec hiantia lilia florent, "Violets don't flourish forever, nor the open lilies."

Compare the words of the English poet Robert Herrick, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may."

Here's a recap:

• Audacem iuvant fata.
• Hic cocti porci ambulant.
• Arma non servant modum.
• Carmina morte carent.
• Nec semper lilia florent.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #258: More Plural Nouns

The focus for today's lesson is plural nouns once again: this time, the masculine plurals of the 2nd declension and 3rd declension.

The 2nd-declension masculine nouns and adjectives end in -i. (And remember, the neuter nouns and adjectives of the 2nd declension end in -a; that was yesterday's lesson.)

The 3rd-declension masculine nouns and adjectives end in -es. (And the neuter nouns and adjectives of the 3rd declension also end in -a.)

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Ut apes geometriam.
As the-bees (know) geometry.
ut apes geo-ME-triam.

The word apes is the plural form of apis.

The word geometriam is the accusative of geometria, the direct object of an implied verb, "(know) geometry." This word is easy to recognize because of English "geometry," and you have also seen a related word in Latin: geometra (from the Greek geometres), "geometer, someone who knows geometry."
This saying was made famous by Victor Hugo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, where a character says: "I possess philosophy by instinct, by nature, ut apes geometriam." 


2. Acti labores iucundi.
Once-completed, labors (are) pleasant.
acti la-BO-res iu-CUN-di.

The word labores is the plural form of labor, and the adjectives acti and iucundi are also plural, agreeing with the noun.

The adjective actus, "done, completed," is a passive participle from the verb agit, "drive, do," which you have seen before, and you can see this Latin root in many English words like "act," "active," "actual," etc.

The adjective iucundus gives us English "jocund."

The Roman author Cicero cites this as saying: vulgo enim dicitur, "as it is said by the people." 


3. Amici fures temporis.
Friends (are) thieves of-time.
a-MI-ci fures TEM-poris.

You know all the words in this saying! The word amici is the plural form of amicus, and the word fures is the plural form of fur.

The word temporis is the genitive of tempus.

This saying was cited by Sir Francis Bacon in his book Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning.


4. Ex libro gubernatores.
Helsmen from a-book.
ex libro guberna-TO-res.

You know all the words in this saying too!

The word gubernatores is the plural form of gubernator.

The word libro is the ablative of liber, used with the preposition ex.
book learning. 

Erasmus cites this saying in his Adagia, with the physician Galen as his source. It is a reference to book-learning as opposed to practical knowledge. Would you rather have your ship steered by someone who just read about sailing a ship in books, or someone who has actually been sailing on the sea?


5. Otiosi semper egentes.
Lazy (people are) always needy.
oti-O-si semper e-GEN-tes.

The word otiosi is the plural form of otiosus, and the adjective is being used substantively as a noun: "lazy (people)." You haven't seen this adjective before, but you know the noun that it comes from: otium.

The word egentes is the plural form of egens, agreeing with otiosi.
This saying is associated with the famous Aesop's fable about the grasshopper and the ant.


Here's a recap:

• Ut apes geometriam.
• Acti labores iucundi.
• Amici fures temporis.
• Ex libro gubernatores.
• Otiosi semper egentes.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #257: Plural Review — Neuters

After working on all these plural nouns and verbs (starting back in Lesson 242), we'll do some review this week and next. Today's focus is the plural ending of neuter nouns and adjectives: -a. We're starting with the neuter nouns because the plural -a ending is the same both for 2nd-declension neuter nouns and adjectives and also for 3rd-declension neuter nouns and adjectives!

This also happens to be the Latin plural ending that we see in English words like data, media, curricula, symposia, and bacteria (which are treated as plural nouns in English too), along with words like agenda and propaganda (which were originally plural in Latin, but which have come to be treated as singular nouns in English).

To get started, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:


1. Bella, horrida bella!
Wars, dreaded wars!
bella, HOR-rrida bella!

The word bella is the plural form of bellum, a word you know already.

The word horrida is the plural form of horridum, "terrible, dreadful," agreeing with bella. 

These words come from the Sibyl's prophecy to Aeneas in Book VI of Vergil's Aeneid. 

2. Intellegenti pauca.
For-the-one-who-understands, a few (words are enough).
intelle-GEN-ti pauca.

The word pauca is the plural form of paucum, so it means "few things" or "a few things." In the context of this saying, though, it is usually understood as pauca (verba), "a few (words)." You haven't seen pauca before, but you have seen the masculine plural: pauci.

