Latin Lesson #72: Implied Verbs

Now that you've gotten used to the nominative case and the accusative case, subject and object, I want to show you a special kind of Latin sentence where the verb is implied: you've got the subject, and you've got the object — and that's all you need! You'll see two examples of proverbs like that in today's post.

But first, here's a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Capra gladium.
(The) goat (found the) sword.
capra GLA-dium.

The feminine noun capra means "goat," and there is a masculine form also, caper. You can see this root in "Capricorn," the sign of the horned goat (capri-corn).

The word gladium is the accusative of gladius, "sword," which you have seen before.

So, you've got the subject, capra, and the object, gladium, and the implied verb is: found!

To understand how that works, you need to know the story that gives rise to this saying: there was a goat who was going to be sacrificed, but the priest could not find the sacrificial knife. Then the foolish goat, who was jumping and kicking and stirring up the dirt, uncovered that knife (some versions of the saying have the word knife, some have sword)... and so she was sacrificed after all. 

Result: the proverb refers to someone who is their own worst enemy! This saying appears in other English languages also; for example, in Spanish: Escarbó el gallo, y descubrió el cuchillo, "The rooster scraped (the ground) and uncovered the knife."

2. Cornix scorpium.
(The) crow (grabbed a) scorpion.
cornix SCOR-pium.

The word scorpium is the accusative form of scorpius which gives us English "scorpion."

You've seen cornix before, the "she-crow," and that gives you the subject, and scorpium is the object... and the implied verb this time is "seized" or "grabbed."

This proverb also alludes to a story: a foolish crow grabbed onto a scorpion, thinking it would be something tasty to eat... but the scorpion twisted around and killed her. It's one of those sayings about how someone who plots evil for another may turn out to be the victim of their own scheme.

3. Corvus oculum corvi non eruit.
(A) crow doesn't pluck (another) crow's eye.
corvus O-culum corvi non E-ruit.

Here you see the masculine noun corvus, "he-crow," and you also see the genitive form, corvi. You can see this root in English "corvid."

The verb eruit, "casts out, rips out," is a compound: e(x)-ruit. You've seen the verb ruit before, which here has the sense of ripping rather than rushing or falling.

This proverb is like one you've seen before: Lupus lupum non edit. 


4. Non tonsura facit monachum.
(The) tonsure doesn't make (a) monk
non ton-SU-ra facit MO-nachum.

The feminine noun tonsura gives us English "tonsure."

The saying is like the one you saw yesterday: Habitus non facit monachum.

This is a word order you have not seen before; usually non goes before the verb, but as you can see here, even that is not a fixed rule. This saying puts non in a strongly emphatic position, right at the start of the sentence.


5. Lupus pilum mutat, non animum.
(A) wolf changes (his) coat, not (his) mind.
Lupus pilum mutat, non A-nimum.

The word pilum is the accusative form of pilus, "hair, fur, coat." You can see this root in English "depilatory."
The verb mutat, "changes," gives us English "mutation."

The reference here is to the way some wolves change their coat for the winter, both for camouflage and for warmth. They may look different outside... but they are not different inside: they are still wolves!


Here's a recap:

• Capra gladium.
• Cornix scorpium.
• Corvus oculum corvi non eruit.
• Non tonsura facit monachum.
• Lupus pilum mutat, non animum.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #71: More -um Accusatives

The focus for today's lesson is more -um accusative nouns from the 2nd declension. Here's a review of the -um accusative words you have seen so far; notice how sometimes the accusative comes before the verb, and sometimes it comes after:

• Cura angit animum.
• Nemo videt oculum suum.
• Lupus agnum vorat.
• Vestis virum facit.
• Nummus nummum parit.
• Caecus caecum ducit.
• Lupus lupum non edit.
• Asinus asinum fricat.
• Asinus asellum culpat.
• Endymionis somnum dormit.

As you read through the sayings today, look where the subject and object are: before the verb? after the verb? And remember: this is not random; it's a matter of choice. Sometimes the choice is about emphasis, with the most emphatic words in a sentence (or clause or phrase) being the first word and the last word. Sometimes the choice is about sound, putting similar sounds next to each other. And yet another factor is parallelism: sometimes word order is about creating parallel structures inside a sentence or from sentence to sentence. So, as you read each Latin saying, see if you can identify what factor(s) might explain the Latin word order. 

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

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Non curat numerum lupus.
(The) wolf doesn't care (about the) number.
non curat NU-merum lupus.

