03.08.26; Level 4; Subjunctive [80] dependent uses [9] relative clauses of characteristic (2) practice

Complete the Latin sentences with the subjunctive verbs listed below.

[i] There are those who (would / could / may) say …

Sunt quī __________ …

[ii] Who is there who would believe this man?

Quis est quī huic __________?

[iii] Who is there who would not want to learn Latin?

Quis est quī linguam Latīnam discere __________?

[iv] You’re looking for a friend whom you can / could trust.

Amīcum petis cuī cōnfīdere __________.

[v] Aurelius is the kind of pupil who would want to annoy the teacher.

Aurēlius est discipulus quī magistrum vexāre __________.

[vi] The student who’s the sort of person who works hard can learn well.

Discipulus quī dīligenter __________ bene discere potest.

[vii] They say many things that I barely understand.

Multa dīcunt quae vix __________ (Cicero)

[viii] For there is noone now who would complain.

Nēmō est enim, idem quī __________ (Cicero)

[ix] There are those who pity Pompey.

Sunt quī Pompeium __________.

[x] There were some who pitied Helvidius.

Erant quī Helvidium __________ (Tacitus)

[xi] I see nothing which I might fear.

Nihil videō quod __________ (Cicero)

[xii] Who is there who would not be allowed [literally: to whom it would not be permitted] to want (it)?

Quis est, cui velle __________? (Cicero)

[xiii] There is no reason why you should dread my arrival.

Nihil est quod adventum nostrum __________ (Cicero)

[xiv] For you’re not the type of person who wouldn’t know.

Neque enim tū is es quī __________ (Cicero)

[xv] There is nothing that is not to be [should not be] feared.

Nihil est, quod nōn timendum __________ (Cicero)

crēdat; dīcant; extimēscās; intellegam; labōret; nōn liceat; miserārentur; miserentur; nesciās; nōlit; possīs; querātur; sit; timeam; velit

____________________

[i] dīcant

[ii] crēdat

[iii] nōlit

[iv] possīs

[v] velit

[vi] labōret

[vii] intellegam

[viii] querātur

[ix] miserentur

[x] miserārentur

[xi] timeam

[xii] nōn liceat

[xiii] extimēscās

[xiv] nesciās

[xv] sit

03.08.26; Level 4; Subjunctive [79] dependent uses [9] relative clauses of characteristic (1)

[1] Until now you have seen relative clauses with quī, quae and quod used with indicative verbs. Below is a brief reminder with some examples of relative clauses together with links to earlier posts.

Magister puerum quī tē amat videt. │ The teacher sees the boy who loves you.

Poēta dē fēminā quae in Ītaliā vīvit scrībit. │ The poet writes about the woman who lives in Italy.

Poēta dē oppidō quod Aenēās amat scrībit. │ The poet writes about the town which Aeneas loves.

Magister puerum cuius canis vīvit videt. │ The teacher sees the boy whose dog is alive.

Magister puerum cui dōnum dēdī videt. │ The teacher sees the boy to whom I gave a gift.

Magister puerum quem amās videt. │ The teacher sees the boy whom you love.

Arbor, sub quō sedēbam, dēcidit. │ The tree, under which I was sitting, fell.

Poēta dē virīs quī in Ītaliā vīvunt scrībit. │ The poet writes about the men who live in Italy.

Poēta dē virīs quōrum domus in Ītaliā est scrībit. │ The poet writes about the men whose home is in Italy.

Poēta dē virīs quibus rēgīna dōna dat scrībit. │ The poet writes about the men to whom the queen gives gifts.

Poēta dē fēminīs quās nautae amant scrībit. │ The poet writes about the women whom the sailors love.

Dux lēgātōs quibuscum vēnimus laudat. │ The leader praises the envoys with whom we came.

[2] All of the relative clauses (also known as adjectival clauses) describe a noun that is in the main clause, known in grammar as the antecedent:

Poēta dē fēminā [antecedent] ¦ quae in Ītaliā vīvit ¦ scrībit. │ The poet writes about the woman ¦ who lives in Italy.

Below are revision links to the topic of relative clauses:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/relative%20clauses%3B%20qui%20quae%20quod

https://mega.nz/file/LBkiSJCD#fPqhOvYKHJSf620K-65RHMJqUHME6KVX1touaEv74m4

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5417328695489586949/3802792940545469119

[3]

[i] All of the relative clauses above refer to facts; that is, they describe something that is true about the antecedent, and the verb of the relative clause is in the indicative.

[ii] However, a relative clause does not always describe a particular individual. It may instead describe the type or sort of person or thing that the antecedent is.

English can do something similar:

[i] That’s the man ¦ who lives in our street.

• This is factual and refers to a specific person.

[ii] He’s the type / sort of man ¦ who never tells you the truth.

• This does not describe the man individually, but a characteristic he shares with others.

English can take this a step further:

He’s the type of man ¦ who would do something like that.

• Again, this does not describe the man individually, but a characteristic that he may share with others.

In Latin the subjunctive is used to convey [ii] i.e. relative clauses that do not describe fact, but a characteristic of the antecedent.

Quis est ¦ cui credāmus? │ Who is there ¦ whom we can trust?

The subjunctive idea of that sentence could equally be translated as:

Who is there whom we could / would / might trust?

