Today is a catch-up day to review any lesson(s) you missed this past week and/or to work on whatever kind of practice is most useful to you, getting familiar with this new case: the ablative.
Meanwhile, here are the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks, and you'll find the review slideshow before:
And here's a slideshow with all the sayings from the week. Watch and read out loud! For each one there's a slide with the English the first time, and then a second slide without English... but with a cat!
I also made a printable crossword PDF with this week's sayings as the prompts; screenshots below.
The focus for today's lesson is following up on yesterday's lesson: more prepositions that take the ablative case! Remember that for now we are just focusing on the first declension, where the ablative ending is -a, a longa (ā).
You will some sayings with the preposition in like yesterday, plus some new prepositions:
ex: from, out from
de: about, concerning
sine: without
And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Deus ex machina.
(A) god from (the) machine.
deus ex MA-china.
The word machina (machinā) is the ablative form of the noun machina, which gives us English "machine." It's a Greek word borrowed by the Romans (the ch is a clue; chi is one of the letterse of the Greek alphabet).
The preposition ex takes the ablative case; it means "from, out from."
The saying refers to the way that in the ancient Greek theater, a god could join in the play by being lowered with a stage-machine, either a crane that lowered them from above or a rising platform that brought the god up from below. Metaphorically, it refers to someone or something that arrives as if by a miracle to provide a solution to a problem. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Deus ex machina.
2. Lis de umbra asini.
(An) argument about (a) donkey's shadow.
lis de umbra A-sini.
The word unbra (umbrā) is the ablative form of the noun unbra, which you have seen before. The preposition de takes the ablative case; it means "about, concerning."
This is a saying that refers to an argument over nothing. It's also associated with an Aesop's fable: The Donkey's Shadow.
3. Nulla dies sine linea.
No day without (a) line.
nulla dies sine LI-nea.
The word linea (lineā) is the ablative form of the noun linea, which you have seen before. The preposition sine takes the ablative case; it means "without."
This is a saying for artists to do a little work every day, even if it's just a single brushstroke. You can find out more about this famous saying at Wikipedia: Nulla dies sine linea. It was used by the writer Pliny with regard to the famous Greek painter, Apelles. It did not originally refer to writers and "lines" of writing, but that was how the saying was later applied.
4. Latet in cauda venenum.
(The) poison lurks in (the) tail.
latet in cauda ve-NE-num.
The word cauda (caudā) is the ablative form of the noun cauda, which you have seen before.
The neuter noun venenum gives us English "venom." The nominative and accusative cases are the same; in this sentence, venenum is nominative, the subject of the verb.
This is literally true about snakes and scorpions, etc., and metaphorically it applies to a situation which becomes dangerous at the end.
5. Propheta in sua patria honorem non habet.
(A) prophet has no honor in his-own country.
pro-PHE-ta in sua PA-tria ho-NO-rem non habet.
The noun propheta gives us English "prophet." This is another borrowing from Greek as you can tell from the ph (the Greek alphabet also contains the letter phi). It is a masculine noun of the first declension, like other masculine first-declension nouns borrowed from Greek. This is the nominative form; it is the subject of the verb.
The word patria (patriā) is the ablative form of the noun patria, which you have seen before.
The word sua (suā) is the ablative form of the adjective sua, and it agrees with the feminine ablative noun, patria.
The word honorem is the accusative from of the 3rd-declension noun honor, which gives us English "honor."
The focus for today's lesson is something new: the ablative case! So far, you know the nominative, accusative and genitive cases, and now the ablative case makes four. That means there is just one more case to go, the dative (plus the vocative, which is not exactly a case).
So, there are lots of different ways that the ablative case is used in Latin, but we'll start with the easiest one to recognize: the ablative case is used with most of the prepositions in Latin (a few prepositions take the accusative; you'll learn about those later). For today's lesson, all the sayings feature the preposition in, meaning "in" like in English, plus the ablative.
For first-declension nouns, the nominative case ending is short a, and the ablative ending is long a. In some Latin textbooks is written ā, with a long mark, or "macon," written over the vowel. In normal printed Latin, however, there are no long marks, so I have chosen not to use long marks here.
About pronounciation. For the ancient Romans, there was a difference in pronounciation between long vowels and short vowels, and it was a difference of quantity, that is, the quantity of time (long or short) that the vowel was pronounced. In English, we don't make a quantity distinction. Instead, our vowels have different qualities. For example, the word "day" in English is not a long a; instead, it is a kind of a-i sound (as you might guess from the spelling).
The real key to Latin pronounciation (in my opinion) is the word stress, and whether the final a is short or long does not change the word stress. So, you can prolong the ablative -a if you want, but don't worry about it too much. Just focus on the meaning!
To get ready, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
So, here are today's proverbs:
1. Periculum in mora.
(There is) danger in delay.
pe-RI-culum in mora.
You already know all the words in this saying, and the word mora (morā) is the ablative form of the noun mora.
Of course, we use this same saying in English too, and it has a special meaning in legal language; you can find out more at the wiktionary: danger in delay.
2. Latet anguis in herba.
(A) snake hides in (the) grass.
latet anguis in herba.