The word numerum is the accusative of numerous which gives us English "number."

The idea is that the shepherd can count his sheep all he wants, but the wolf will still plunder the flock, killing and eating the sheep; the wolf doesn't care about the number of sheep that were counted.

Notice how both the subject and the object come after the verb, with an emphasis on the subject, lupus, in final position.


2. Placat victima parva Deum.
(A) small sacrifice pleases God.
placat VIC-tima parva Deum.

The verb placat, "appeases, pleases, pacifies," and gives us English "placate" and also "implacable."

The feminine noun victima means "sacrifice, sacrifical victim," and gives us English "victim." Because it is a feminine noun, it takes a feminine adjective: parva.

These words are from a neo-Latin poem which reads: Non quantum dederis, sed quanta mente dedisti, / Pensandum est: placat victima parva Deum, "What counts is not how much you might give, but with how much heart you gave: a small sacrifice pleases God.


3. Flos unus non facit hortum.
One flower doesn't make (a) garden.
flos unus non facit hortum.

The word hortum is the accusative of hortus, "garden," which you can see in English "horticulture."

As you can see, this saying is a variation on one you have seen before: Una linea geometram non facit.


4. Habitus non facit monachum.
(A) habit doesn't make (a) monk.
HA-bitus non facit MO-nachum.

The word monachum is the accusative of monachus, "monk," which gives us English "monk." As you can guess from the -ch-, the word is Greek in origin: μονᾰχός (monăkhós), from the root mon- which means "one, one only, alone" (as in English "monotonous").

You've seen the word habitus before, but it has a specific meaning here: the habit of a monk; for more, see the article in Wikipedia: Religious habit.

This saying is the opposite of one you saw before: Vestis virum facit. The idea is that someone can put on a monk's habit, but that does not make him a monk in spirit.


5. Philosophum non facit barba.
(A) beard doesn't make (a) philosopher.
phi-LO-sophum non facit barba.

The noun barba means "beard." Both Latin barba and English "beard" come from the same Indo-European root: bʰardʰéh₂.
The word philosophum is the accusative of philosophus, which gives us English "philosopher." The -ph- in the word is a clue that it is of Greek origin: φίλος (phílos, “loving”) +‎ σοφός (sophós, “wise”), i.e. "lover of wisdom."

This is the philosophical version of the previous saying: just as wearing a monastic habit does not make you a monk, having a beard does not make you a philosopher.


Here's a recap:

1. Non curat numerum lupus.
2. Placat victima parva Deum.
3. Flos unus non facit hortum.
4. Habitus non facit monachum.
5. Philosophum non facit barba.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 16 Catch-Up Day

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. There's also a slideshow below to help you review all the accusative nouns that you saw last week! Here are the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks:

• 67: Another Week of Accusatives
• 68: Compound Sentences
• Week 16 Vocabulary Review
• 69: Second-Declension Accusative
• 70: Doubled Subject-Objects

And here's a slideshow you can use to review all the sayings with the accusative nouns, plus their cats! The English portion of each slide is linked back to the original post if you want to review the notes for that saying.

I also made a printable crossword PDF with this week's sayings as the prompts; screenshots below.

Here's the random cat:

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Latin Lesson #70: Doubled Subject-Objects

The focus for today's lesson is doubled subject-object sayings, this time with -um. Here's a reminder of the doubled subject-objects you saw with -am earlier:

• Cura curam trahit.
• Gratia gratiam parit.
• Pecunia pecuniam parit.
• Iniuria non excusat iniuriam.

Remember: you can translate such sayings into English literally, or more idiomatically. Iniuria non excusat iniuriam literally reads "Wrong doesn't excuse wrong," but you can also translate it idiomatically, "One wrong doesn't excuse another."

I also need to say something here about diminutives. English has a few diminutive forms (dog ~ doggy), but that's nothing compared to the abundance of diminutive forms in Latin. We've inherited some Latin diminutives as English vocabulary; for example, Latin morsus is a "bite," and morsellus is a "little bite," which is where we get English "morsel." You're going to see a diminutive formed with the suffix -ellus in today's sayings.

Because English is not rich in diminutives, that makes it hard to translate Latin diminutives into English. Sometimes a Latin diminutive really does refer to something physically small, but more often it has other connotations: sometimes affectionate (sweet little something), but sometimes contemptuous (paltry little nothing). But, luckily, the goal is not to translate into English; the goal is to understand the Latin. So, as we encounter diminutives, like today, I'll try to remember to say something about the connotation even if it's hard or even impossible to translate into English.