[4] Compare [i] indicative and [ii] subjunctive use in the relative clauses.

[i] Vir est ¦ qui pecūniam meam semper rapit [indicative] │ He is the man ¦ who always steals my money [fact].

[ii] Vir est ¦ quī pecūniam meam rapiat [subjunctive] │ He is the kind of man ¦ who steals / would steal my money [characteristic].

[i] Vir est ¦ quī fēcit [indicative] │ He is the man ¦ who did / has done this [fact].

[ii] Vir est ¦ qui fēcerit [subjunctive] │ He is the sort of man ¦ who would have done this  [characteristic].

[5] Examples of relative clauses of characteristic:

Eī nōn sunt ¦ quī hoc faciant │ They are not the kind of people ¦ who would do this.

Nēmō est ¦ quī hostem petere possit. │ There is no one ¦ who can / could attack the enemy.

Mīles est ¦ quem mirēmur │ The soldier is the kind of man ¦ whom we would marvel at.

Is erat ¦ quī veritātem dīceret. │ He was the sort of person / man ¦ who would speak the truth.

[6] Phrases that act as signals for relative clauses may be followed by the indicative or subjunctive depending precisely on what is meant i.e. either fact or characteristic; English can render them differently:

[i] Est (is, ea) quī / quae │ (s)he is the one / the kind of person who … [the subject pronoun in Latin may be omitted]

Is est ¦ quī illam habet [indicative] (Plautus) │ He is the one ¦ who has her [fact].

Nōn is est ¦ quī rogāre nesciat [subjunctive] (Seneca the Elder) │ He is not the sort of man ¦ who would not know how to ask [characteristic].

Itaque etiam sī indifferēns mors est, nōn tamen ea est ¦ quae facile neglegī possit [subjunctive] (Seneca the Younger) │ And so, even if death is indifferent, it is nevertheless not such a thing ¦ that could easily be disregarded.

Similarly:

Ille est ¦ quī in lupānārī accubat [indicative] (Plautus) │ He’s / that’s the one ¦ who’s lying in the brothel (fact: he’s not ‘the kind of person’ who does it – he’s actually doing it!)

Quis autem hic est, quī ēmendet pūblicōs mōrēs? [subjunctive] (Pliny the Younger) │ Who is this person ¦ who would reform public morals?

[ii] Sunt (eī, eae) quī … │ There are those who …

Improbī sunt ¦ quī pecūniās contrā lēgēs cogunt [indicative] (Cicero) │ They are wicked men ¦ who collect money contrary to the laws.

At sunt ¦ quī vōs hortentur [subjunctive] (Caesar) │ Yet there are those ¦ who (would) encourage you

The clause of characteristic may not refer to any particular person or thing or they may suggest that what is being referred to does not exist:

[iii] Nihil est quod … │ There is nothing that …

• Nihil est ¦ quod timeās (Plautus) │ There is nothing ¦ that you should fear.

[iv] Nēmō est quī … │ There is nobody who …

• Nūlla est enim laus ibi esse integrum ubi ¦ nēmō est quī aut possit aut cōnētur corrumpere (Cicero)

For there is no praise in integrity where ¦ there is no man who either can or attempts to corrupt it.

English does not always reflect the subjunctive idea of the Latin original. That does not matter since the sense is clear. However, what the Latin literally conveys is that “there is no man who … could / may (might) be able … could / may (might) attempt …

[v] Quis est quī … ?│ Who is there who …?

• Quis est ¦ quī nōn intellegat …? (Cicero) │ Who is there ¦ who does not / would not understand?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_1qyqYD7yc

03.08.26: Level 3+; Comenius (1658) CXLIII; the besieging of a city [6] vocabulary and notes [v]

… vel ēiaculandō globōs tormentāriōs ē mortāriīs (ballistīs) in urbem per ballistāriōs, quī latitant post gerrās, vel subvertendō cūniculīs per fossōrēs.

[i] gerrae, -ārum [1/f]: twigs woven together; wattled twigs

[ii] also: crātis, -is [3/f]: wickerwork

The translator of Comenius’ work uses the noun “leaguer-baskets”, a now obsolete term and only recorded in the mid-1600s, leaguer meaning a siege. The term “beleagured” (surrounded by enemy troops or tormented by trouble or difficulty) still exists in Modern English. Images #1 and #2 show bundles of sticks woven together as a “basket” and filled with sand as a means of defence against missile attack. We still use sandbags.

A Roman army on the move isn’t building stone castles; fortifications need to be constructed quickly, and our interest here is the use of wicker or timber as a means of protection

asserēs enim pedum XII cuspidibus praefīxī atque hī maximīs ballistīs missī per quattuor ōrdinēs crātium in terram dēfīgēbantur (Caesar)

• For they had wooden bars, twelve feet in length, armed at the point with iron, which were shot with such force from their ballistae, that they pierced four rows of hurdles, and entered a considerable way into the ground.

asser, -is [3/m]: stake; beam; pole

cuspis, cuspidis [3/f]: tip / point of an object e.g. an arrow

Note: ‘hurdles’ referring here to wickerwork fortifications

Images #3 andd #4:

Dē Mīlitiā Rōmānā (Lipsius: 1596) shows wickerwork defences: [A] vīnea, -ae [1/f], providing overhead protection; [B] pluteus, -ī [2/m], providing frontal protection. Both are moveable, and both can be referred to as mantlets.

