Latin Lesson #89: More -a imperatives

The focus for today's lesson is another set of 1st-conjugation imperative verbs ending in -a.

You're also going to see an example of a negative imperative using the word ne. Previously, you've seen verbs negated with non. You cannot use non with an imperative, though. Instead, you use ne. 

So, excita means "wake!" and ne excita means "don't wake!" 

There are other ways to create negative imperatives that you will learn later, and you will also learn other uses of the word ne. For now, though, suffice to say that you can create a negative imperative with ne plus the imperative.

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

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Lauda finem.
Praise (the) end.
lauda finem.

You haven't seen the verb lauda before, but you have seen this noun: laudator. You also know this root from the Latin phrase we use in English summa cum laude (the form laude is a noun in the ablative case; you'll be learning more about that later).

The word finem is the accusative of finis, and it is the object of the imperative verb.

The idea is that you should wait until the end of something to declare that it is good. Praise the end, not the beginning of the middle. Compare a saying that you saw earlier: Finis coronat opus. You can also compare the English saying, "Don't count your chickens until they're hatched."


2. Vigila et ora.
Keep-awake and pray.
VI-gila et ora.

The verb vigila means "stay awake! keep watch!" You can see this same root in English "vigilant."

This phrase is a popular motto; you can see it here on the Bourne city crest.


3. Longa via est: propera.
(The) way is long: hurry.
longa via est: PRO-pera.

The verb propera means "hurry!"

This saying can apply to a literally way: if you have a long journey, you need to make haste to get to your journey's end. Metaphorically, it can refer to a task that will take a long time.

The words come from Ovid's Tristia, the poetry that he wrote when exiled to distant Tomis (in what is now Romania). Ovid is speaking to the book of poetry that he is writing, sending the book to Rome, and telling it to hurry; the journey is long... around 1500 miles from Tomis back to Rome.


4. Rem omnem considera.
Inspect (the) whole thing.
Rem omnem con-SI-dera.

The word rem is the accusative form of res, and omnem is the accusative form of omnis. This accusative noun phrase is the object of the verb.

The imperative considera gives us English "consider." 

The idea is that you must based your judgments on a full understanding of any situation, rem omnem. Don't rush to judgment; consider the whole situation.


5. Canem sopitum ne excita.
Don't awake (a) sleeping dog.
Canem so-PI-tum ne EX-cita.

The word canem is the accusative form of canis.

The adjective sopitum literally means "lulled to sleep, put to sleep." This noun phrase, canem sopitum, is the object of the verb. You can see this same root in English "soporific."

The little word ne creates a negative imperative: ne excita, "don't wake!"

Compare the English saying "Let sleeping dogs lie."

You may also know the English phrase "a sop to Cerberus." This refers to the way that the Sibyl in Vergil's Aeneid quieted the hound of Hades, Cerberus, by making him go to sleep by giving him a lump of bread that was infused with sleep-inducing honey and herbs.


Here's a recap:

• Lauda finem.
• Vigila et ora.
• Longa via est: propera.
• Rem omnem considera.
• Canem sopitum ne excita.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 21 Vocabulary Review

Here 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... along with the 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 treat this as a quiz, filling in the blank and then checking your answer, or you can just use it as a way to read out loud, sometimes with the English prompt and sometimes without. The key thing is just to repeat, reading out loud, learning new words by reading and hearing yourself read.

If you want to do even more reviewing, here's are the review slideshows from Week 20, Week 19, and Week 18. The more you review, the better!

And... here's a random cat:

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Latin Lesson #88: More imperatives

The focus for today's lesson is more imperatives. Just to review, here are yesterday's sayings with imperative verb forms, and I've put the normal present-tense form of the verb in parentheses:

Diu delibera. (deliberat)

Festina lente. (festinat)

Minime iudica. (iudicat)

Ora et labora. (orat, laborat)

Separa et impera. (separat, imperat)

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

And now here are today's proverbs; like yesterday, they all feature imperative verbs from the 1st conjugation, ending in -a.

1. Ama proximum.
Love (your) neighbor.
ama PROX-imum.

You know the verb ama already, but proximus, "nearest, next," is new. You can see this Latin root in English "proximity" and "approximate."

The word proximum is the accusative form of the adjective, which is being used as a noun, "neighbor," in the sense of the person "(the man) next (door)" to you. 

You can find the sentiment "Love thy neighbor" in the Biblical Book of Leviticus, and repeatedly in the writings of the New Testament: diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum, "you will cherish (diliges) your neighbor as yourself."


2. Fugit hora: ora.
Time is-fleeing: pray.
fugit hora: ora.

You know all the words in this saying!