The word intellegenti is the dative form of intellegens, literally "the one understanding," i.e. the one who understands, the one who is "intelligent." This is the participle form of a verb you have seen before: intellegit.

Compare the English saying, "A word to the wise," which is inspired by Latin saying very similar to this one: Dictum sapienti sat est, "A word to the wise is enough." The idea is that if someone is wise, you do not have to explain things in detail; just a word or two will be enough for them to understand.

3. Grata brevissima.
Pleasant-things (are) extremely brief.
grata bre-VIS-sima.

The word grata is the plural form of gratum, "pleasing." The adjective is being used substantively here: "pleasing, pleasant (things)." 

The word brevissima is the plural form of brevissimum, "the most brief, extremely brief," agreeing with grata. You haven't seen this word before, but you have seen the form breve.

Of course, there is no rule that says you cannot flip the subject and predicate here, interpreting the saying as "The shortest-things are pleasant." Compare the English saying, "Brevity is the soul of wit" (a saying found in Shakespeare's Hamlet).

In a different context, you can also interpret "grata brevissima" not as neuter plural, but instead as feminine singular; that's what happens when you find these words inscribed on a sundial, where the implied feminine noun is ora, "the hour." So, if you saw this written on a sundial, you could interpret it as Grata (ora) brevissima, "The pleasant hour is extremely brief." Compare the English saying, "Time flies when you're having fun."

So, when it comes to very short statements like this in Latin, you might need to look to the context to pin down the meaning. 


4. Omnia vanitas.
All-things (are) vanity.
OM-nia VA-nitas.

The word omnia is the plural form of omne, a word you know already.

The word vanitas literally means "emptiness," an abstract noun formed from the adjective vanus, "empty." 

So, literally, the Latin statement means "all things are emptiness, all things are nothing." 

But English now has its own word, "vanity," from Latin vanitas, so that is usually how the word vanitas is translated. It comes from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible: Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas, "Vanity of vanities, all things are vanity." You can find out more at Wikipedia: Vanitas.


5. Omnia idem pulvis.
All-things (are) the-same dust.
OM-nia idem pulvis.

The word pulvis means dust, and it is a masculine noun. This Latin word gives us English "pulverize" and also "powder."

The adjective idem, "same," is also masculine, agreeing with pulvis. You haven't seem the masculine form of this adjective before, but you have seen the neuter form, which is also idem. This Latin word is at the root of English "identity."
The idea here is that all things come from dust, and to dust all things shall return. Compare the English saying "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust" from the English Book of Common Prayer.


Here's a recap:

• Bella, horrida bella!
• Intellegenti pauca.
• Grata brevissima. 
• Omnia vanitas.
• Omnia idem pulvis.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #256: 4th- and 5th-declension plural nouns

Today's lesson wraps up a plural topic that I skipped over earlier: the plural forms of the 4th- and 5th-declension nouns. These declensions are not very common in Latin, but there are some very common words that do belong to these declensions... and their plural forms are a bit sneaky, So, that is the focus for today's lesson!

The 4th-declension nouns are already sneaky because they end in -us, which makes them look like they might be a typical 2nd-declension noun. The way you can tell the difference is by the genitive form: -ūs. That's a long -ū-, which distinguished it from the nominative for Roman ears, but they did not use a different form to write the long -ū-. And here's another twist: the nominative plural form is also -ūs with the long -ū-. So, for the noun spīritus (breath, spirit), nominative singular, the genitive form is spīritūs and the nominative plural is also spīritūs. 

The 5th-declension nouns are not quite as sneaky, but they are still sneaky, because the nominative singular and the nominative plural are both the same, ending in -ēs (that's long -ē-). The genitive singular ends in -eī (that's a long -ī-). So, for the noun spēs (hope), nominative singular, the nominative plural is also spēs, while the genitive singular is speī.

Today's sayings will give you some practice with the plural forms of 4th- and 5th-declension nouns. To get started, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's sayings:

1. Eventus belli varii.
The-outcomes of-war are-various.
e-VEN-tus belli VA-rii.

You know all the words in this saying.

The word eventus (eventūs) is the plural of eventus. It is the subject of an implied verb: sunt, "are."

The adjective varii is masculine plural, agreeing with eventus.

The word belli, however, is the genitive form of bellum: eventus belli, "the outcomes of war."

This version of the saying comes from Vergil's Aeneid, and you've seen a different version of this proverb before: Varius eventus est proelii; that version is from the Biblical book of Samuel II. In this version, eventus is singular, and varius is masculine singular.