03.08.26: Level 3+; Comenius (1658) CXLIII; the besieging of a city [5] vocabulary and notes [iv]

funda, -ae [1/f]: sling

funditor, funditōris [3/m]: slinger

glāns, glandis [3/f]: [i] acorn; acorn-shaped nut e.g. chestnut [ii] (military) the lead sling-shot projectile (glāns plumbea) used by slingers. Its almond or acorn shape improved aerodynamics and penetration.

This example, discovered at Córdoba is exceptional. It bears:

[i] the name CAESAR

[ii] IPSCA, a fortified Iberian settlement.

Inscribed sling bullets often carried insults or taunts directed at the enemy. In this case, however, the inscription is interpreted as signalling the loyalty of Ipsca to Julius Caesar during the civil war against Pompey (mid-1st century BC).

02.08.26: Level 2 (review); Carolus et Maria [31] [2]

Part Two

Hoc cōnsilium erat grātum puerō. Posteā eōdem diē Cassius oppidō appropinquāvit. Deinde in aedificium magnum vēnit. Ibi virī et fēminae pictūrās spectāvērunt. Ante Cassium in pictūrīs erant mīlitēs quī multās rēs faciēbant. Imperātor, Iūlius appellātus, erat vir magnae virtūtis. Multōs mīlitēs dūcēbat. Ante imperātōrem erat legiō magna quae tria mīlia mīlitum habēbat. Mīlitēs arma et signum portābant et hostēs vincere parātī erant. Dux imperābat et legiō in duās partēs dīvīsa est. Alia ad dextram iter faciēbat, alia ad sinistram.

[1] What did the boy think of the advice? (1)

[2] What did Cassius do on the same day? (1)

[3] What did he see in the large building? (2)

[4]

What information is given about:

(a) Julius? (3)

(b) what the soldiers were doing? (4)

(c) number and division of the legions? (4)

____________________

[1] Pleased / it was pleasing to him (1)

[2] Approached the town (1)

[3] Men and women (1) looking at pictures (1)

[4]

(a) commander (1), man of great virtue (1), leading many soldiers (1)

(b) performing many tasks (1); carrying weapons (1); carrying the standard (1); ready to defeat the enemies (1)

(c) three thousand soldiers (1); divided into two parts (1); one part marching to the right (1), one part marching to the left (1)

01.08.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [2]: places

[1] Which of the following would you find ….

(a) in the countryside?

(b) in a town?

(c) in or near the sea?

ager

bālaena

cūria

fluvius

fundus

harēna

lītus

macellum

mōns

pharus

pistrīnum

scapha

silva

thermae

thermopōlium

[2] Label the images:

ager, -rī [2/m]

bālaena, -ae [1/f]

cūria, -ae [1/f]

fluvius, -ī [2/m]

fundus, -ī [2/m]

harēna, -ae [1/f]

lītus, lītoris [3/n]

macellum, -ī [2/n]

mōns, montis [3/m]

pharus, -ī [2 m/f]

pistrīnum, -ī [2/n]

scapha, -ae [1/f]

silva, -ae [1/f]

thermae, -ārum [1/f/pl]

thermopōlium, -ī [2/n]

____________________

[1]

(a) ager, fluvius, fundus, mōns, silva

(b) cūria, macellum, pistrīnum, thermopōlium, thermae

(c) bālaena, harēna, lītus, pharus, scapha

[2]

31.07.26; Level 3+; Subjunctive [78] dependent uses [8] concessive clauses (3) etsī, etiamsī, tametsī

Some brief notes (at this stage) on other conjunctions that introduce concessive clauses.

[1] etsī, etiamsī, tametsī

These conjunctions are concessive in meaning, but their choice of mood follows the same pattern as conditional clauses. Conditional clauses are an extensive topic and so, for the moment, the focus should simply be on what these three conjunctions mean and how mood affects their use.

[i] With the indicative

The indicative is used when the speaker presents the concessive clause as a fact, something accepted as true and asserts that it does not affect the action. It is most often translated as ‘although’ or 'even if':.

Etsī id ipsum scīre cupiō, … (Cicero)

• Although I want to know one thing …

Nam ista vēritās, etiamsī iūcunda nōn est, mihi tamen grāta est (Cicero)

• For that truth, even if it is not pleasant, is nevertheless pleasing to me.

Etsī abest mātūritās, tamen nōn est inūtile (Cicero)

• Though ripeness of age is wanting, yet it is not useless

Tametsī iactat ille quidem illud suum arbitrium … (Cicero)

• Although he does indeed boast of that judgment of his ...

Tametsī hīs novīs amīcitiīs implicātī sumus (Cicero)

• Although we are [ = I am] involved in these new friendships

quam tibi, etiamsī nōn dēsīderās, tamen mittam cito (Cicero)

• and I will send it to you very soon, whether you want it or not [literally: even if you do not want (it)].

Etsī mōns Cevennā iter impediēbat, tamen ad fīnēs Arvernōrum pervēnit (Caesar).

