01.08.26: Are you a "river bore"?

The Facebook algorithm monster (or whatever it’s called) must have spotted my search for Classical quiz questions. There are far more than I realised, and quite a few to do with derivatives.

My Scots compatriot was confused about the construction, and used two life-lines: she first consulted her “phone a friend” but was not convinced by him. However, the host was confident, and she completely trusted him. Consequently, she got the correct answer: confluence.

The Latin preposition cum [+ ablative] means ‘(together) with’ and most commonly occurs when something is being done together with somebody else although it can be used in other contexts:

Cum amīcō in viā ambulō. | I’m walking with a friend in the street.

However, many Latin prepositions also act as prefixes; they can be added to, for example, verbs to give a more precise indication of the action:

(verb) eō: I go + (preposition) ex: out (of) > exeō: I go out; ex is now acting as a prefix

The preposition cum can also act as a prefix, but undergoes spelling changes. I don’t include all the meanings of each verb, some of which can have multiple definitions, but the ones which clearly show how the prefix is used.

currō: run > concurrō: run with others; ‘flock’ together

undique ex agrīs concurrērunt (Nepos): From the fields they came together from every direction, i.e. they were in separate locations but all ended up at the same place.

habitō: live > cohabitō: live together; cohabit

loquor: speak > colloquor: speak together; converse

claudō: lock; close + con- > conclūdō: finish; conclude

faciō: make > conficiō: complete; if something is confected, it is produced by combining different materials

I am keeping this to a fairly narrow definition since the prefix may also be used with verbs where the basic idea is not always obvious, but it usually conveys, for example, separate physical positions or unfinished parts of a task that reach an “end point”. The sense of ‘together’ often underpins the verbs.

The ‘end point’ in the quiz is where the separate rivers ‘flow together’:

cōnfluō [3]: flow together; also of people: come together in a crowd

> cōnfluēns: [which is] flowing together

> cōnfluentia, -ae [1/f]: (noun) flowing together; conflux

[A pronunciation / spelling shift occurs from La: -entia > OFr: -ence]

> Old French: confluence

> Middle English: confluence, or confluens (Middle English spelling is a bit ‘hit and miss’)

> Modern English: confluence

The prefix is in a wide range of nouns and verbs that were borrowed mainly via French but have their origins in Latin, and the original spellings of the prefix are retained:

collaborate; collect; collision;

commiserate; committee; community

concurrent; confer; conspire

It is also used to create new words:

co-author; co-direct; co-host; co-ownership

Once again, we can see Germanic and Romance roots coexisting:

We can either watch two Germanic streams (OE: strēam) flowing (OE: flōwan) together (OE: tōgædere), or we can win quite a lot of cash by knowing what the confluence of rivers means!

PS: Stan, her "phone-a-friend", wasn't 50% right - he was 100% right!

05.03.27: Level 1; First Latin Lessons (7); -ae! -ae! -ae!

(1) You have already seen that the ending -ae can be used in three different ways:

[i] Genitive singular

Poēta incola Americae est. | The poet is an inhabitant of America.

[ii] Dative singular

Agricola fīliae meae epistulam dat. | The farmer gives a letter to my daughter.

[iii] Nominative plural

Parvae puellae fābulās amant. | The little girls love stories.

(2) This can be a challenge, yet English can present a similar challenge. Say these four words:

I – eye – aye! – (the letter) i

I have a sore eye. The word aye isn’t written with an i.

Similarly:

I’ll drop by the supermarket and buy some fruit.

Those examples are written differently but all pronounced the same.

However, look at these examples. The words have the same spelling but have different pronunciations and different meanings.

I often read. Yesterday I read a really good book.

This pipe is made of lead. I take the dog out on a lead.

Sometimes, the same word – both written and pronounced identically – has different meanings:

He’s very mean. What do you mean?

The last example best illustrates the point:

We understand what mean means – when we read the word or hear it – from context i.e. the word does not stand alone, but is surrounded by other words which clarify exactly what is being referred to.

(3)

[i] At the beginning of the study of Latin, sentences are often short, a particular ending only appearing in a single word or phrase:

Parvae puellae [nominative] ¦ fābulās amant.

• (Who loves?) The little girls ¦ love the stories.

Poēta incola ¦ Americae [genitive] ¦ est.

• The poet is an inhabitant (of what?) of America.

Pecūniam [accusative] agricolae [dative] dō.

• I give ¦ (what?) money ¦ (to whom?) to the farmer.

[ii] The passages, however, show that the same ending can appear more than once in the same sentence but with different usage and meaning:

Incolae [nominative] ¦ īnsulae [genitive] ¦ nautae [nominative] sunt.

• The inhabitants ¦ (of what?) of the island ¦ are (what?) sailors.