The phrase fugit hora is similar to a saying you saw earlier: fugit tempus. The word hora can mean "hour," but it can also mean "time" in general.

Note the rhyme: hora-ora. This motto is associated with sun-dial art. The idea is that life is short, so you better pray now, before it is too late.


3. Festina: mox nox.
Hurry: (it will be) night soon.
fes-TI-na: mox nox.

You also know all the words in this saying already, and once again, it relies on rhyme: mox nox. 

The "night" here is literally the night that comes at the end of every day, but metaphorically, it refers to the night that is the end of life, so this saying has the same meaning as the previous saying.


4. Aeternitatem cogita.
Think (about) eternity.
aeterni-TA-tem CO-gita.

The word aeternitatem is the accusative of aeternitas, which gives us English "eternity."
You might know the verb cogita from the famous saying of Descartes, Cogito, ergo sum, "I think, therefore I am."

Notice that, as often in Latin, the accusative object comes before the verb, the opposite of English, where the object regularly comes after the verb.

This saying is part of the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral. While life is short, death is forever, so this saying echoes the previous sayings, but this time from the perspective of the eternity that is death as opposed to the brevity that is life.


5. Tigridis evita sodalitatem.
Avoid (a) tiger's friendship.
TI-gridis e-VI-ta sodali-TA-tem.

The word tigridis is the genitive of the 3rd-declension noun tigris, which gives us English "tiger."

The word sodalitatem is the accusative of the 3rd-declension noun sodalitas, which means "association" or "friendship." This is the root of English "sodality."

The verb evita means "avoid, shun." You can see this root in English "inevitable." 

Notice how the noun phrase, tigridis...sodalitatem, wraps around the imperative verb.

The idea is that a tiger, even when a friend, is dangerous. It may seem desirable to have powerful friends, but this saying advises that such friendships themselves are dangerous.


Here's a recap:

• Ama proximum.
• Fugit hora: ora.
• Festina: mox nox.
• Aeternitatem cogita.
• Tigridis evita sodalitatem.

And here is today's audio:



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Latin Lesson #87: Imperatives

The focus for today's lesson is something new: the imperative form of the verb. The imperative form is a command, and you can see that the word "imperative" itself comes from a Latin root, as the verb imperat means "commands."

The imperative is usually the shortest, simplest form of the verb (I personally like to think that is because the imperatives were the original verbs: language was invented to boss other people around!). This week, the focus will all be on imperative verbs in the first conjugation, ending in -a.

For example, you know the verb dat, "gives." The imperative form would be da! "Give!" 

The imperative just the stem of the verb, ending in its theme vowel. For the first conjugation, that theme vowel is -a.

To get ready for today's lesson, here is a little slideshow with some first conjugation sayings that you have seen earlier. For practice, try changing each first conjugation form into an imperative. If the saying says vorat, "devours," then you would say vora! "devour!"

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Diu delibera.
Ponder a-long-time.
diu de-LI-bera.

You already know the adverb diu, and the verb delibera gives us English "deliberate!" The verb is a compound de-libera, "about-weigh." You can see the root of Latin libra, "scales, balance" (the device used for weighing something) in the astrological sign, Libra. 

The idea here is that you should not act rashly; instead, take a long time to consider your options.

The charm of this saying lies in the alliteration: D... d...


2. Festina lente.
Hurry slowly.
fes-TI-na lente.

The verb festina means "hurry!"

The adverb lente, "slowly," is from the adjective lent- with the adverbial ending -e. You've already seen some other adverbs form in this same way, such as bene, male and impune. 
Compare the English saying, "More haste, less speed." The idea is that if you must hurry, don't hurry too much; if you hurry too much, you are likely to make mistakes. 


3. Minime iudica.
Judge as-little-as-possible.
MI-nime IU-dica.

The adverb minime means "as little as possible." This is another adverb form with -e. You can see this root in the English word "minimum," which is itself a Latin neuter adjective, "the littlest possible (thing)."

The verb iudica, "judge!" is the root of English words like "adjudicate" and "judicial." You've already seen the related Latin word iudex.

The use of minime here is a way of expressing a negative imperative: "Judge as little as possible," i.e. "Don't just at all!" The saying is from an ancient collection known as the Dictichs of Cato.


4. Ora et labora.
Pray and work.
ora et la-BO-ra.

The verb ora has a range of meanings, including "give a speech" (as in the noun you already know, oratio) and also "beg, entreat." In Christian Latin, it came to have the special meaning of "pray," which is the meaning here. Rhyming proverbs like this one are medieval in origin, and thus often feature Christian Latin vocabulary.
You do not know the verb labora, but you do know the noun: labor. 

This motto is especially associated with monastic Rule of Saint Benedict. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Ora et labora.


