*** New blog schedule: I've started a fun new project: I'm learning Japanese in order to read haiku; details at my haiku blog (of course there's a blog!). So, I'm carving out some more time for that, and that means I'm going to be posting every other day here at the Latin blog and every other day at the Greek blog. So, if you are subscribed to both posts, you'll be getting an email from me each day, but if you are subscribed only to the Latin blog, you'll be getting an email every other day. You can use the new "off" day to review... because that's how language learning really happens: by reviewing. And there's certainly plenty to review now. :-)
Below is 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 set of sayings that feature -ere infinitives of the 3rd conjugation. You actually know most of the words in these days, and here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And now here are today's proverbs:
1. Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem.
(It) is hard to-set-aside suddenly (a) long-standing love.
dif-FI-cile est longum SU-bito de-PO-nere a-MO-rem.
The word deponere is the infinitive of the verb deponit, which you have seen before.
The word amorem is the accusative form of the masculine noun amor. The adjective longum is masculine accusative, agreeing with amorem. Notice how the noun phrase, longum amorem, wraps around the infinitive phrase: subito deponere.
The only word you don't know in this saying is subito, "suddenly, immediately." (If you speak Italian, you'll know this as an Italian word with the same meaning.)
2. Remedium frustra est contra fulmen quaerere.
(It) is useless to-seek (a) remedy against (the) thunderbolt.
re-ME-dium frustra est contra fulmen QUAE-rere.
You know all the words in this saying already!
The word quaerere is the infinitive of the verb quaerit, which you have seen before.
The word remedium is accusative form of the neuter noun remedium (remember: neuter nouns are always the same in the nominative and the accusative); it is the object of the infinitive quaerere.
The word fulmen is also a neuter accusative, being used here with the preposition contra.
This is another of the sayings of Publilius the Syrian. The idea is that there are some disasters which human beings cannot counteract through their own powers. The fulmen was associated with the sky-god, Jupiter.
3. Ditat, sanctificat, sanat bene surgere mane.
To-get-up at-dawn makes-rich, makes-holy, makes-healthy very.
ditat, sanc-TI-ficat, sanat bene SUR-gere mane.
The word surgere is the infinitive of the verb surgit, which you have seen before. The infinitive is the subject of the three verbs: ditat, sanctificat and sanat. The adverb bene modifies these verbs, although that's a bit hard to convey in the English: it makes you nicely rich, nicely holy, and nicely healthy! There are two 1st-conjugation verbs in this saying that are new to you: ditat, "makes rich, enriches," and sanctificat, "makes holy," which gives us English "sanctify."
Compare the English saying, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
4. Legere et non intellegere est tamquam non legere.
To-read and not to-understand is like not reading.
LE-gere et non intel-LE-gere est tamquam non LE-gere.
The word legere is the infinitive of the verb legit, which you have seen before. The word intellegere is the infinitive of the verb intellegit, "understands," is a compound: inter-legit, which you can see in English "intelligent."
The word tamquam means "just as, like." It is a compound word: tam-quam, "just-as."
This saying warns you to slow down while you read to make sure you understand. If you read without understanding what you read, you might as well not read!
5. Vincere cor proprium plus est quam vincere mundum.
To-conquer one's-own heart/mind is more than to-conquer (the) world.
VIN-cere cor PRO-prium plus est quam VIN-cere mundum.
The word vincere is the infinitive of the verb vincit, which you have seen before.
The word cor is the accusative form of the neuter noun cor, and it's the object of the infinitive. The word proprium is a neuter accusative adjective, agreeing with cor. You haven't seen the neuter adjective proprium before, but you have seen the feminine form: propria.
Compare the same metaphor in a saying you saw earlier this week: Effugere cupiditatem regnum est vincere.
The word mundum is the accusative form of the noun mundum, and it is the object of the infinitive.
Here's a recap:
Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem.
Remedium frustra est contra fulmen quaerere.
Ditat, sanctificat, sanat bene surgere mane.
Legere et non intellegere est tamquam non legere.
Vincere cor proprium plus est quam vincere mundum.
The focus for today's lesson is more 3rd-conjugation infinitives ending in -ere. Remember that infinitives can act like verbs (they can take an accusative object, for example), but they are really nouns. Specifically, they are neuter nouns, agreeing with neuter adjectives.
To get ready for today's sayings (you know almost all of the vocabulary already!), here is the little slideshow with cats of the words you have seen before:
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Non vivere bonum est, sed bene vivere. (The) good (thing) is not to-live, but to-live well.
non VI-vere bonum est, sed bene VI-vere.
You know all the words in this saying already!
The word vivere is the infinitive of the verb vivit.