Now here is the little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before that appear in today's sayings:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Nummus nummum parit.
Money produces money.
nummus nummum parit.

You know all the words of this saying already; nummum is the accusative of nummus.

As you can see, this saying is a variation on Pecunia pecuniam parit. The difference is that nummus literally means "coin" ("Coin produces coin"), and only by extension does it mean "money" in general. Compare the English saying, "It takes money to make money."

2. Caecus caecum ducit.
(One) blind (man) is-leading (another) blind (man).
caecus caecum ducit.

The verb ducit, "leads," is related to a word you already know: the noun dux, "leader." From this same root we get English words like the noun "duct" and compound verbs like "conduct" and "deduct," etc.

You already know the adjective caecus, which is being used substantively here: caecus means "blind (man)." The accusative form is caecum.

We use this same phrase in English: "the blind leading the blind" means that things are not going to end well. There is even an article in Wikipedia which documents the appearance of this saying across a range of cultures, including the Biblical Gospel of Matthew: "If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."


3. Lupus lupum non edit.
(One) wolf doesn't eat (another) wolf.
lupus lupum non edit.

The verb edit means "eats," and you can see the root in English "edible."

You already know the noun lupus, and lupum is the accusative form.

You can contrast this Latin saying with the English saying "dog eat dog," which means people will harm even those close to them in their pursuit of success. This Latin saying maintains just the opposite: no matter how ruthless wolves might be, lupus lupum non edit.

4. Asinus asinum fricat.
(One) donkey scratches (another) donkey.
A-sinus A-sinum fricat.

The verb fricat means "scratches," and you can see this root in English "friction."

This saying is sarcastic; donkeys were not held in high regard, but that doesn't stop donkeys form respecting one another. We might not think well of donkeys, but they think highly of one another! Literally, they scratch one another; metaphorically, they praise each other, exchange compliments, etc.

Compare the English saying, "One hand washes another," which expresses a similar idea, but without the sarcastic implication.


5. Asinus asellum culpat.
(The) ass is-blaming (the) jackass.
A-sinus a-SEL-lum culpat.

You know the word asinus, and asellus is the diminutive form, with asellum as the accusative form. 

The verb culpat, "blames," is related to the noun that you've seen already: culpa.

This is another sarcastic proverb; compare the English saying about "the pot calling the kettle black," which also has its own Wikipedia article. 

In a different context, asellus could refer to a small donkey, or to a much loved donkey. Given this sarcastic context, though, the use is contemptuous, so I chose "jackass" as the English translation, and I rendered asinus as "ass" instead of donkey in order to emphasize the absurdity of one ass criticizing another.


Here's a recap:

1. Nummus nummum parit.
2. Caecus caecum ducit.
3. Lupus lupum non edit.
4. Asinus asinum fricat.
5. Asinus asellum culpat.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #69: Second-Declension Accusative

Something new for today! It is now time for the accusative form of those 2nd-declension nouns, and just like for the 1st-declension, the singular accusative ending is -m, but this time the theme vowel is -u-, which gives the ending -um.

Easy, right? Here are the 2nd-declension accusative nouns you will see in today's sayings:

• vir (man): virum
• animus (spirit, mind): animum
• agnus (lamb): agnum
• oculus (eye): oculum
• somnus (sleep): somnum

You'll notice that sometimes 2nd-declension masculine nouns can end in -r (instead of -us) to which the endings are added directly. That's what's going on with nominative vir, which gives genitive vir-i, and accusative vir-um. The other 2nd-declension nouns and adjectives ending in -r that you've seen so far are: asper, faber, furcifer, liber, magister, puer, and pulcher. They are not exactly common, but they are not rare either.

Another thing I wanted to point out today is the way that proverbs are not monolithic. Instead, they represent a range of opinions; proverbs can even contradict one another. So, for example, today you have this saying: Vestis virum facit, "Clothes make the man." (Compare Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "The apparel oft proclaims the man.") And of course, that's true... sometimes; fine clothes can make a fine impression. But there are plenty of proverbs in Latin about how clothing is, at best, superficial and, at worst, a deceptive disguise; for example: Vestimentum non facit monachum, "Clothing does not make the monk" (i.e. just because someone wears a monk's habit doesn't mean he has a religious vocation), and Simia est simia, etiam si purpura vestiatur, "A monkey is a monkey, even if dressed in purple" (i.e. in royal robes). And here's a fun rhyming one: In vestimentis non est sapientia mentis, "In clothing that is fine there is no wisdom of mind" (I added the "fine" to make the rhyme work in English).

