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 sayings 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 one more day of ablative preposition review. And yes, we will move on to something new for next week, working on verbs again and learning new verb forms (you already know so many noun forms!).
Remember: as you read through today's sayings, look for the prepositional phrase with its ablative, and then ask yourself which declension you see there: 1st (-a ending), 2nd (-o ending), or 3rd (-e ending).
So here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before; you know almost all the words in today's sayings already, so there are lots of words in this slideshow, and lots of cats:
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Bibit venenum in auro. (Someone) is-drinking poison in gold.
bibit ve-NE-num in auro.
You've seen all the words in this saying before!
The word auro is the ablative form of the neuter noun aurum, used with the preposition in. The word literally means "gold," and here it stands for a "gold (goblet)."
The word venenum is the accusative form of the neuter noun venenum (remember: the nominative and accusative forms of neuter nouns are always identical!).
Metaphorically this means that with great wealth and power (aurum) comes danger and threats from all sides (venenum).
2. Ex scintilla incendium. From (a) spark, (a) conflagration.
ex scin-TIL-la in-CEN-dium.
You've also seen all the words in this saying before, and in a very similar saying which makes explicit the contrast between the small spark and the big fire: Parva saepe scintilla magnum excitat incendium.
The word scintilla (scintillā) is the ablative form of the feminine noun scintilla, used with the preposition ex.
3. Non distat Croesus ab Iro. Croesus doesn't differ from Irus.
non distat Croesus ab Iro.
The word Iro is the ablative form of the name Irus, used with the preposition ab. Irus was a proverbial poor man in ancient Greece; he was a beggar on the island of Ithaca who ran errands for the suitors who had besieged Odysseus's wife Penelope in Odysseus's absence. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Irus.
The name Croesus was proverbial for wealth in the ancient world, referring to King Croesus of Lydia. You can find out more about Croesus and his legendary wealth at Wikipedia: Croesus.
The verb distat means "stands apart, differs." It is a compound verb: dis-stat, "apart-stands, stands apart." You've seen two other -stat compounds before: obstat, "stands in the way, blocks," and praestat "stands in front, excels, is outstanding."
The idea is that, rich or poor, people are just people: they are born, they live, and they die. Wealth and power does not change that trajectory, although that was a hard lesson for Croesus to learn! The words come from the Roman poet Propertius.
4. In cavea minus bene canit luscinia. In (a) cage, (the) nightingale sings less well.
in CA-vea minus bene canit lus-CI-nia.
Another saying where you've seen all the words before!
The word cavea (caveā) is the ablative form of the feminine noun cavea, used with the preposition in.
You've seen a saying similar to this one before but in a simpler form: In cavea non canit luscinia.
5. Mors servat legem: tollit cum paupere regem. Death observes (this) law: (it) carries-away (the) king with (the) pauper.
mors servat legem: tollit cum PAU-pere regem.
And all the words in this saying should be familiar too!
The word paupere is the ablative form of the masculine noun pauper, used with the preposition cum.
The word legem is the accusative form of the feminine noun lex, and the word regem is the accusative form of the masculine noun rex. These words provide the rhyme: legem-regem, indicating that this is a medieval Latin saying.
Compare the saying about Croesus and Irus above; this saying expresses the same idea! Croesus was a rex, and Irus was a pauper, but death came for them both.
Continuing the preposition review, today's proverbs feature either the preposition in "in" or the preposition e "out, out of, from" (you will see that preposition spelled as both e and ex; today's sayings feature the spelling e).
Both of these prepositions take the ablative, so take a look each time at the ablative form; you will see 1st-, 2nd, and 3rd-declension ablative forms in today's sayings.
And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Ut canis e Nilo. Like (a) dog (drinking) from (the) Nile.
ut canis e Nilo.
You know all the words in this saying already!
The word Nilo is the ablative form of the noun Nilus.
Even though this saying does not have the word "crocodile" in it, this saying is all about crocodiles! The idea is that when a dog drank from the Nile, it had to be very careful: darting in to take a sip of water, and then running away before a crocodile had a chance to attack. Metaphorically, it refers to any kind of extra-cautious behavior! Aesop has a fable about this proverbial dog: The Dog and the Crocodile.
2. Aurum e stercore. Gold from shit.
aurum e STER-core.
You also know all the words in this saying too!
The word stercore is the ablative form of the noun stercus. (That's one of those sneaky 3rd-declension nouns; when you look at the nominative stercus, you might think it is a 2nd-declenion noun, but nope: it's 3rd-declension, stem stercor-.)