The word herba (herbā) is the ablative form of the noun herba, which you've seen before.
The noun anguis, "snake," is a third-declension noun in the nominative case; it's the subject of the verb.
3. Dicit piger: leo est in via.
(The) lazy (man) says: (There's a) lion in (the) way.
dicit piger: leo est in via.
The word via (viā) is the ablative form of the noun via, another word you've seen before.
The masculine adjective piger, "lazy," is being used substantively here, as a noun: "lazy (man)." You haven't seen this adjective before, but you have seen the related noun: pigritia.
The word piger is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb dicit, while the third-declension noun, leo, is the subject of the verb est.
The idea is that someone lazy makes excuses, including absurd, impossible excuses, to get out of making any kind of effort. This saying actually comes from the Book of Proverbs in the Bible.
4. In cavea non canit luscinia.
(A) nightingale doesn't sing in (a) cage.
in CA-vea non canit lus-CI-nia.
The word cavea (caveā) is the ablative form of the noun cavea, "cage," and the Latin word is actually the origin of English "cage."
The noun luscinia, "nightingale," is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb.
The verb canit, "sings," is related to a verb you have seen already: cantat.
For a beautiful reflection on the sadness of the caged bird that does sing, see the poem Sympathyby the African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. (He was born in 1872 to parents who had been enslaved; more at Wikipedia.)
5. Gladiator in arena consilium capit.
(The) gladiator is-making (his) plan in (the) arena.
gladi-A-tor in a-RE-na con-SI-lium capit.
The word arena (arenā) is the ablative form of the noun arena, a Latin word we also use in English. The literal meaning of arena is "sand," and it then came to refer specifically to the sand-filled arena; the sand was spread to absorb the blood that was spilled in the competitions. You can learn more at Wikipedia: Arena.
The word gladiator is one we use in English, and it is in the nominative case here; it is the subject of the verb. You also know the Latin word it comes from: gladius.
The word consilium, "plan, advice, stratagem," is a second-declension neuter noun, so this form could be accusative or nominative; since you already have a subject for the verb, gladiator, that means consilium is in the accusative case, the object of the verb.
This statement is ironic: if the gladiator is only getting his plan together once he is in the arena, it is definitely too late! The successful gladiator needs to make his plan before he is in the arena.
As you learned in a saying this week: Repetitio mater memoriae. I hope that having this review each week of 30 words chosen at random will help you keep up with the mounting vocabulary. Repetition is how you learn new words... especially saying them out loud repeatedly!
So, below is this week's vocabulary review: the slides have the English translations, plus links back to the original posts if you want to review the notes. And of course there are cats! These are the instructions for how to use the slideshow as a quiz, and here's a link to the full-size show.
You can use this as a quiz, filling in the blank with the English prompt to help you. Alternatively, you can just rely on the other slides, reading each saying out loud, both with and without the English to help you. And hopefully seeing the cats will help you remember the sayings too!
If you want to do even more reviewing, here's are the review slideshows from Week 23, Week 22, and Week 21. The more you can repeat, the more you will remember!
Welcome to LESSON 100 of this experiment in learning Latin through sayings and proverbs! I hope this slow-and-easy approach is helping people feel confident about the meaning of all the Latin that you are seeing (and hearing). To get ready for the ablative case later this week, today is a review of the 1st-declension genitive ending, -ae. So, that gives you three different cases for the 1st declension:
-a. nominative: subject of verb
-am. accusative: object of verb
-ae. genitive: "of"
There are some sayings below to help you review -ae, including one saying that explains why you need to review all the time like this: Repetitio mater memoriae.
And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before that will appear in today's lesson:
So, here are today's proverbs:
1. Philosophia ars vitae.
Philosophy (is the) art of-life.
philo-SO-phia ars vitae.
You know all the words in this saying already!
The word vitae is the genitive form of the noun vita.
Compare a saying that you saw earlier: Cultura animi philosophia est.
2. Repetitio mater memoriae.
Repetition (is the) mother of-memory.
repe-TI-tio mater me-MO-riae.
The Latin noun repetitio gives us English "repetition."
The word memoriae is the genitive form of the noun memoria, "memory." You haven't seen this noun before, but you have seen the related adjective: memor.
Compare the English saying, "Repetition is the mother of learning."
The word mater is used here because repetitio is a feminine noun; that's why "she" is the "mother" of memory.
3. Inscitia mater arrogantiae.
Ignorance (is the) mother of-arrogance.
in-SCI-tia mater arro-GAN-tiae.
The noun inscitia is a compound, in-scitia, "not-knowing," i.e. lack of knowledge, ignorance. You haven't seen this noun before, but you have seen this related noun: scientia.
The word arrogantiae is the genitive form of the noun arrogantia, which gives us English "arrogance."
Again, the word mater is used here because inscitia is a feminine noun; that's why "she" is the "mother" of memory.
The word avaritiae is the genitive form of a noun you have seen before, avaritia.
Notice the change in word order here: in a genitive noun phrase, the genitive can come first, avaritiae mater, or it can come after, as in the sayings above: ars vitae, mater memoriae, and mater arrogantiae.