So, the more proverbs you learn, the better. Each proverb offers its own perspective on the world.

To get ready for today's new sayings, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

And here are the sayings:

1. Vestis virum facit.
Clothes make the man.
vestis virum facit.

The noun vestis, "clothing, clothes" can be seen in English "vestment." This is also the root of "invest."

The accusative virum is from the masculine noun vir.

Notice the nice sound play of v... v...: Vestis virum.


2. Cura angit animum.
Worry squeezes the spirit.
cura angit animum.

The verb angit means "squeezes, draws tight," even "strangles." By metaphorical extension, it also means to cause distress, to trouble, torment. This is the root of English "anxiety."

The accusative animum is from the masculine noun, animus.

This saying also has sound-play, a...a...: angit-animum. Compare another saying you saw about worrying: Cura curam trahit., which also has some word-play, cura-curam.


3. Lupus agnum vorat.
Wolf eats lamb.
lupus agnum vorat.

The noun lupus, "wolf," can be seen in English "lupine."

The accusative agnum is from the masculine noun agnus, "lamb." You may already know this phrase from Christian Latin: Agnus Dei, "Lamb of God." Find out more at Wikipedia: Agnus Dei.

This saying expresses the idea that it's the nature of wolves to eat lambs, and it's the nature of lambs to be eaten. There is a famous Aesop's fable in which a lamb argues with a wolf, but in the end... the wolf eats the lamb.


4. Nemo videt oculum suum.
Nobody sees their-own eye.
nemo videt O-culum suum.

The verb videt, "sees," gives us English "video."

The accusative oculum is from the masculine noun oculus.
The adjective suum, "one's own," is also masculine accusative, agreeing with oculum.

This proverb expresses a very nice paradox: you see with your eyes... but you cannot see your own eye. (Of course, you can use a mirror... but still: you get the idea!)


5. Endymionis somnum dormit.
(Someone) is-sleeping (the) sleep of-Endymion.
Endymi-O-nis somnum dormit.

The genitive Endymionis is from the 3rd-declension noun Endymion, which is a name from Greek mythology. (Remember: the genitive ending for the 3rd declension is -is.)

The accusative somnum is from the masculine noun somnus. 
Here's a quick explanation of who Endymion was and why he became proverbial for sleeping deeply: Selene, the Moon-Goddess, fell in love with Endymion, who was a mortal man; she begged Zeus to make Endymion immortal; to oblige Selene, Zeus put Endymion into eternal sleep so that he would never die, and that is why Selene is able to visit her lover every night, even now. You can find out more about this myth at Wikipedia: Endymion.

Here's a recap:

1. Vestis virum facit.
2. Cura angit animum.
3. Lupus agnum vorat.
4. Nemo videt oculum suum.
5. Endymionis somnum dormit.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 16 Vocabulary Review

Someone wrote and asked me to refocus this Wednesday vocabulary review on specific sayings rather than on vocabulary items; they told me it's getting harder to remember the sayings from the earlier weeks, which makes sense: there have now been over 300 sayings! So now the review slideshow includes the slide with the English translations, plus the links back to the original posts. The slideshow contains sayings at random from all the previous weeks.

Here's how the new slideshow works: 

Fill-in-the-blank. First there is a saying with a word (or words) blanked out. See if you can supply the missing word(s). Maybe you can do that without looking at the English, but the English is there for you as a prompt if needed.

Check. Then there is a slide to let you check your answer. 

Cat! Next, to reinforce the saying with a visual, there is a cat slide next.

Repeat. Then there is one final slide, without the English; use that final slide to repeat the saying out loud (there is the pronunciation prompt to help with the word stress at the bottom of the slide). Reading out loud is the key; that's how you will remember both the vocabulary and also the sayings themselves.

I hope this new kind of review slideshow will be useful, and that it will be fun too (because... cats!).

So, here's a link to the full-size show. And remember, you can click on the English translation to access the original blog post with notes for the saying.

I hope that will be a good review! And I'll be back tomorrow with more sayings. And more cats. :-)

Meanwhile, here's a random cat:

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