Cornēlia ¦ fīliae [dative] ¦ agricolae [genitive] ¦ pictūram [accusative] ostendit.

• Cornelia shows (what?) a picture ¦ (to whom?) ¦ to the daughter ¦ (whose daughter?) of the farmer.

Becoming familiar with this feature of Latin takes time, regular reading and, as a back-up, references to translations. At the outset, it is best to work out the subject of the sentence and the verb. That will provide the key context:

Cornelia puellae parvae casam agricolae mōnstrat.

Who is performing the action and what is the subject doing?

• Cornēlia [nominative] puellae parvae casam agricolae mōnstrat.
• Cornelia points out …

What does she point out?

• Cornēlia puellae parvae casam [accusative] agricolae mōnstrat.
• Cornelia points out the cottage …

Whose cottage?

• Cornēlia puellae parvae casam agricolae [genitive] mōnstrat.
• Cornelia points out the farmer’s cottage …

To whom does she point it out?

• Cornēlia puellae parvae [dative] casam agricolae mōnstrat.
• Cornelia points out the farmer’s cottage to the little girl.

LINKS

29.05.24: -ae! -ae! -ae!

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/290524-ae-ae-ae.html

04.03.27: Level 1; step-by-step; scaffolding [5] direct objects (1); nouns in -a

[D] You can see that the endings have changed. The noun is the direct object of the sentence i.e. the action is being done to the noun.

[1] Ending in -a:

[i] Singular: -am

Ūvam edō. | I’m eating a/the grape.

Ūnam ūvam edō. | I’m eating one grape.

[ii] Plural: -ās

Ūvās emō. | I’m buying grapes.

Duās ūvās edō. | I’m eating two grapes.

Multās ūvās edō. | I’m eating many grapes.

Exercise

Complete the sentences with the missing endings.

(1) I’m writing a letter.

Epistul____ scrībō.

(2) I’m writing one letter.

Ūn_____ epistul_____ scrībō.

(3) I write letters.

Epistul_____ scrībō.

(4) I’m writing two letters.

Du____ epistul____ scrībō.

(5) I write many letters.

Mult____ epistul____ scrībō.

(6) I’m reading the story.

Fābul_____ legō.

(7) I’m reading stories.

Fābul_____ legō.

(8) I drink water.

Aqu_____ bibō.

(9) I’m buying berries.

Bāc_____ emō.

(10) I’m eating two olives.

Du_____ olīv_____ edō.

(11) I’m preparing the dinner.

Cēn_____ parō.

(12) I close the door.

Iānu_____ claudō.

• aqua: water
• bāca: berry
• cēna: dinner
• epistula: letter
• fābula: story
• iānua: door
• olīva: olive

____________________

(1) Epistulam scrībō.
(2) Ūnam epistulam scrībō.
(3) Epistulās scrībō.
(4) Duās epistulās scrībō.
(5) Multās epistulās scrībō.
(6) Fābulam legō.
(7) Fābulās legō.
(8) Aquam bibō.
(9) Bācās emō.
(10) Duās olīvās edō.
(11) Cēnam parō.
(12) Iānuam claudō.

03.03.27: Level 4; literature; the poetry of Rome: introduction – you’ve just gotta love Lesbia

To give you an idea of the direction in which this set of posts is going, the ability to scan a Latin poem and to analyse its effects are requirements of the UK A Level (post-16) Latin examination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z_QAPB3XeA

Vīvāmūs mĕă Lēsbĭ[a] ͜    ātqu[e] ͜    ămēmŭs

rūmōrēsquĕ sĕnūm sĕvērĭōrŭm

ōmnēs ūnĭŭs aēstĭmēmŭs āssĭs

dā mī bāsĭă mīllĕ deīndĕ cēntŭm

deīn mīll[e] ͜    āltĕră deīn sĕcūndă cēntŭm

Deīnd[e] ͜    ūsqu[e] ͜    āltĕră mīllĕ deīndĕ cēntŭm

deīn cūm mīlĭă mūltă fēcĕrīmŭs

cōntūrbābĭmŭs īllă nē scĭāmŭs

aūt nē quīs mălŭs īnvĭdērĕ pōssĭt

cūm tāntūm scĭăt ēssĕ bāsĭōrŭm

(Catullus V)

Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love,

and let us judge all the rumors of the old men

to be worth just one penny!

Give me a thousand kisses, then another hundred,

then another thousand, then a second hundred,

then yet another thousand more, then another hundred.

Then, when we have made many thousands,

we will mix them all up so that we don't know,

and so that no one can be jealous of us when he finds out

how many kisses we have shared.

The composer, Farya Faraji, makes the following comment: “In my opinion, the best place to start for reconstructing their music is the poetry: Ancient Roman poetry used the interplay of long vs short vowel lengths and stress accent to create rythmic effects to the poetry, not unlike modern rap does.”