You've seen a similar saying before: Aurum in stercore quaerit. The idea is to discover something precious in the midst of garbage... or worse.
3. Emit catulum in sacco. (Someone) is-buying a pup in a sack.
emit CA-tulum in sacco.
The word sacco is the ablative form of the noun saccus, which gives us English "sack" (it's a fascinating etymology, from a Germanic borrowing from Latin, which was in turn a borrowing from Greek, and the Greek word is a borrowing from Phoenician or Hebrew).
The verb emit means "acquires, buys, is buying," and catulum is the accusative object of the verb. You may know the Latin phrase: caveat emptor, "let the buyer beware." The word emptor is from this verb. You can also see this root in English "exempt."
This is the Latin equivalent of the English saying: a pig in a poke. The idea is that someone thinks they are buying one thing, but the sneaky buyer substitutes something else in the sack instead. Buyer beware indeed!
4. Comede in laetitia panem tuum. Eat your bread in happiness.
CO-mede in lae-TI-tia panem tuum.
The word laetitia (laetitiā) is the ablative form of the noun laetitia, "happiness," which is the origin of the name Letitia, Letisha, etc. (Wikipedia).
The word panem is the accusative form of the noun panis, which you have seen before.
The adjective tuum is the accusative form of the adjective tuus, agreeing with panem. You haven't seen the masculine tuus before, but you have seen the neuter form: tuum. In fact, you have seen tuum in a saying that is parallel to this one: Vade ergo, et comede in laetitia panem tuum, et bibe cum gaudio vinum tuum, quia Deo placent opera tua, "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works" (from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible).
5. Rana in paludem ex aureo resilit throno. (The) frog jumps-back into (the) swamp from (the) golden throne.
rana in pa-LU-dem ex AU-reo RE-silit throno.
The word throno is the ablative form of the noun thronus, which gives us English "throne" (the Latin word is a borrowing from Greek; the th- is a clue, as theta was a letter in Greek, represented as th- in Latin).
The adjective aureo is also in the ablative, agreeing with throno. You haven't seen this adjective before, but you have seen the noun that it comes from: aurum. (See the saying above!)
Notice how the prepositional phrase ex aureo throno wraps around the verb: ex aureo resilit throno.
The word paludem is the accusative form of palus, used with the preposition in, meaning into (because of the accusative case): in paludem.
This is now the third frog-fail saying you have seen! Here are the other two:
Since this is preposition-review week, I chose proverbs for the review that feature prepositions (usually I do the selection at random). So, you will see a prepositional phrase in each slide... and remember: some of the prepositions take the ablative case and some of them take the accusative case. That means you need to think about the Latin word to use each time you fill in the blank, and also what case the word goes in.
Here is a link to the full-size show, and the show is embedded in the blog post below. You can run the show from start to finish, so that the "quiz" slide comes first, or you can run the show starting from the last slide and working backwards, which gives you the "quiz" slide at the end of each set.
If you want to do even more reviewing (you can never review too much!), here are the review slideshows from Week 29, Week 28, and Week 27.
The focus for today's lesson is more examples of prepositions with ablative nouns and adjectives. As you read through the sayings, see if you can identify whether you are looking at the ablative form of a 1st-declension noun (-ā ending), a 2nd-declension noun (-ō ending), or a 3rd-declension noun (-e ending).
But first, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before; you know almost all of today's words!
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Magnum in parvo. (Something) great in (something) small.
magnum in parvo.
The word parvo is the ablative form of the neuter adjective parvum with the preposition in.
The word magnum is also a neuter adjective.
Both of these adjectives are being used substantively as nouns: magnum is (something) big, and parvum is (something) small.
The idea is that you should not be fooled by appearances: something small and seemingly unimportant could in fact be something big and important.
2. Nihil novi sub luna. (There is) nothing new under (the) moon.
nihil novi sub luna.
The word luna (lunā) is the ablative form of the feminine noun luna with the preposition sub.
The word novi is the genitive form of the neuter adjective novum, and it is being used in a new idiom here: nihil plus the genitive, "nothing (of) new." This is simply a stylistic choice; you can say nihil novum or nihil novi in Latin to mean "nothing new."
This is a variation on a saying you've seen before: Nihil novum super terram.
3. Omnis est rex in domo sua. Everyone is king in their-own home.
omnis est rex in domo sua.
The word domo is the ablative form of the feminine noun domus with the preposition in. Because it is a feminine noun it takes a feminine adjective: sua. (The word domus has various irregular features; it looks masculine here, but it is a feminine noun.)
