Here's this week's catch-up post to help you review any lesson(s) you missed this past week and/or to work on whatever kind of practice is most useful to you.
These were the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks, and you'll find the review slideshow below:
This is the slideshow with all the 3rd-declension nominative, genitive, and ablative forms from the week. You can read out loud, first with the English to remind you of the vocabulary... and then with the 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 more practice with the 3rd-declension ablative ending: -e. As before, these are all ablatives being used to complement a preposition; later on, you'll learn more uses for the ablative case in Latin.
Just as a reminder, here are the prepositions you have seen so far: a / ab, ad, ante, contra, cum, de, ex / e, extra, in, intra, post, pro, sine, sub, and super. Most prepositions take the ablative case, but you've seen a few prepositions that take the accusative case instead.
Many prepositions also do double-duty as verbal prefixes, and you can also see some prepositions used independently as adverbs. Prepositions are some of the most frequently used words in Latin, so it is definitely worth getting to know them well!
To get started with today's prepositional proverbs, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
So, here are today's proverbs:
1. In nocte consilium.
At night, (a) plan.
in nocte con-SI-lium.
You already know all the words in this saying!
The word nocte is the ablative form of the noun nox with the preposition in.
The idea here is like English: "Sleep on it!" If you let your mind reflect on something over night, you'll have a plan in mind in the morning.
2. Aeternum sub sole nihil.
(There is) nothing eternal under (the) sun.
ae-TER-num sub sole nihil.
You have not seen the neuter adjective aeternum, "eternal," before, but you have seen the feminine form, aeterna, and also the related noun: aeternitas. The neuter adjective agrees with nihil, which is also neuter.
The word sole is the ablative form of the noun sol with the preposition sub.
Compare the English saying, "Nothing lasts forever."
3. Aurum in stercore quaerit. (Someone is) seeking gold in manure.
aurum in STER-core quaerit.
You also know all the words in this saying!
The word aurum is the accusative form of aurum (remember: neuter nouns have the same form in the nominative and the accusative); it is the object of the verb.
The word stercore is the ablative form of the noun stercus with the preposition in.
The metaphorical idea, of course, is that you are looking for something valuable (gold) in something that is not only not valuable, but downright nasty (dung heap).
An anecdote in Cassiodorus claims that Vergil compared reading the archaic poet Roman Ennius to "looking for gold in a dung-heap." Find out more here:
4. Non in solo pane vivit homo. (A) person doesn't live by bread alone.
non in solo pane vivit homo.
The word pane is the ablative form of the masculine noun panis, "bread." You can see this root in English "pantry" and "pannier."
The word solo is the ablative form of the adjective solus, agreeing with the masculine ablative noun pane. The ablatives make a prepositional phrase: in solo pane.
This famous saying is from the Gospel of Matthew, with Jesus's words inspired by the Book of Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Bible. You can see the Greek, Latin, and English texts side by side at the Sacred Texts Polyglot for Matthewand the Hebrew, Greek, Latin and English for Deuteronomy.
5. Oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente. [Rendering an] eye for (an) eye, (a) tooth for (a) tooth.
O-culum pro O-culo, dentem pro dente.
Here you see two forms of the 2nd-declension noun oculus: accusative oculum and ablative oculo.
You also see two forms of the 3rd-declension noun dens: accusative dentem and ablative dente. You can see this root in English "dentist" and "dental."
The words oculum and dentem are in the accusative because they are the objects of an implied verb: someone will pay back, render, return, etc.
The words oculo and dente are in the ablative with the preposition pro.
This is the so-called lex talionis, the law of retaliation (the Latin word talis means "such, like," hence "retaliation," which means paying like for like). You can find out more about this principle at Wikipedia: Eye for an eye.
Here is the ablative ending for the 3rd declension, at last! The ending is: -e.
So, now you have the ablative ending for the three main declensions:
-a.1st declension: devita "about life"
-o. 2nd declension: deasino "about the donkey"
-e.3rd declension: demorte "about death"
Each of the sayings today has a 3rd declension noun or adjective in the ablative case, so look for that -e ending.
And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Nihil sine labore. Nothing without work.
nihil sine la-BO-re.
The word labore is the ablative form of the noun labor.
This is a widely used motto, especially of schools.
You can also see it with this word order: Sine labore nihil.
2. A capite foetet piscis. (A) fish stinks from (the) head.
a CA-pite foetet piscis.
The word capite is the ablative form of the noun caput. You haven't seen the verb foetet, "stinks," before, but you have seen a related noun: foetorem.
No, fish don't really stink from the head, but the point of this saying is its metaphorical application: corruption begins at the top! There's a similar English saying: "Shit rolls downhill."
3. In propria pelle quiesce. Rest in your-own skin.
in PRO-pria pelle qui-ES-ce.
The word pelle is the ablative form of the noun pellis. It is a feminine noun, so it takes a feminine adjective in the ablative case: propria (propriā).
The word quiesce, "rest!" is the imperative form of the verb quiescit. You haven't seen this verb before, but you have seen a related noun: quies.
The idea is to be happy with who you are: just relax! You are who you are! Don't try to be someone else, i.e. don't put on someone else's skin.