You can see that this proverb plays on the contrast between the adjective bonum used here as a noun, "the good thing," and the adverb bene in the infinitive phrase, bene vivere, "to live well, to have a good life."
In other words, the purpose of life should not be just to live, but to live well!
2. Facilius est destruere quam construere. (It) is easier to-destroy than to-build.
fa-CI-lius est de-STRU-ere quam con-STRU-ere.
The word destruere is the infinitive of the verb destruit, which you have seen before. Its opposite is the infinitive construere, the infinitive of the verb construit, "builds," which is where we get English "construct."
The neuter adjective facilius, "easier," is the comparative form of facile, "easy." You haven't seen this neuter form before, but you have seen facilis, the masculine and feminine form.
The charm of this saying is in the connection between the words de-struere, to tear down, and con-struere, to put together.
3. Effugere cupiditatem regnum est vincere. To-escape desire is to-conquer (a) kingdom.
ef-FU-gere cupidi-TA-tem regnum est VIN-cere.
The word effugere is the infinitive of the verb effugit, and vincere is the infinitive of the verb vincit, both of which you have seen before.
The word cupiditatem is the accusative form of the noun cupiditas, "greed, desire." It is the object of the infinitive effugere. You haven't seen this noun before, but you've seen a related noun: cupido.
The word regnum is the accusative form regnum, which you have seen before; here it is the object of the infinitive vincere. This is one of the sayings of Publilius the Syrian. The idea is that you are like a conquering hero if you can conquer your own compulsive desires.
4. Melius est iniuriam accipere quam facere. (It) is better to-receive (a) wrong than to-commit (an wrong).
ME-lius est in-JU-riam ac-CI-pere quam FA-cere.
You know all the words in this saying also!
The verb accipere is the infinitive of the verb accipit, and facere is the infinitive of facit.
The word iniuriam is the accusative of iniuria, and it is the object of the infinitives accipere and facere.
You can also find the saying in this form: Accipere quam facere praestat iniuriam. The idea is that, while it is obviously no fun to be the victim of an injustice, that is far better than being guilty of committing injustice.
5. Beneficium accipere libertatem est vendere. To-accept (a) favor is to-sell (your) freedom.
bene-FI-cium ac-CI-pere liber-TA-tem est VEN-dere.
The word accipere is the infinitive of the verb accipit, which you have seen before, while the word vendere is the infinitive of the verb vendit, "sells," and you can see this root in English "vendor."
The word beneficium is the accusative of beneficium, "favor, benefit," and it is the object of the infinitive accipere. This Latin word is the origin of English "benefit." The word is a compound: bene-ficium, "good-doing," i.e. doing good for someone, doing something that benefits them.
The word libertatem is the accusative of libertas, which you have seen before. Here it is the object of the infinitive vendere.
This is another one of the sayings of Publilius. The idea is that if you accept a favor from someone, you are obligated to repay that favor, thus losing your freedom and independence.
Since you're working on the 3rd conjugation this week, I chose proverbs for the review that feature 3rd conjugation verbs, both present and imperative, so the ending is -it for the present-tense verbs and -e for the imperatives. So, see if you can figure out the verb to use to fill in the blank for each saying, and then check yourself by looking at the cat. Then repeat, and repeat again.
Here is a link to the full-size show, and the show is embedded in the blog post below. Also, if you prefer 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 31, Week 30, and Week 29.
The focus for today's lesson is more 3rd-conjugation infinitives, which end in -ere.
Remember: unlike the 2nd-conjugation infinitives with the stress on the ending (long e in -ēre), the 3rd-conjugation stress is on the verb stem (short e in -ere). Here are the infinitives you will see today:
FALL-ere. "to cheat"
PERD-ere. "to lose, destroy"
SCRIB-ere. "to write"
DISC-ere. "to learn"
SURG-ere. "to get up"
But first, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And here are today's proverbs:
1. Fallere fallentem non est fraus.
To-cheat (a) cheater is not fraud.
FAL-lere fal-LEN-tem non est fraus.
The word fallere is the infinitive form of the verb fallit, which you have seen before.
The word fallens is the participle (verbal adjective) from this same verb: "cheating," I.e. someone who is cheating, "a cheater."
Compare to the legal maxim that you saw earlier: Fraus est celare fraudem, "It is fraud to conceal fraud."
2. Amicum perdere damnum est maximum.
To-lose (a) friend is (the) biggest loss.
a-MI-cum PER-dere damnum est MAX-imum.
The word perdere is the infinitive form of the verb perdit, "destroys, loses," which gives us English "perdition."