2. Quot capita, tot sensus.
(There are) as-many-opinions as-heads.
quot CA-pita, tot sensus.

The word sensus (sensūs) is the plural of sensus, and the word capita is the plural of the noun caput.

You haven't seen the word sensus, "opinion, feeling," before, but you have seen the noun that it comes from: sentit.

The words quot...tot... are correlatives, used in tandem: "as many... so many..."

The idea is that however many people there are, you will have that many opinions about something! Another version of this saying is Quot homines, tot sententiae, "There are as many opinions as there are people." (There word sententia, like sensus, comes from the verb sentit.)

You've seen other correlatives before. Remember qualis...talis..., "as... such..."? Here are some of those sayings: Qualis pater, talis filius and Qualis grex, talis rex.


3. Res, non verba.
Things, not words.
res non verba.

You know all these words also!

The word res is the plural of res, and the word verba is the plural of verbum.

The idea is that words are easy, but what you want are things, the real things, not just words.

Compare the English saying, "Actions speak louder than words."


4. Concordia res crescunt.
With-harmony, things grow.
con-COR-dia res crescunt.

These words should all be familiar!

The word res is plural, the subject of the plural verb crescunt.

The word concordia (concordiā) is the ablative form of concordia.

Another version of this saying reads, Concordia parvae res crescunt, "With harmony, small things grow (great)." An even fuller version reads, Concordia parvae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur, "With harmony, small things grow great; with disharmony, great things collapse." This version comes from the Roman historian Sallust.

5. Omnes dies pauperis mali.
All the-days of-a-poor-person (are) bad.
omnes dies PAU-peris mali. 

You've seen all these words before too!

The word dies is the plural of dies. The adjective omnes is masculine plural, agreeing with dies, and the adjective mali is the masculine plural of malus.

The word pauperis is the genitive of pauper.

This saying is found in the Biblical book of Proverbs.

Here's a recap:

• Eventus belli varii.
• Quot capita, tot sensus.
• Res, non verba.
• Concordia res crescunt.
• Omnes dies pauperis mali.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #255: Plural -eunt

The focus for today's lesson is the plural of the irregular verb ire, "to go." Here are some of the verbs you have seen so far:

• eo: I go
• it: he/she/it goes
• ire: to go
• i: go! 

And here is the new 3rd-person-plural form:

• eunt: they go

There are also lots of compounds of this verb; here are the compounds you will see in today's sayings:

• ad-ire: to go towards, come
• co-ire: to go together, unite
• inter-ire: to go to ruin, die
• per-ire: to go away, perish

You've seen two other "go" compounds before too:

• ante-ire: to go before, precede
  Superbia anteit ruinam.
  "Pride goes before ruin."
• trans-ire: to go through, pass, pass by
  Transit hora, manet opera.
  "Time passes, the work remains."

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Orta omnia intereunt.
All-things that-have-arisen die.
orta OM-nia in-TER-eunt.

The word intereunt is the plural of interit, "goes away, dies."

The subject of the verb is omnia, "all (things)," neuter plural. The word orta is also neuter plural, and it is the participle of the verb oritur, "rises, arises." So, ortum means "something that has arisen."

The phrase appears in one of the letters of the Roman historian Sallust. 

Compare the English saying, "What goes up must come down."


2. Cito nata cito pereunt.
Things-born quickly perish.
cito nata cito PER-eunt.

The word pereunt is the plural of perit, "perishes."

The subject of the verb is nata, "born (things), things that are born" neuter plural. You can see this same root in Latin natura.

Compare the English sayings "Easy come, easy go" and "Soon ripe, soon rotten."

3. Optima citissime pereunt.
The-best-things perish most-quickly.
OP-tima ci-TIS-sime PER-eunt.

The subject of the verb is optima, "the best (things)," neuter plural.
The word citissime is an adverb, and not just any adverb: it's a superlative adverb, "most quickly." You've seen the other forms of this adverb before: cito, "quicky," and citius, "more quickly." 

Compare the English saying, "Only the good die young."

4. Non coeunt contraria.
Opposites don't come-together.
non CO-eunt con-TRA-ria.

The word coeunt is the plural of coit, "comes together, unites." We use the noun form of this verb as an English word "coitus."

The subject of the verb is contraria, "contrary, opposite (things)," neuter plural. The singular is contrarium, which gives us English "contrary."  

The phrase can be found in Seneca the Younger’s philosophical essay De Constantia Sapientis.


5. Adeunt etiam optima.
The-best-things still are-coming.
AD-eunt etiam OP-tima.

The word adeunt is the plural of adit, "goes towards, comes."