Compare the English saying, "A man's home is his castle," which is also the basis for the so-called "castle doctrine."
4. Sine amicitia vita est nulla. (There) is no life without friendship.
sine ami-CI-tia vita est nulla.
The word amicitia (amicitiā) is the ablative form of the feminine noun amicitia with the preposition sine.
This is yet another Latin saying in praise of friendship, which was a fundamental institution of Roman life. The words come from a treatise written by Cicero about friendship: De amicitia, "About friendship."
5. Pelle sub agnina latitat mens saepe lupina. (A) wolfish mind often lurks under (a) lamb skin.
pelle sub ag-NI-na LA-titat mens saepe lu-PI-na.
The word pelle is the ablative form of the feminine noun pellis. Because it is a feminine noun, it has a feminine adjective: agnina. You have not seen this adjective before, but you have seen the noun that it comes from: agnus. Notice how the noun phrase pelle agnina wraps around its preposition: pelle sub agnina.
You also have not seen the feminine adjective lupina before, but you know the noun that it comes from: lupus. Notice how this noun phrase, mens lupina, wraps around the adverb: mens saepe lupina.
The verb latitat, "lurks," is new, but you have seen the verb that it derives from: latet, "hides." The -it- changes the verb to a frequentative form; you can read more about the Latin frequentative at Wikipedia. (The verb cogitat is also formed in this same way.)
This is a medieval Latin proverb as you can tell from the rhyme: agnina - lupina. You have seen another saying based on this notion of the wolf in sheep's clothing: Ovem in fronte, lupum in corde gerit.
The focus for today's lesson is reviewing the prepositions which you've been learning about for the past few weeks, now with nouns and adjectives from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions all mixed together because, of course, they come higgledy-piggledy all mixed together in actual Latin.
As you read through the sayings, look for the preposition in each saying, and then identify the declension if you can. You can then check in the notes to see if you were correct.
And here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And now here are today's proverbs:
1. Asinus in cathedra. (A) donkey on (a) throne.
A-sinus in ca-THE-dra.
The preposition is in, and the word cathedra is the ablative form (cathedrā) of the noun cathedra, which you've seen before.
This saying is mocking someone who occupies a position or has acquired some kind of status that they do not deserve. Compare a saying you saw before about the incongruous donkey-king: Illiteratus rex est asinus coronatus.
2. In medio stat virtus. Virtue stands in (the) middle.
in ME-dio stat virtus.
The preposition again is in, and the word medio is the ablative form of the adjective medium, which is being used as a noun here: in medio, "in the middle (thing)." The verb stat, "stands," is new to you, but you've seen a noun that derives from this root: statua.
This is another one of the sayings in praise of moderation. Real virtue is not about extremes; instead, it's about finding the "happy medium."
3. Nulla sine sole umbra. No shadow without sun.
nulla sine sole umbra.
The preposition is sine, and the word sole is the ablative form of the noun sol, which you have seen before. In fact, you've seen all the words in this saying before.
It's literally true, and as such is sometimes found as a sundial inscription. Metaphorically, the idea is that if there is a shadow (something difficult, sad, etc.), you should remember that there is never a shadow without a sun... somewhere. In that sense, it's something like clouds with their silver linings in English.
4. Bibe cum gaudio vinum tuum. Drink your wine with joy.
bibe cum GAU-dio vinum tuum.
The preposition is cum, and the word gaudio is the ablative form of the noun gaudium, "joy." You haven't seen this noun before, but you have seen the related verb: gaudet, "rejoices, enjoys."
The word bibe is the imperative form of the verb bibet, "drinks." You haven't seen this word before, but you have seen the participle (verbal adjective) formed from this verb: bibens.
The word vinum is the accusative form of the noun vinum (remember: neuter nouns have the same form in the nominative and the accusative). The neuter adjective tuum agrees with vinum. You haven't seen the neuter form of this adjective before, but you've seen the feminine form: tua.
These words come from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible; here is the whole verse: Vade ergo, et comede in laetitia panem tuum, et bibe cum gaudio vinum tuum, quia Deo placent opera tua, "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works."
5. Ex domo felis discedit mus impransus. The mouse departs unfed from (the) cat's house.
ex domo felis dis-CE-dit mus im-PRAN-sus.
The preposition is ex, and the word domo is the ablative form of the noun domus, which you have seen before.
The word felis is the genitive form of the noun feles, which you have seen before.
The adjective impransus is a compound, im-pransus, "not-lunched, without eating lunch, unfed." You can see this Latin root in the English word "postprandial."