This is one of the Latin sayings of Publilius the Syrian. You can also find it in this form: Amicum perdere est damnorum maximum, "To lose a friend is the greatest of losses" (you will be learning about the genitive plural, damnorum, "of losses," later on).
3. Difficile est satiram non scribere.
(It is) hard to not write satire.
dif-FI-cile est SA-tiram non SCRI-bere.
The word scribere is the infinitive form of the verb scribit, "writes," which gives us English "scribe," "describe," etc.
The word satiram is the accusative form of satira, "satire," and it is the object of the infinitive: satiram scribere, "to write satire."
The words are from the Roman satirical poet Juvenal, the idea being that in a world filled with outrage and scandal, satire is the only kind of writing that is possible. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Juvenal.
4. Praestat sero quam numquam discere.
To-learn late is-better than never.
praestat sero quam numquam DIS-cere.
You know all the words in this saying already!
The word discere is the infinitive form of the verb discit.
Compare the saying you saw earlier: "Praestat sero quam numquam," "Better late than never." This variation just adapts this to learning a lesson: it's better to learn your lesson late rather than never.
5. Est sanum plane de lecto surgere mane.
(It) is clearly healthy to-rise from bed in-the-morning.
est sanum plane de lecto SUR-gere mane.
The word surgere is the infinitive form of the verb surgit, which you have seen before.
The word lecto is the ablative form of the word lectus, "bed," with the preposition de. You can see this root in the English medical term "lectual," which means something that confines you to bed.
The adverb plane means "clearly" and you can also see this Latin root in English "plainly." The adverb mane means "in the morning," and you can see from these rhyming adverbs, plane-mane, that this is a medieval Latin saying.
Compare the rhyming English proverb: "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
The focus for today's lesson is the infinitive ending for the 3rd conjugation: ere.
Note that this is different from the 2nd conjugation: the 3rd conjugation has a short e in ere, not like the long e (ēre) in the 2nd conjugation, which changes the stress. So, the 2nd-conjugation infinitive is stressed on the e: ha-BE-re, "to have," but in the 3rd conjugation the stress is on the verb stem: VIV-ere, "to live." If you read these infinitive sayings out loud, that is a great way to learn to recognize the difference between the 2nd-conjugation infinitives and 3rd-conjugation infinitives.
But first, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
And now here are today's proverbs:
1. Vivere sat vincere. To-live is to-be-victorious enough.
VI-vere sat VIN-cere.
The word vivere is the infinitive of vivit, "lives," and vincere is the infinitive of vincit, "is victorious," both of which you have seen before. The adverb sat is just a different form of a word you have seen before: satis.
The idea is that if you risk your life in war or in some other kind of potentially fatal contest, you are being foolish: to be alive (vivere) is already a win (vincere), and it's a good-enough win (sat vincere).
The neuter adjectives, iucundum, "pleasant," agrees with the infinitive (remember that the infinitive is basically a neuter noun). You can see this root in English "jocund."
The word agere is the infinitive of agit, "leads, drives, does." You can see this Latin root in English words like "agent" and "action."
The word nil is the object of the infinitive: nil agere, "to do nothing."
It's nice to see a proverb in praise of doing nothing, and you can further praise of otium, i.e. doing nothing, in one of the letters of Pliny the Younger.
3. Durum tondere leonem. (It is) hard to-shave (the) lion.
durum TON-dere le-O-nem.
The word tondere is the infinitive of tondit, "shaves," and you can see this root in English "tonsure."
The word leonem is the accusative form of the noun leo, and it's the object of the infinitive: tondere leonem, "to shave the lion."
The neuter adjective durum agrees with the infinitive.
The lion might indeed need a shave, but it's a dangerous thing to do. This is like the big-cat version of the phrase "belling the cat."
4. Non convenit cum deo contendere.
To-fight with god isn't appropriate.
non CON-venit cum deo con-TEN-dere.
The verb convenit, "is suitable, is appropriate," is a compound verb, con-venit, "together-comes, comes together, fits, suits." This is the origin of English "convenient." The word contendere is the infinitive of contendit, "fights, struggles," and gives us English "contend." This infinitive is the subject of this verb: non convenit contendere, "to fight is not appropriate."
The word deo is the ablative form of deus with the preposition cum.
Compare a saying that you saw previously: Pugnare cum deo atque fortuna grave.
5. Modice vivere est optime vivere.
To-live modestly is to-live best.
MO-dice VI-vere est OP-time VIvere.
The word modice, "modestly," is the adverbial form of the adjective modicum, which we also use as a word in English: "modicum."
The word optime, "in the best way," is the adverbial form of the adjective optimum, which you have seen before.
This is another one of those sayings in praise of moderation: moderation is the best!