The adverb etiam means different things in different contexts, but the idea here is "still, yet."

Compare the English saying, "The best things are yet to come."


Here's a recap:

• Orta omnia intereunt.
• Cito nata cito pereunt.
• Optima citissime pereunt.
• Non coeunt contraria.
• Adeunt etiam optima.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #254: 4th-Conjugation Plurals, -iunt

The focus for today's lesson is the final conjugation, which has -i as its theme vowel, so it also has -iunt in the 3rd-person plural. So, if you have dormit, "she sleeps," now you will have dormiunt, "they sleep."

Since that is the last of the conjugations, now is a good time to review the four conjugations, comparing the 1st-person form, the infinitive, along with the singular and plural endings. You can see how -nt is the constant feature throughout all the 3rd-person plural endings:

• 1: amō, amāre, amat, amant
• 2: habeō, habēre, habet, habent
• 3: currō, currere, currit, currunt
• 3-i: capiō, capere, capit, capiunt
• 4: dormiō, dormīre, dormit, dormiunt

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Omnia fato eveniunt.
All-things come-forth by-fate.
OM-nia fato e-VE-niunt.

The word eveniunt is the plural form of evenit, "comes out, comes forth." You haven't seen this verb before, but it is a compound e(x)-venit, and you have seen the uncompounded form, venit.

The word omnia is the plural of omne, and it is the subject of the verb.

The word fato is the ablative of the word fatum. 

You saw several proverbs last time about why things happen: fato, "by fate," or maybe casu, "by chance," or perhaps causa, "for a reason." This saying comes down on the site of fato!


2. Fontes ipsi sitiunt.
The-sources themselves are-thirsty.
fontes ipsi SI-tiunt.

The word sitiunt is the plural form of sitit.

The word fontes is the plural of fons, "spring, source, well" and it is the subject of the verb. You can see this Latin word in English "fountain" and "font." The word ipsi is also plural, agreeing with fontes: "the sources themselves."

This is a saying used to describe a situation that has shifted from abundance to scarcity, like when rich people are running short of money... which means, of course, that if even the rich are feeling pinched, then the poor people are feeling it even worse.


3. Hostes non dormiunt.
The-enemies don't sleep.
hostes non DOR-miunt.

You know all the words in this saying! The word dormiunt is the plural form of dormit.

The word hostes is the plural of hostis, and it is the subject of the verb.

The idea is that, when you are facing danger, you must always be vigilant. You cannot sleep, and you cannot let you attention wander: when in danger, keep your focus.


4. Alii aliter sentiunt.
Different-people feel differently.
A-lii A-liter SEN-tiunt.

You know all the words in this saying too! The word sentiunt is the plural form of sentit.

The word alii is the plural of alius, and it is the subject of the verb.

The word aliter is the adverb formed from alius. So alius means "different," and aliter means "differently."

Compare the English saying, "Different strokes for different folks."


5. Cumani sero sentiunt.
The-people-of-Cumae become-aware too-late.
Cu-MA-ni sero SEN-tiunt.

The word Cumani is the plural of Cumanus, a person from the city of Cumae, and it is the subject of the verb. Cumae was a Greek city in southern Italy; you can read more about Cumae at Wikipedia.

The adverb sero means "late" or "too late."

Earlier you saw a saying about the Trojans realizing their mistake too late, tragically so: Sero sapiunt Phryges. This saying, while similar, has a very different meaning: while the Trojans were tragic, the people of Cumae were proverbial fools. For example, when it was raining, the people of Cumae did not know to come in out of the rain until someone told them: "Come in out of the rain!" So, even though it was raining, they didn't know it, they didn't feel it. Instead, somebody had to tell them it was raining.


Here's a recap:

• Omnia fato eveniunt.
• Fontes ipsi sitiunt.
• Hostes non dormiunt.
• Alii aliter sentiunt.
• Cumani sero sentiunt.

And here is today's audio:



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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:

• Omnia fato fiunt.
• Omnia casu fiunt.
• Omnia causa fiunt.
• Sero sapiunt Phryges.
• Cum sol oritur, stellae fugiunt.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #252: 3rd conjugation -unt

The focus for today's lesson is the plural ending for 3rd-conjugation verbs: the ending is -unt or, sometimes, -iunt. The sayings today all feature -unt endings, but we'll do some -iunt verbs next week. 