5. Vita rustica parsimoniae, diligentiae, iustitiae magistra est.
(The) rustic life is (the) teacher of-thrift, of-diligence, (and) of-justice.
vita RUS-tica parsi-MO-niae, dili-GEN-tiae, ius-TI-tiae ma-GIS-tra est.
The adjective rustica gives us English "rustic" and the related word "rural." The Latin root is rus, which means "countryside, fields, farm." The adjective is feminine in form because it agrees with the feminine noun vita.
The word parsimoniae is the genitive form of the noun parsimonia, "parsimony, thrift, frugality."
The word diligentiae is the genitive form of the noun diligentia, "diligence, attentiveness, hard work."
Again, the word magistra, feminine form of the masculine magister, is used here because vita is a feminine noun; that's why "she" is the "female teacher" of thrift, diligence and justice.
Here's a recap:
Philosophia ars vitae.
Repetitio mater memoriae.
Inscitia mater arrogantiae.
Luxuria avaritiae mater.
Vita rustica parsimoniae, diligentiae, iustitiae magistra est.
The focus for today's lesson is a quick review of the first declension focusing on the two most common cases: the nominative case and the accusative.
The nominative case is used for the subject of a verb.
The accusative case is used for the object of the verb.
Nouns and adjectives of the first declension are easy to recognize:
the nominative ends in -a
the accusative ends in -am
You'll find some sayings below to help you review these -a and -am endings! To get started, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the vocabulary you have seen before:
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Persona non grata.
(A) person (who is) not welcome.
per-SO-na non grata.
You haven't seen Latin persona before, but this gives us English "person," and we also use the word "persona" with a slightly different meaning. In Latin, persona means both "person" and it also means "mask," which is the sense of English "persona."
You haven't seen the adjective grata, "welcome, pleasing," before, but you have seen a related noun: gratia. Because persona is a feminine noun, it takes a feminine adjective: grata. We actually use this Latin phrase in English, which is why I've included it here. "Persona non grata" is not actually a saying; it's more like an idiom or cliche. For more about this phrase, and its use in diplomacy, see Wikipedia: Persona non grata.
The verb transit is a compound: trans-it, "through-goes," i.e. "go through, passes on, passes away." We have adopted this as a noun in English: "transit."es
Compare the other compound verb you've already seen from this same root: anteit, "goes before."
You've seen hora in quite a few sayings before: sometimes it means, literally, "hour," but often it refers to time and the passage of time in general, as here.
The Latin noun opera means "effort, labor," and also the "work" produced by that effort, which is the meaning here. From this same root we get English "opera" (via Italian) and "operation," etc. The idea is that time is going to disappear, but what you accomplish during that time is something that can last.
3. Spes vitam fovet.
Hope nourishes life.
spes vitam fovet.
The accusative form vitam is from the noun vita. That makes it the object of the verb, and spes is the subject (spes is a 5th-declension noun; you'll be learning more about that declension later on).
The verb fovet literally means "warms, keeps warm," and it also means "nourishes, fosters." You can see the fov- root in English "foment," although the English word has more negative connotations. This is also the root of English "fomite."
The idea is that you need hope to stay alive. When you are cold with fear or desperation, hope will keep you warm!
The noun libra means a "pair of scales, balance," as in a balance that is used for measuring. You can see the scales depicted in the astrological sign Libra. You haven't seen this noun before, but you have seen a related verb: deliberat. The noun libra also meant a specific weight: the Roman pound was libra, and that is why we used the abbreviation "lb." in English to mean a pound (although the Roman pound had only 12 ounces, not 16).
You also haven't seen the adjective iusta before, but this is the origin of English "just, honest," and you have also seen a related noun in Latin: iustitia. The adjective is in the feminine form because it agrees with the feminine noun: libra iusta. This is the nominative subject of the verb, and iustitiam is the accusative object.
The verb servat means "preserves, promotes, serves," which you can see many English words, include "servant" and "conservation."
The idea is that for business to be conducted honestly, you need honest weights and measures, both literally and figuratively.
5. Pinta trahit pintam, trahit altera pintula pintam.
(One) pint prompts (another) pint, another little-pint (prompts another) pint.
pinta trahit pintam, trahit AL-tera PIN-tula pintam.
This is a medieval Latin proverb about drinking! The Latin noun pinta is a "pint," specifically a pint of beer. The form pintula is a diminutive form of pinta.
So, the nouns pinta and pintula are in the nominative case, subject of the verb, and pintam is the object.
While Latin has one pint dragging another along with it, trahit, we would probably say in English: "One pint leads to another," Pinta trahit pintam.
Fun fact: this is written in meter; it's dactylic hexameter, the same meter used in epic poetry. For those of you who know something about Latin poetry already, here's the meter marked:
Pinta tra~hit pin~tam, trahit ~ altera ~ pintula ~ pintam.
Here's a recap:
Persona non grata.
Transit hora, manet opera.
Spes vitam fovet.
Libra iusta iustitiam servat.
Pinta trahit pintam, trahit altera pintula pintam.