4. E parvo semine multa messis. From (a) small seed, much harvest.
e parvo SE-mine multa messis.
The word semine is the ablative form of the noun semen. It is a neuter noun, so it takes a neuter adjective in the ablative case: parvo. You haven't seen the feminine adjective multa before, but you have seen the masculine and neuter forms: multus and multum.
This saying depends on the paradox of parvo and multo, small and big. Seeds are small; harvests are big! That is literally true of seeds you put in the ground, and it is true of metaphorical things: a small effort can lead to something big.
5. Procul a Iove, procul a fulmine. Far from Jupiter, far from (his) thunderbolt.
procul a Iove, procul a FUL-mine.
The adverb procul means "far," and combined with the preposition a, "from," the phrase procul a means "far from."
The word Iove is the ablative form of the noun Iuppiter, "Jupiter." So, if you've ever wondered why we say both "Jupiter" and "Jove" in English, this is why! The nominative Iuppiter is actually a compound word: Iū-piter, "Jove-Father," i.e. Father Jove.
The word fulmine is the ablative form of the noun fulmen, "thunderbolt." You can see this root in English "fulminate."
Jupiter was a sky-god, and he did indeed wield a thunderbolt. The message of this proverb is to stay away from high and mighty people; if you don't stay away from them, you run the risk of being blasted by one of their thunderbolts.
It's time for this week's vocabulary review: this slideshow can work as a quiz if you want... and I got an interesting suggestion from someone last week! Instead of starting at the beginning, you can go to the end and work backwards. If you do that, then you will first see a version of the saying without any English, so you can test yourself on how much you remember without any prompting; then keep going backwards and you get a cat, and then you get the slide with a "fill-in-the-blank," which you can check by going forward to the cat slide again if you need to. Very cool!
So, it's really up to you, however you want to use the slides. And remember: you can always click on the English translation to go back to the original lesson. Here is a link to the full-size show.
If you want to do even more reviewing (learning IS reviewing! reviewing IS learning!), here are the review slideshows from Week 27, Week 26, and Week 25. The more you repeat, the more you learn!
The focus for today's lesson is using the genitive form of 3rd declension nouns and adjectives to find the stem, and then to be able to recognize the accusative form. With the 1st and 2nd declension, you can confidently form the accusative from the nominative form, but not so the 3rd declension.
And where do you find the genitive form of a 3rd-declension noun or adjective? It's in the dictionary! The standard practice is to list the nominative and the genitive form, along with the gender. That is the core information you need to generate the other forms of the word. Just remove the -is from the genitive, and you have the stem.
So, for example, here are five 3rd-declension nouns from today's sayings with links to my one of favorite online Latin dictionaries: Wiktionary (at Wikipedia). If you are going to be reading Latin, it's a good idea to get familiar with this resource. The Wiktionary is especially good for etymological information and also paradigms that show all the word endings. So, take a few minutes to click on some of these links and look at the dictionary entries:
So, in today's sayings, you will see each of those words in the accusative form, with an -em ending. Just add that ending to the stem and you get the accusative form: pellis in the accusative becomes pellem, and so on.
And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
The word leoninam is the accusative form of the 1st-declension adjective, leonina, which gives us English "leonine." The feminine accusative adjective agrees with the feminine accusative noun, pellem.
You've seen another version of this saying which uses the noun leo instead of the adjective: Leonis pellem indue. The reference here is to the way that the hero Hercules wore a lion's skin. So, if you have a difficult task in front of you, put on your lion skin, just like Hercules, and get to work!
2. Revocat aurora laborem. Dawn revives work.
RE-vocat au-RO-ra la-BO-rem.
The verb revocat, "revives, recalls, summons again," is a compound re-vocat, "back-calls." You've seen a related adjective: revocabile.
The subject of the verb is aurora, "dawn," which is a word we also use in English: "aurora."
The word laborem is the accusative form of the noun labor, and it is the object of the verb.
The idea is that with dawn comes the beginning of the day, which means the beginning of the work day as well.
3. Una hirundo non facit aestatem. One swallow doesn't make (a) summer.
una hi-RUN-do non facit aes-TA-tem.
You've seen all the words in this saying because you already know this saying: Aestatis hirundo est nuntia, "The swallow is summer's messenger."
The word aestatem is the accusative form of the noun aestas, and it is the object of the verb.
Note the feminine adjective una; it is feminine because the noun hirundo is feminine.
Compare the English saying, "One swallow does not a summer make." A fuller version of the saying in English explains how the saying is about more than just the bird: "One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day." So, just as one swallow's arrival is not enough to confirm the end of winter, so too a single day's warm weather does not mean there will not be another freeze.
The word fustem is the accusative form of the noun fustis, "cudgel," and it is the object of the verb. You can see this root in the English word "fustigate."
The 3rd-declension adjective esuriens, "hungry" is masculine, agreeing with asinus, the subject of the verb. You can see this root in English "esurient."
The idea is that when a donkey is hungry, that's all that matters; he's not going to respond to the cudgel. So, if he is grazing in the meadow or feeding in the barn, you can beat him all you want, but the donkey is not going to move. People can act the same way too, depending on what they are "hungry" for.