• Although the Cevennes were blocking the route of the march, nevertheless (Caesar) arrived at the frontier of the Arverni.

Itaque, etsī nē anteā quidem dubitāvī, … (Cicero)

• And so, even if I had no doubt [ = did not even doubt] before …

Etsī numquam dubium fuit, tamen perspiciō … (Cicero)

• Although it has never been doubtful, I nevertheless perceive …

Etsī nōndum stipulātiōnēs lēgeram ... (Cicero)

• Even if I had not yet read the agreements …

Etsī incrēdibilī et singulārī calamitāte adflīctus sum, … (Cicero)

• Though I have been crushed by an incredible and unparalleled misfortune …

[2] With the subjunctive

The subjunctive is used when the speaker introduces a hypothetical or imagined concession and asserts that it does not affect the outcome expressed in the main clause. It is most often translated as ‘even if’.

Etiamsī nōn adiuvēs, haec facere possim.

• Even if you were not to help, I would (nevertheless) be able to do this.

This is a hypothetical concessive statement.

Quārē ita parātus est, ut, etiamsī vincere nōn possit, ... (Cicero)

• And therefore he is so equipped that, even if he should not be able to win …

Pol etsī taceās, palam id quidem est (Plautus)

• By Pollux, even if you were to keep silent, that is indeed common knowledge.

Etsī illī improbī sint atque aliter nōbīs faciant quam aequomst (Plautus)

• Even if those men are / should be dishonest and (would) act toward us otherwise than is fair, …

...etiamsī vērum esset... (Cicero)

• Even if it were true…

etiamsī ā lībrāriō admonitus esset (Cicero)

• even if he had been advised by the clerk

[3] Note: Latin often uses different verb forms to show how the speaker views a situation (as a fact or as something uncertain or imagined). As has been mentioned many times in previous discussions on the subjunctive, English does not always show this clearly, and the difference often has to be understood from the wording rather than from the verb alone.

In the examples above, however, you can see a subtle difference which is similarly expressed in English:

[i] Although you’re going / even if you go, you won’t meet him.

Here the speaker presents the action of going as fact or more likely.

[ii] Even if you went / were to go, you wouldn’t meet him.

Here the speaker presents the action of going as hypothetical or less likely.

It is worth bearing that distinction in mind when the topic of conditional clauses in Latin is dealt with in depth.

31.07.26: Level 3+; Comenius (1658) CXLIII; the besieging of a city [4] vocabulary and notes [iii]

This section examines some vocabulary used to express 17^th century warfare although the terms used are rooted in Classical Latin.

Vel mūrōs per scālās trānscendendō, aut diruendō arietibus, aut dēmoliendō tormentīs, vel dirumpendō portās exōstrā, vel ēiaculandō globōs tormentāriōs ē mortāriīs (ballistīs) in urbem …

[1]

mortārium, -ī [2/n]: mortar; in Classical Latin this denotes the bowl used for grinding or pounding substances. By extension, the English derivative refers to [i] the sand–lime/cement mixture prepared in such a vessel, and [ii] a short-barrelled artillery mortar, so named from its bowl-like shape rather than from any Roman military usage.

[2]

exōstra, -ae [1/f]: petard; Comenius uses this as a Neo-Latin term, applying a meaning that was not used in Classical Latin

Invented in 1579, the petard was a small bomb containing 2-3kg of gunpowder and used to blow up gates and walls.

“For ’tis the sport to have the engineer Hoist with his own petard (Shakespeare: Hamlet)”; the phrase referring in the play to being ‘lifted’ i.e. blown up by one’s own bomb has become an idiom for being foiled by one’s own plan or falling into one’s own trap.

The Ancient Romans did not have explosives and the noun exōstra had two meanings:

[i] (theatrical) a moveable piece of scenery to represent the interior of a room

[ii] (military) “… a peculiar kind of bridge, which was thrown from a tower of the besiegers upon the walls of a besieged town, and across which the assailants marched to attack those of the besieged who were stationed on the ramparts to defend the town” (Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities)

[3]

globus, -ī [2/m]: any small, round object

tormentārius, -a, -um: (Neo-Latin) relating to a firearm; the adjective is not attested in Classical Latin but obviously derived from tormentum.

____________________

The Gunpowder Plot, a foiled attempt to blow up the British Houses of Parliament on November 4^th 1605 made international headlines and reports were published throughout Europe in several languages including Latin. I have the impression the report was written quickly or incorrectly transcribed since there are errors (marked with asterisks):

… effigiēs septem Anglōrum quī Rēgem suum cum *paraecipuēs* [= praecipuōs] Statūs Anglicī Proceribus ad *Parlementum* [= Parlamentum] ut vocant convocātīs pulvere tormentāriō simul horrendō modō in ipsā domō *Parlemntī* [= Parlamentī] ēvertere voluērunt.

• … the images of the seven Englishmen who wanted to overthrow their king together with the noblemen as they call the leading men of the English State (who had been) summoned to Parliament at the same time in an horrific manner by means of gunpowder in the House of Parliament itself.

pulvis, pulveris [3/n]: powder

pulvis tormentārium: gunpowder i.e. the powder is used to propel the projectile

Similarly:

globus tormentārius: cannonball; “grenade”

There is a contemporary reference to both terms by Diego Collado, a Spanish Christian missionary (1587 – 1638):

Ego pulverem tormentārium cōnficiō: cum ergō ita sit: haereticīs et pyrātīs Holandīs vēndidī huiusmodī pulverem; illīs etiam ministrāvī quaerendō vīctū alia, sclopōs, et glandēs seu globōs tormentāriōs, et tormenta et alia īnstrūmenta bellica.