5. Separa et impera.
Divide and rule.
SE-para et IM-pera.

The verb separa means "divide," and it gives us English "separate."
You already know impera, which is also the root of English "imperative."

Compare the saying "Divide and conquer" in English.


Here's a recap:

• Diu delibera.
• Festina lente.
• Minime iudica.
• Ora et labora.
• Separa et impera.

And here is today's audio:



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Week 20 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... before we move on to imperatives next week. (Yes, you'll be able to boss people around in Latin starting next week!)

Meanwhile, here are the lessons from this week, plus previous weeks, and you'll find the review slideshow before: 

• 83: Proverbial paradoxes
• 84: Proverbial elephants
• Vocabulary review
• 85: 3rd-Declension neuter accusative
• 86: Finishing up Week 20

And here's a slideshow with all the sayings from the week... and their cats! Read them out loud while you watch; in fact, you can read them out loud twice: once with the English prompt, and once with the cat.

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

And here's the random cat:

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Latin Lesson #86: Finishing up Week 20

The focus for today's lesson is more practice with those neuter nouns and adjectives of the 3rd declension. Here is a list of some of the proverbs you've seen with 3rd-declension neuter nouns and adjectives; I've put those 3rd-declension neuter words in bold, and I've underlined the ones that are in the accusative case:

1. Forma dei munus.
2. Rotat omne fatum.
3. Tempus breve est.
4. Roma caput mundi.
5. Caput Nili quaerit.
6. Futurum invisibile.
7. Finis coronat opus.
8. Tempus neminem manet.
9. Virtutis iter arduum.
10. Inevitabile est fatum.
11. Male olet omne caenum.
12. Sola apis mel conficit.
13. Omne initium difficile.
14. Frangit iram dulce verbum.
15. Timet naufragus omne fretum.

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

So, here are today's proverbs, and I have underlined the accusative 3rd-declension nouns and adjectives below too:

1. Simile appetit simile.
Like seeks like.
SI-mile AP-petit SI-mile.

The neuter adjective simile gives us English "similar." You see the adjective here twice: once in the nominative as the subject of the verb, and once in the accusative as the object of the verb.

The verb appetit, "seeks, grasps at," is the Latin root you see in English "appetite."

Compare the English saying, "Birds of a feather flock together."


2. Vinum os facundum facit.
Wine makes (the) mouth eloquent.
vinum os fa-CUN-dum facit.

You've seen the neuter noun os before, and the word vinum is also neuter, so it is only from the context of the sentence that you can tell which one is the subject, vinum, and which one is the object, os.

The neuter adjective facundum, "eloquent," agrees with the neuter noun os. 

The idea is that when someone drinks, they speak freely, and in this drunken "eloquence," they might say things that they would not say when sober.

3. Incustoditum captat ovile lupus.
(The) wolf raids (the) unguarded sheepfold.
incusto-DI-tum captat o-VI-le lupus.

The word incustoditum, "unguarded," is a compound: in-custoditum. You haven't seen this word before, but you have seen the verb custodit.

The verb captat, "raids, snatches, seizes," and you can see this same root in Latin "captive."
You haven't seen the word ovile, "sheepfold," before, but you have seen the noun ovis. The neuter noun ovile takes an accusative adjective: incustoditum. This noun phrase incustoditum...ovile wraps around the verb.

This neuter 3rd-declension noun is in the accusative case, the object of the verb; lupus, in the nominative case, is the subject.

4. Deus ipse solem, quasi lumen, accendit.
God himself lights (the) sun like (a) lamp.
Deus ipse solem, quasi lumen, ac-CEN-dit.

You haven't seen the verb accendit, "light, set fire to," but you have seen another verb that shares the same root: incendit.

The verb takes two objects: solem is a 3rd-declension masculine noun in the accusative case, and lumen is a 3rd-declension neuter noun.

The words from the Roman politician and philosopher Cicero.

5. Est verbum verum: frangit Deus omne superbum.
(It) is (a) true word: God shatters every proud (thing).
est verbum verum: frangit deus omne su-PER-bum.

You haven't seen the neuter adjective superbum before, but you have seen a related noun: superbia. The adjective is being used substantively here, as a noun: "proud (thing)."

The noun Deus is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb, so that means the noun phrase omne superbum is in the accusative case, the object of the verb.

The saying rhymes, which is often a feature of medieval Latin proverbs; classical Latin poetry does not use rhyme, but it is a feature of medieval Latin poetry and therefore of proverbs too.

Here's a recap:

• Simile appetit simile.
• Vinum os facundum facit.
• Incustoditum captat ovile lupus.
• Deus ipse solem, quasi lumen, accendit.
• Est verbum verum: frangit deus omne superbum.

And here is today's audio:



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