5. Reddit foetorem stercus motum graviorem. Manure (when it is) moved gives-forth (a) worse stench.
reddit foe-TO-rem stercus motum gravi-O-rem.
The 3rd-declension neuter noun, stercus, "manure, dung," is a word that is new to you, but you've seen a related word: sterculinum.
The adjective motum, "moved," is neuter, agreeing with the noun stercus, the subject of the verb. You already know the verb that this adjective (participle) comes from: movet, "moved."
The verb reddit, "gives back, returns, yields," is a compound: re(d)-dit, "back-gives, give back." You know the root verb already: dat, "gives."
The word foetorem is the accusative form of foetor, a 3rd-declension noun (sometimes spelled fetor), meaning "stink." You can see this same root in English "fetid."
The word graviorem is the accusative form of gravior, a 3rd-declension adjective, "heavier." It is the comparative form of the adjective gravis, "heavy." You can see this root in both the English adjective "grave" and the noun "gravity."
Notice how the accusative noun phrase foetorem ... graviorem wraps around the nominative noun phrase: stercus motum. That word order creates the internal rhyme of foet-orem and gravi-orem, a regular feature of medieval Latin proverbs.
This saying is literally true, of course, and also metaphorically true: there's a lot of stirring up of manure in the world far away from actual farms and farm animals. It's a veritable shit-storm in DC these days, sigh.
The goal this week is to learn the ablative ending for the 3rd declension, and so we'll start by reviewing the 3rd declension. Specifically, today we'll review the 3rd-declension nominative endings. The 1st and 2nd declensions are easy to recognize in the nominative case, with the 1st declension ending in -a and the 2nd declension ending in -us and -um... but the 3rd declension has a wide variety of nominative endings. The 3rd-declension genitive ends in -is, which is where you can find the stem, but you can't rely on the nominative to find the stem (unlike the 1st and 2nd declensions, where you can just remove the nominative endings to find the stem).
Just to give you a reminder of the variety of 3rd-declension nominative endings, here's a slideshow of the 3rd declension nouns you have seen so far. Don't worry if you can't remember what all the words mean — just look at all those different nominative endings! To find the stem, look at the genitive form and remove the -is. (We'll do some more work on the genitive 3rd-declension ending tomorrow too.)
And to get ready for today's sayings, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
Now here are today's proverbs:
1. Calamitas nulla sola. Not-any trouble (is) single.
ca-LA-mitas nulla sola.
The 3rd declension noun calamitas gives us English "calamity." The stem is calamitat- (this -tas / -tatis word formation is very common; you will see it frequently).
Compare the English saying "Troubles never come singly," and also the phrase "one thing after another."
2. Magis mutus quam piscis. More silent than (a) fish.
magis mutus quam piscis.
The masculine adjective mutus gives us English "mute."
This 3rd-declension noun, piscis, has a genitive that is the same form as the nominative: piscis.
Land animals make all kinds of sounds, as do birds... but not fish. So, fish are a very fine example of someone or something silent.
3. Homo animal bipes implume. (A) human (is a) two-footed featherless animal.
homo A-nimal bipes im-PLU-me.
The 3rd-declension noun animal gives us English "animal," and it's related to the Latin word anima. An animal is alive because it has an anima, "spirit." The stem is visible here in the nominative: animalis is the genitive. The 3rd-declension adjective bipes is a compound bi-pes, "two-footed." This Latin word also gives us English "biped" from the stem biped-
The 3rd-declension adjective implume is also a compound im-plume, "not-plumed, without feathers." You can see this Latin root in English "plume." For this word also you can see the stem, implum-, in the nominative.
This saying is related to a famous anecdote about the philosophers Plato and Diogenes: when Plato defined a human being as a "featherless biped", Diogenes brought Plato a plucked chicken and said, "Here is Plato's man."
4. Neque caro neque piscis est. (It) is neither flesh nor fish.
neque caro neque piscis est.
The conjunction neque means "not, and not," and it can be used in a pair like this: neque... neque... "neither... not..." The 3rd-declension noun caro, "flesh, meat," gives us English "carnal" from the stem of the noun, carn-.
In the Catholic tradition edible meats were divided into "flesh" and "fish" (no eating of flesh on Fridays, but fish is allowed), so the idea is that if something is neither flesh nor fish, it is something utterly strange, something paradoxical beyond existing categories. Compare English sayings like "Neither here nor there, "Neither the one nor the other, "Neither head nor tail," etc.
5. Ubi Bacchus regnat, Venus saltat. Where Bacchus rules, Venus dances.
ubi Bacchus regnat, Venus saltat.
The name Bacchus is a masculine 2nd-declension noun, but Venus is a 3rd-declension feminine noun; her genitive form is Veneris, and you can see the stem, Vener-, in the English word "venereal" (as in venereal disease).
Here the name of the god Bacchus (Greek Dionysus) stands for wine, while the name of the goddess Venus (Greek Aphrodite) stands for love. So the idea is that when there is wine or drink, people feel frisky and dance.