• I make the gunpowder, and as it is, I have sold it to the Dutch heretics and pirates. For obtaining my livelihood, I also procured other stuff for them: guns and bullets or cannon balls and cannons and other instruments of war.

glāns, glandis [3/f]: (Classical Latin) acorn; acorn-shaped nut e.g. chestnut, but the term was also used by the Romans to refer to a small ball of lead or clay hurled at the enemy from a sling; (Neo-Latin) bullet

The origin of the word sclopus - referring to a gun - is unclear, but its use here is not unique. Comenius uses it in the section of his book concerned with children’s games:

Sclopō vel arcū iaculantur │ They shoot with a “trunk” or a bow

The image from that section of the book shows the boy using some form of blow-pipe or pea-shooter, translated as “trunk” presumably since it’s wooden and cylindrical.

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/10/080125-level-1-topic-school-18-sports.html

It appears to be related to: stloppus, -ī [2/m], a slap (the sound produced by striking upon the inflated cheek) [Lewis & Short]; also listed as scloppus in Gaffiot); variant forms appear in manuscripts including sclop- and scoph-, an onomatopoetic word conveying the sound; it is found in Italian: schioppo (gun) and scoppio (explosion) 

sclopētum, -ī [2/n]: (Neo-Latin) rifle

sclopetārius, -ī [2/m]: (Neo-Latin) rifleman

In the report on the Gunpowder Plot, the following statement is made:

Robertus Catesbī & Thomas Percī ictū sclopētī periēre 

• Robert Catesby and Thomas Percy perished from a gunshot

ictus,-ūs [4/m]: blow; strike; (Neo-Latin) referring to the shot from a gun

While this is of interest, words related to guns are not pertinent to the Ancient Romans since no such weaponry existed.

31.07.26: Level 3+; Comenius (1658) CXLIII; the besieging of a city [3] vocabulary and notes [ii]

Vel mūrōs per scālās trānscendendō, aut diruendō arietibus, aut dēmoliendō tormentīs, vel dirumpendō portās exōstrā, vel ēiaculandō globōs tormentāriōs ē mortāriīs (ballistīs) in urbem per ballistāriōs…

[1]

In Roman warfare:

[i] ballista, -ae [1/f]: ballista, a large free-standing catapult used for throwing stones or bolts

[ii] ballistārius, -ī [2/m]: the soldier who operated a ballista

Comenius equates the term with mortar although Roman ballistae were mechanically operated and did not employ gunpowder or explosive charges.

Ballista and other vocabulary referring to large-scale weaponry are often referred to as engines e.g. siege engines, hence the translator’s 17^th century use of engineers to describe the soldiers in charge of such devices.

[iii] tormentum, -ī [2/n]: any form of ‘engine’ for hurling missiles. We have in the text a Neo-Latin reworking of the word to refer to “big guns” i.e. cannons.

Two other devices similar to the ballista are:

[iv] onager, onagrī [2/m]: catapult for throwing stones

[v] scorpiō, scorpiōnis [3/m]: small catapult

scorpiōne ab latere dextrō trāiectus exanimātusque concidit (Caesar)

• He (was) pierced and killed on the right side by a scorpion and fell

Note also:

trāiciō, -ere, trāiēcī, trāiectus [3-iō]: pierce; stab

exanimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: kill

[2]

[i] ariēs, -etis [3/m]: literally means the animal i.e. a male sheep, but was also used by the Romans to refer to a battering ram

In this excerpt from the Vulgate, the translator combines two ideas:

et vīneās et arietēs temperābit in mūrōs tuōs

• He shall set his battering engines against your walls.

[ii] vīnea, -ae [1/f]: mantlet, the Mediaeval military term for a portable wall or shed to stop projectiles. In Roman warfare, the vīnea was a moveable shed of wickerwork used to approach the walls of a besieged city.

In other words, they’ll get right up to the walls – safely – and then break them down!

[iii] testūdō, -inis [3/f]: [i] tortoise, turtle; [ii] the same function as vīnea above, but also the arrangement of shields over soldiers’ heads to afford protection

[iv] turris, -is [3/f] (acc. -em or -im): tower, especially military either for defence or mobile (turrēs ambulātōriae) for siege purposes

Quibus fortiter resistentibus vīneās turrēsque ēgit (Caesar)

• Since they were resisting bravely, he pushed forward mantlets and towers.

The use of the verb agō, -ere [3]: drive, clearly indicates that these are moveable.

testūdō, -inis [3/f]

29.07.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [1]: animals

[1] Which of the following animals ….

(a) … would you normally keep as a pet?

(b) … would you find on a farm?