How can you tell the difference? Just look at the 1st-person form of the verb! Remember how some 3rd-conjugation verbs have -o for the 1st person, but some have -io...? That's how you can tell which 3rd-person plural ending to use: the -o verbs have -unt for the ending, and the -io verbs have -iunt for the ending. 

So, for example, here are today's verbs, and they all have -o endings in the 1st person (dictionary) form:

• sero ~ serunt. "sow"
• meto ~ metunt. "reap"
• scabo ~ scabunt. "scratch"
• erubesco ~ erubescunt. "turn red, blush"
• induco ~ inducunt. "induce, bring on"
• cado ~ cadunt. "fall"

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Alii serunt, alii metunt.
Some sow, others reap.
A-lii serunt, A-lii metunt.

The word alii is the plural of alius, "other." So, literally, the saying says "Others sow, others reap." But in English, we use a different idiom: alii...alii... is "some... others..."

The verb serunt is the plural form of serit, "sows," while metunt is the plural of metit, "reaps."

The idea is that some people do all the work ("sowing"), while others get all the profit ("reaping").

2. Mutuum muli scabunt.
Mules scratch one-another.
MU-tuum muli scabunt.

This is a variation on a saying that saw before with a singular subject: Mulus mulum scabit, "Mule scratches mule."

The word muli is the plural of mulus, while scabunt is the plural of scabit.

The word mutuum is an adverb: "mutually, one another." You can see this Latin root in English "mutual."

Compare the English saying, "You scratch my back; I'll scratch yours." The difference is that mules were not held in high regard in ancient Rome, so the Latin saying refers more to how one low-life helps another low-life.


3. Litterae non erubescunt.
Letters don't blush.
LIT-terae non eru-BES-cunt.

You've already seen a version of this saying before: Epistola non erubescit, "A letter does not blush."
The word litterae is the plural of littera, while erubescunt is the plural of erubescit. In the plural, litterae can mean "letters" but it can also mean "a letter" (singular), so you could also translate this saying as "A letter does not blush," just as if it were Epistola non erubescit.

The idea is that people might say things in writing that they would never say out loud, a phenomenon that has taken on new relevance in the digital world.


4. Curae canitiem inducunt.
Worries bring-on white-hair.
curae ca-NI-tiem in-DU-cunt.

The word curae is the plural of cura, and inducunt is the plural of inducit = in+ducit, "on-lead, lead on, induce, bring on."
The word canitiem is the accusative form of canities, and it is the object of the verb.

The idea is that someone with lots of worries gets grey hair early, bringing on old age prematurely.


5. Semper bene cadunt Iovis tesserae.
Jupiter's dice always fall nicely.
semper bene cadunt Iovis TES-serae.

The word tesserae, "dice," is the plural of tessera. This is a Greek word that the Romans borrowed, meaning "four," which can also refer to dice (cubes), making it a synonym of Latin alea.

The word Iovis is the genitive of Iuppiter, so this is a saying about Jupiter's dice.

The verb cadunt is the plural of cadit.

Both semper and bene are both adverbs, so the idea is that Jupiter's dice always, semper, fall nicely, bene cadunt. In other words: the king of the gods is always lucky... unlike mere mortals.

Here's a recap:

• Alii serunt, alii metunt.
• Mutuum muli scabunt.
• Litterae non erubescunt.
• Curae canitiem inducunt.
• Semper bene cadunt Iovis tesserae.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #251: More -ent plural verbs

To pick up again after a week off, I thought I would repeat the focus from the last lesson: -ent plural verbs of the 2nd conjugation. The verbs for today are: docent, "they teach" / implent, "they fill" / latent, "they hide" / silent, "they are silent."

So, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before — you have seen all the words in today's sayings except for one!

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Exempla docent.
Examples teach.
ex-EM-pla docent.

The word exempla is the plural of exemplum, which you can see in English "exemplary," "example," and "sample."

The verb docent is the plural of docet.

This was one of the functions of Aesop's fables, providing memorable examples, both positive exempla of models to be imitated, along with negative exempla of mistakes to avoid.


2. Dolia plena silent.
Full jars make-no-noise.
DO-lia plena silent.

You know all the words in this saying.

The verb silent is the plural of silet. 

The subject is dolia, the plural of dolium.  This plural noun is modified by a plural adjective: plena.

This is literally true, and metaphorically it applies to talkative people, who are actually "empty," having nothing of substance to say. But they keep on making noise!

Compare the English saying, "Empty vessels make the most sound."

3. Diu non latent scelera.
Crimes do-not hide for-long.
diu non latent SCE-lera.

These words are all familiar as well!