And that’s where we’re going to start – not with Catullus, but with a verse from the 4^th century. We’ll meet Catullus – and his fairweather friends – later. The following posts will look at the 4^th century Pater Noster of Juvencus (recited by Vincent). 

02.03.27: Level 3+ (review); correlatives [8] links

You have already seen a number of correlatives used in specific grammatical and syntactical constructions, notably [1] the subjunctive of purpose, and [2] under the heading of pronominal adjectives:

[1]

adeō … ut …

ita … ut …

sīc … ut …

tālis … ut …

tam … ut …

tantus … ut …

tot … ut …

2.05.26; Level 3+; Subjunctive [40] dependent uses [2] result [i]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/02/220526-level-3-subjunctive-40-dependent.html

Tam fortis est ¦ ut hostēs vincat │ He is so brave ¦ that he conquers the enemy

Puerī tālia verba clāmant ¦ ut mātrēs audīre nōlint. │ The boys are shouting such words ¦ that the mothers refuse to listen.

Tot mīlitēs urbem oppugnant ¦ ut valdē timeāmus. │ So many soldiers are attacking the city ¦ that we are very afraid.

Tantus clāmor est ¦ ut cīvēs ōrātōrem nōn audiant. │ The noise is so great ¦ that the citizens do not hear the speaker.

Rōmam adeō amat ¦ ut semper hīc habitāre velit. │ He loves Rome to such an extent ¦ that he always wants [lit: would always want] to live here.

Mūrōs ita aedificant ¦ ut hostēs eōs dēlēre nōn possint. │ They build the walls in such a way ¦ that the enemies cannot destroy them.

Sīc pugnat vēnātor ¦ ut leō fugiat. │ The hunter fights in such a way ¦ that the lion flees.

[2]

alter … alter …

alius … alius …

[i] 31.07.25: Level 3; pronominal adjectives [8](2); alter … alter: the one … the other

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/310725-level-3-pronominal-adjectives-82.html

Alter lēgātus hostēs moenibus prohibēre, alter incolās convocāre coepit │ One commander began keeping the enemy from the walls, the other (began) summoning the citizens.

Cum Caesar in Galliam vēnit, alterīus factiōnis prīncipēs erant Aeduī, alterīus Sēquanī. │ When Caesar came to Gaul, the leaders of one faction were the Aedui, (Of) the other were the Sequani.

[ii] 03.08.25: Level 3; pronominal adjectives [9](2); alius … alius

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/030825-level-3-pronominal-adjectives-92.html

Alius hodiē venit, alius crās veniet. │ One comes today, another will come tomorrow.

Aliī gladiōs, aliī scūta portant │ some carry swords, others shields.

[iv] 06.08.25: Level 3; pronominal adjectives [10] alius … alius; alter … alter; taking care when translating

Alius ¦ aliud fēcerat. │ One man had done one thing, the other had done another thing.

In illō proeliō frāter cum frātre pugnāvit; alter alterīus gladiō interfectī sunt. │ In that battle brother fought with brother; (the) one was killed by the sword of (the) one, the other (by the sword) of the other.

01.03.27: Topic / Level 4; animals at work (2)

[3]

[i] bōs, bōvis [3 m/f]: ox (or: head of cattle; bull)

[ii] iuvencus, -ī [2/m]: bullock

[iii] iuvenca, -ae [1/f]: heifer

[iv] taurus, -ī [2/m]: bull

[v] vacca, -ae [1/f]: cow

(1) Catullus 64

Rūra colit nēmō, mollēscunt colla iuvencīs, | no one cultivates the countryside; the necks of the young bulls grow soft

nōn humilis curvīs purgātur vīnea rāstrīs, | the low vineyard is not cleared with curved hoes

nōn glēbam prōnō convellit vōmere taurus, | the bull does not break up the earth with a sloping ploughshare

(2) Aulularia (Plautus)

Venit hoc mihi, Megadōre, in mentem, tēd* esse hominem dīvitem, | It comes to my mind [= it strikes me], Megadorus, that you are a wealthy man,

factiōsum, mē autem esse hominem pauperum pauperrimum; | influential, but I am a poor man, a very poor one.

nunc sī fīliam locāssim* meam tibi, in mentem venit | Now if I were to give my daughter to you [in marriage], it strikes me

tē bovem esse et mē esse asellum: | that you’d be the ox and I the (little) donkey.

ubi tēcum coniūnctus siem,* | Once I’d been joined with you,

ubi onus nequeam ferre pariter, | when I couldn’t bear the load equally,

iaceam ego asinus in lutō, | I, the donkey, would be lying in the mud,

tū mē bōs magis haud respiciās, | you, the ox, would no more look back at me [ = not pay any more attention to me]

gnātus quasi numquam siem.*| than as if I had never been born.