(c) … are wild animals?

aper

avis

canis

caper

cervus

equus

fēlēs

leō

lupus

ovis

piscis

porcus

testūdō

ursus

vacca

[2] label the images

aper, -rī [2/m]

avis, -is [3/f]

canis, -is [3 m/f]

caper, -rī [2/m]

cervus, -ī [2/m]

equus, -ī [2/m]

fēlēs, -is [3/f]

leō, -ōnis [3/m]

lupus, -ī [2/m]

ovis, -is [3/f]

piscis, -is [3/m]

porcus, -ī [2/m]

testūdō, -inis [3/f]

ursus, -ī [2/m]

vacca, -ae [1/f]

____________________

[1]

(a) avis; canis; fēlis; piscis; testūdō

(b) caper; equus; ovis; porcus; vacca

(c) aper; cervus; leō; lupus; ursus

[2]

12.03.26: Maple tree tapping

Follow-up on a previous post. You don’t need to see a lot to find out a lot … and not just about maple tree tapping.

Referring to: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/920664230544846

Thanks to Magister Andrews for posting this because it can be used at different levels.

(1) Follow the video and try to work out what he is saying. Listen to his accurate, clear and slowly delivered commentary.

(2) Look at the transcript below and the translation.

(3) Read through the notes which show you that, even in a short piece of Latin, there are features which occur at different stages in learning the language.

Ecce arbor. | Look! A tree.

Haec arbor est acer. | This tree is a maple.

Acer est. │ It’s a maple tree.

Et ecce! | And look!

In acere est forāmen. | In the maple there is a hole.

Forāmen fodī in acere. | I’ve drilled a hole in the maple.

Cūr forāmen fodī in acere? | Why have I drilled a hole in the maple?

Forāmen fodī quia succum aceris volō. | I've drilled the hole because I want the sap of the maple.

Forāmen fodī ut succum aceris extraham. | I've drilled the hole so that I may draw out the sap of the maple.

____________________

extrahō, -ere [3]: extract

fodiō, -ere [3-iō]: (Classical Latin) dig; mine; (here) drill

succus, -ī [2/m]: juice; sap

succulentus, -a, -um: juicy > English derivative: succulent

____________________

There are three key features in this short video, and you’ll see that I’ve titled each one according to a level i.e. it isn’t a question of trying to ‘know’ it all at the same time but to become familiar with ideas depending on where you are precisely in Latin.

Level 1

Latin nouns are grouped according to declensions based on the endings that they share.

Grammar books and vocabulary lists give you the information in slightly different ways, but this is how they are done in all posts in the group:

succus, -ī [2/m]: juice; sap

The -ī is the genitive singular of the noun, and listing that matters because, and this is only an example, nouns ending in -us may belong to different declensions; you will not be able to work that out from the nominative case alone:

succus: 2nd declension

pectus: 3rd declension

exercitus: 4th declension

However, only second declension nouns have a genitive singular in -ī: that alone tells you the declension, but I reinforce it by indicating the declension and the gender [2(nd) declension / m(asculine)]

Here is another example:

puella, -ae [1/f]: girl

The genitive singular is -ae = 1st declension + abbreviated information [1(st) declension / f(eminine)]

That is the only information you need about a noun: from that information all the other forms can be created.

You’ll see that only the genitive singular ending is given in both examples: -ī / -ae; there is no need to note the word in full because all that is changing is the ending i.e.

succus > succī

puella > puellae

Level 1+

i.e. be familiar with 1st and 2nd declensions before you move on … and up:

[i] Magister Andrews includes 3rd declension nouns; 3rd declension nouns have their own genitive singular ending in -is:

arbor, -is [3/f]: tree; again, simply the genitive case ending is given

acer, -is [3/n]: maple tree

succum aceris volō │ I want the sap of the maple tree

In acere est forāmen │ There’s a hole in the maple tree

[ii] Now look at the next one:

forāmen, forāminis [3/n]: hole

The genitive is still -is but the stem of the noun has changed: forāmin-; once you have that stem, all the other 3rd declension endings will be added to it. That is a common feature of 3rd declension nouns and there is a large number of them. When I list those with stem changes, I write it in full, for example:

nox, noctis [3/f]: night; the stem of the noun is noct-

The stem changes are not as random as they first seem, and there are many posts on the topic in the group. All of them are available in the files section:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/750844210860183

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/750845270860077

Level 3+

A taste of things to come …

Forāmen fodī ut succum aceris extraham.

I've drilled the hole so that I (may) draw out the sap of the maple.

This is an example of the subjunctive, a lengthy and sprawling topic that is usually left to the end of Latin grammar books. The group will be looking at it in detail soon.

Here the subjunctive is used to express a purpose and there are often ‘markers’: ut (literally: so that / in order that). In this example, it could equally be translated as: I drilled the hole to draw out the sap … but, when dealing with the subjunctive – especially at the early stages – it is better to stick as close as possible to the literal meaning.

28.07.26; Level 3+; Subjunctive [77] dependent uses [8] concessive clauses (2) quamquam; quamvīs [ii] practice

Complete the quotations with the verbs listed below each exercise.

Remember: quamquam + the indicative; quamvīs + subjunctive.

Note also the different ways in which both quamvīs and quamquam can be translated to convey the concessive idea.