The verb latent is the plural of latet. 

The subject is scelera, the plural of scelus. Remember that to make the plural of a 3rd-declension noun, you need to know the actual stem of the word, which you may or may not be able to see in the nominative form. So, for example, the word scelus has the genitive form sceleris, which gives you the stem, sceler-. Then, because it is a neuter noun, you add the neuter plural ending for the 3rd declension: scelera.

The word diu is an adverb, modifying the verb.

Compare the English saying, "The truth will out."


4. Latent sub melle venena.
Poisons lurk under the-honey.
latent sub melle ve-NE-na.

All words that you know, and the verb is latent once again.

The subject is venena, the plural of venenum.  

The word melle is the ablative form of mel; it's ablative because the preposition sub takes the ablative. This is another 3rd-declension noun, so you need to know the stem to make the ablative form. The genitive of mel is mellis, which gives you the stem, mell-. Then you can add the ablative ending: -e. 

The idea is that something might seem very sweet and appealing, but it can actually be dangerous or even deadly. The warning comes from the poet Ovid in his Amores. 


5. Multae guttae implent flumen.
Many drops fill the-stream.
multae guttae implent flumen.

And this saying is also made up of words you have seen before.
The verb implent is the plural of implet.

The subject is guttae, the plural of gutta.  The adjective multae is also plural, agreeing with guttae. 

The word flumen is one of those sneaky neuter nouns of the 3rd declension: it could be nominative or it could be accusative. But since the sentence already has a subject, then this is the accusative subject of the verb: guttae (subject) implent (verb) flumen (object).

Compare the English saying, "Little by little does the trick."

Here's a recap:

Exempla docent.
Dolia plena silent.
Diu non latent scelera.
Latent sub melle venena.
Multae guttae implent flumen.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #250: 2st conjugation -ent

The focus for today's lesson is the 2nd-conjugation plural ending: habet, "has" — habent, "have." The ending is -ent, just as you would expect after sunt and -ant, right?

You are now officially experts in the -nt plural ending. And there will be more to come!

To get ready, here is the slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Latent futura.
Future-things are-hidden.
latent fu-TU-ra.

You know all the words in this saying!

The verb latent is the plural of latet, which you can translate as "hides" or "is hidden" or "escapes notice." 

The subject is futura, the plural of futurum, an adjective that means "future." The adjective is being used as a plural: futura, "future (things." This can also be translated as "the future" if you prefer!

This saying formed part of the emblem tradition; you can see an example here: Futura latent.


2. Scripta manent.
Writings remain.
scripta manent.

The adjective scripta is the plural of scriptum, "written (thing)," so it means "writings," or just "writing." This adjective is one of those verbal adjectives known as participles. So, just as "written" is from the verb "write" in English, scriptumis from the verb scribere in Latin, a verb you've seen before.

The verb manent is the plural of manet.

This is a very optimistic sentiment, although, sad to say, far more Latin literature perished than survived. But, compared to the spoken word, the written word is looking pretty good! Blog on!

Sometimes the full idea is expressed this way: Verba volant, scripta manent, "Words fly, writing remains." Find out more at Wikipedia.

 

3. Vestigia terrent.
The-traces terrify.
ves-TI-gia terrent.

The verb terrent is the plural of terret, "terrifies, scares," as in English "terrify" and "terrific."

The word vestigia is the plural of vestigium.

This phrase comes from Horace's retelling of the fable of the lion in the cave and the fox who is wise enough to not go inside, when he sees footsteps leading in but not out... because the lion gobbled up the other visitors. Here's Horace's satire.

4. Mortui non mordent.
Dead-people don't bite.
MOR-tui non mordent.

You know all the words in this saying too! 

The verb mordent is the plural of mordet.

The word mortui is the plural of mortuus, "dead," being used substantively as a noun: mortui, "dead (people)."

Compare the English saying, "Dead men tell no tales."


5. Iusti ut sidera fulgent.
People-who-are-just shine like stars.
iusti ut SI-dera fulgent.

The word iusti is the plural of the adjective iustus, "just, righteous," being used as a noun: iusti, "the just (people)." You haven't seen this word before, but you have seen the related noun: iustitia.

The verb fulgent is the plural of the fulget, "shines," as in English "refulgent." 
The word sidera is the plural of the noun sidus, "star." You can see this Latin root in English "sidereal."


Here's a recap:

• Latent futura.
• Scripta manent.
• Vestigia terrent.
• Mortui non mordent.
• Iusti ut sidera fulgent.

And here is today's audio:



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