[1]

[i] Although you may be without your mind, without your senses, …

Quamvīs enim sine mente, sine sēnsū __________ … (Cicero)

[ii] He will speak against me in such a way, however ingenious he may be …

Ita contrā mē ille dicet, quamvīs __________ ingeniōsus (Cicero)

[iii] Although I love that woman …

Quamquam ego istanc __________ (Plautus)

[iv] Therefore, those who listen to him, however incapable of speaking they themselves are …

Itaque eum quī audiunt, quamvīs ipsī īnfantēs __________, … (Cicero)

[v] Though I’m an impotent old man …

Quamquam cantherius __________, … (Plautus)

[vi] Although all virtues are equal and alike …

Quamquam __________ omnēs virtūtēs aequālēs et parēs (Cicero)

[vii] Although I may be made of wood, …

Quamvīs __________ ligneus, … (Priapea)

[viii] Although I have nothing to do [ = there is no business for me] with that fellow …

Quamquam cum istōc mihi negōtī nihil __________ (Plautus)

[ix] Although you are angry with me …

Quamquam tū īrāta __________ mihi (Plautus)

[x] And by Hercules, although I love [ = we love] our Gnaeus* … (Cicero); *Pompey

Et mehercule, quamvīs __________ Gnaeum nostrum, … (Cicero)

amēmus; amō; es; est; sim; sint; sīs; sit; sum; sunt

[2]

[i] This place here at our house, although you may arrive suddenly, is always available.

Locus hīc apud nōs, quamvīs subitō __________, semper liber est (Plautus)

[ii] He is by no means rich to me, although he possesses many things.

Nēquāquam mihi dīves est, quamvīs multa __________ (Rutilius)

[iii] Although the matter does not please me …

Quamvīs rēs mihi nōn __________, … (Cicero)

[iv] Although the bright girl may call back a thousand times to the traveling one …

Quamvīs candida mīliēs puella euntem __________ (Catullus)

[v] Although you understand nothing, nevertheless nothing can be enjoyable for you

Quamvīs nihil __________, tamen nihil tibi potest esse iūcundum (Cicero)

[vi] Although / however much those domestic enemies do not want this …

Quamvīs hoc istī hostēs domesticī __________, … (Cicero)

[vii] Amiable as he may have been in keeping with his friends …

Quamvīs cōmis in amīcīs tuendīs __________, … (Cicero)

[viii] Although we gave / have given strict instructions to the envoys …

Quamvīs sevēra lēgātīs mandāta __________, … (Cicero)

dederīmus; fuerit; nōlint; placeat; possideat; revocet; sapiās; veniās

[3]

[i] Although that will be unpleasant for me for three days

Quamquam istud mihi __________ molestum trīduom (Plautus)

[ii] I’ll now go into this harlot’s house nomatter if she is in a rage with me

Nunc ībō intrō ad hanc meretrīcem quamquam __________ mihi (Plautus)

[iii] Although, unwillingly, I will do without you.

Quamquam invīta tē __________ (Plautus)

[iv] Now I’ve got to be a good woman unwillingly, even if I don’t want to be.

Nunc mihi bonae necessumst [necessum est] esse ingrātiīs quamquam esse __________ (Plautus)

[v] Although my master had ordered me to stay here, it’s settled: I’d rather look for trouble with profit.

Quamquam hic manēre mē erus sēsē __________; certum est, malam rem potius quaeram cum lucrō (Plautus)

[vi] Being a slave has not been very troublesome, though:

Quamquam nōn multum __________ molesta servitus (Plautus)

[vii] This man did his duty, when he confessed the truth to you, although / much as I wanted to hide my nobility carefully.

Fēcit officium hic suom, cum tibi est cōnfessus vērum, quamquam __________ sēdulō meam nōbilitātem occultāre (Plautus)

[viii] Even though you are devoted Vulcan, do you want us to burn our house down, all for your dinner or your pay? 

Quamquam Volcānō __________, cēnaene causā aut tuae mercēdis grātiā nōs nostrās aedīs postulās combūrere? (Plautus)

carēbō; erit; fuit; iusserat; nōlō; studēs; suscēnset; voluī

____________________

[1]

[i] sīs

[ii] sit

[iii] amō

[iv] sint

[v] sum

[vi] sunt

[vii] sim

[viii] est

[ix] es

[x] amēmus

[2]

[i] veniās

[ii] possideat

[iii] placeat

[iv] revocet

[v] sapiās

[vi] nōlint

[vii] fuerit

[viii] dederīmus

[3]

[i] erit

[ii] suscēnset

[iii] carēbō

[iv] nōlō

[v] iusserat

[vi] fuit

[vii] voluī

[viii] studēs

28.07.26; Level 3+; Subjunctive [76] dependent uses [8] concessive clauses (1) quamquam; quamvīs [i]

In addition to cum with the subjunctive, Latin has a range of other conjunctions that can introduce concessive clauses. Some of these conjunctions are followed by [1] the indicative of the verb, and some by [2] the subjunctive:

[1] with the indicative

quamquam: although; and yet

Examples

In the quotations below, note also that tamen (nevertheless; still) is frequently used to reinforce the concessive idea. Translators may not specifically render tamen, since it adds nothing to the meaning beyond emphasis, but it is included here.

Quamquam iam tē ipsum exspectō [present indicative], tamen istī puerō, … dā ponderōsam aliquam epistulam (Cicero)

• Although I am now waiting for you yourself, nevertheless give this man of mine a weighty letter.

Quae quamquam exigua sunt [present indicative], tamen, quoniam placet, exspectēmus (Cicero)

• And although these things are trivial, nevertheless, since it pleases you, we will wait.

Quamquam mihi ista omnia iam addicta vastitātī videntur [present indicative; passive] (Cicero)  

• Although all these now seem doomed to destruction.

Quamquam nēmō putābat [imperfect indicative] propter Clōdiānum negōtium mē illī amīcum esse dēbēre, tamen tantus fuit amor … (Cicero) 

• Although no one thought that, because of the Clodian affair, I ought to be friendly to him, nevertheless my affection was so great …

Multās ūnō tempore accēpī epistulās tuās; quae mihi, quamquam recentiōra audiēbam [imperfect indicative] ex iīs, quī ad mē veniēbant, tamen erant iūcunda (Cicero) 

• I’ve received many of your letters at the same time, and although I’ve been hearing more recent news from those who’ve been coming to me, still they were delightful.

Quamquam vidēbātur sē nōn graviter habēre [imperfect indicative; passive], tamen sum sollicitus (Cicero)

• Although it seemed that he was not seriously ill, nevertheless / still I am anxious.

Eō igitur mittēs ...quamquam ipse iam iamque aderō [future indicative] (Cicero)

• You will send (it / the letter) there, although I myself shall be there almost directly.

Quamquam ad mē scrīpsit [perfect indicative] iam Rhodō Posīdōnius … (Cicero)

• Although Posidonius has already written to me from Rhodes …

Maximē autem mē angit ratiō reliquōrum meōrum. Quae quamquam explicāta sunt [perfect indicative; passive], tamen, … conturbor… (Cicero)

• But the arranging of my balances worries me the most, and although they have been put straight, I am still anxious …

Quamquam ille pāstor Īdaeus Menelāum sōlum contempserat [pluperfect indicative] … (Cicero)

• Although that shepherd of Ida had slighted Menelaus alone …

Fuit apud mē Lamia … epistulamque ad mē attulit missam sibi ā Caesare. Quae quamquam ante data erat [pluperfect indicative; passive] quam illae Diocharīna … tamen plane declarabat …  

• (Cicero) Lamia was with me … and he brought me a letter sent to him from Caesar; and although it had been sent earlier than those of Diochares, it still plainly asserted …

[2] with the subjunctive

The word quamvīs has two different uses, and so you need to distinguish them. First, make a comparison between [i] and [ii] below:

[i] quīvīs, quaevīs, quidvīs (quodvīs) is an indefinite adjective or pronoun meaning ‘whoever; whatever; whichever’ or ‘any you please’ and was discussed here:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/09/081225-level-3-indefinites-18-vis-libet.html

dīcere hīc quidvīs licet (Plautus)

• Now one can talk freely [ = say whatever one wants]

ō Cupīdō, quantus es. nam tū quemvīs cōnfīdentem facile tuīs factīs facis (Plautus)

• O Cupid, how great you are! For with your actions you easily embolden whomever you want

Note this last example; quamvīs is the accusative singular of the indefinite adjective conveying indifference of choice:

Sī bovem aut aliam quamvīs quadrupedem serpēns momorderit … (Cato)

• If a snake has bitten an ox or any other four-footed animal.

This is not the same as quamvīs acting as a conjunction which is indeclinable and means ‘although’; it is followed by a verb in the subjunctive:

[ii] quamvīs + subjunctive

Quamvīs prūdēns ad cōgitandum sīs [present subjunctive], … (Cicero) 

• Although you are careful in your judgement …

Examples

Dē Drūsī hortīs, quamvīs ab iīs abhorreās [present subjunctive], … tamen eō cōnfugiam (Cicero) 

• As for the gardens of Drusus, although you shrink from them … I will nevertheless take refuge there.

… quae quamvīs contemnātur [present subjunctive; passive] ab eīs… (Cicero)

• …and although it is despised by them …

Quamvīs nōn cūrārem [imperfect subjunctive], quid in Hispāniā fieret … (Cicero) 

• Although I did not care what would happen in Spain …

Quamvīs enim tū magna et mihi iūcunda scrīpserīs [perfect subjunctive] dē D. Brūtī adventū … (Cicero)

• For although you have written great and pleasing things to me about the arrival of D. Brutus …

Quamvīs magna ad Postumum ab eō pecūnia pervēnisset [pluperfect subjunctive]  … (Cicero)

• Although a large sum of money had come to Postumus from him.

[3] The ‘default’ translation of quamquam and quamvīs is ‘although’, but the idea may be translated in other ways:

Sed sint quamvīs bonī, nōn sunt meliōrēs quam nōs (Cicero)

• But although they are loyal / However loyal they are, they are not better than us [ = me].

Quamvīs scelerātī illī fuissent (Cicero)

literally: although those men had been / might have been guilty

> However guilty those men might have been

Context and style will determine the most appropriate rendering.

Quamvīs sit magna, tamen eam vincēs (Cicero)

• Although it is / may be great, … / However great it may be … / Let it be as great as you choose (note here the inherent sense of quamvīs) … you will, nevertheless, conquer it.