* In the works of, for example, Plautus and Terence, there are occasional examples of older Latin word forms; these are archaisms:

tēd = tē

locāssim: archaic subjunctive form, the equivalent here of ‘if I were to do / have done something’

siem = sim

[4]

[i] camēlus, -ī [2/m]: camel

[ii] dromas, -adis [3/m]; dromedārius, -ī [2/m]: dromedary

[iii] elephantus, -ī [2/m]: elephant

Dromadēs camēlī inter dōna erant vēlōcitātis eximiae, XII elephantī ā Dārēō ex Indiā accītī (Quintus Curtius Rufus)

• Among the presents were dromedaries of extraordinary swiftness, twelve elephants imported by Darius from India

[5] iūmentum, -ī [2/n]; armentum, -ī [2/n]

Columella mentions both terms, and broadly distinguishes their function:

Unde etiam [i] iūmenta et [ii] armenta nōmina ā rē trāxēre quod nostrum labōrem vel [i] onera subvectandō vel [ii] arandō iuvārent.

• And so it is that iumenta and armenta have drawn their names from the fact that they aid our work either by bringing up burdens or by ploughing.

[i] iūmentum, -ī [2/n]: animals used for transport, either pulling chariots and wagons or serving as pack animals for traveling e.g. horses and donkeys

[ii] armentum, -ī [2/n]: heavy-duty animals used in field work e.g. ploughing, mainly oxen and bulls but also horses

Original images of the animals, however, do not always convey such a precise ‘dictionary’ distinction, nor is the type of animal depicted always clear.

iūmenta et camēlōs et ā Sūsīs et ā Babylōne contrahī iussit (Quintus Curtius Rufus)

• he ordered camels and other beasts of burden to be brought together from Susa and Babylon.

A hired man complains about the weight of the luggage he is carrying:

'quid vōs' inquit 'iūmentum mē putātis esse aut lapidāriam nāvem? hominis operās locāvī, nōn caballī’ (Petronius)

• "What do you think I am," he said, " a beast of burden or a ship for carrying stones? I contracted for the work of a man, not a dray-horse!

28.02.27: Level 1-2 (review): Julia (a Latin Reader) [10] (2)

ĪPHIGENĪA (2)

Menelāus, ubi hospitis perfidiam vīdit, ad frātrem contendit et omnia nārrāvit. Agamemnōn īrā terribilī exclāmāvit, "Perfidus est Paris; perfidum est tōtum Troiānōrum genus, sed perfidiae stultitiaeque poenās dabunt. Tōtum exercitum meum ad ōram maritimam convocābō; equitēs peditēsque in nāvēs impōnēmus, et terrā marīque Troiam oppugnābimus. Ita urbem scelerātam excidēmus et genus perfidum ad Īnferōs mittēmus. Praedam quoque multam nōs domum reportābimus. Tū quoque Helenam tēcum domum ad rēgiam tuam redūcēs."

Agamemnōn igitur tōtum exercitum ad portum convocāvit. Multī equitēs multī peditēs aderant; prīncipēs quoque omnēs ē tōtā Graeciā eō convēnērunt. Sed ventī adversī nāvēs in portū diū retinēbant. Itaque Agamemnōn nūntium ad ōrāculum Delphicum mīsit, et ā deō respōnsum petīvit. Trīste et terribile respōnsum dedit Apollō; "Propter īram Diāna nāvēs Graecās in portū retinet, nec ventōs secundōs dat. Numquam Graecī ad Asiam nāvigābunt nisi virginis sanguine deae nūmen plācāverint."

Apollo, -inis [3/m]: Apollo, god of the sun

Asia, -ae [1/f]: Asia

Delphicus, -a, -um: Delphic, belonging to Delphi

Diāna, -ae [1/f]: Diana, goddess of hunting and the moon

[i]

domus, -ūs [4/f]: house, home; domī: at home

exercitus, -ūs [4/m]: army

genus, -eris [3/n]: sort, kind, race

ōrāculum, -ī [2/n]: oracle

perfidia, -ae [1/f]: treachery

poena, -ae [1/f]: penalty, punishment; poenās dō: I pay the penalty

portus, -ūs [4/m]: harbour

responsum, -ī [2/n]: answer

sanguis, -inis [3/m]: blood

stultitia, -ae [1/f]: folly

[ii]

adversus, -a, -um: adverse, hostile

terribilis, -e: terrible

tristis, -e: sad

[iii]

adsum, adesse [irreg]: am present

conveniō, -īre [4]: come together

petō, -ere [3]: seek

plācō, -āre [1]: appease

redūcō, -ere [3]: lead back; bring back

reportō, -āre [1]: carry back / off

retineō, -ēre [2]: hold back, restrain

[iv]

eō: thither

nisi: unless, except

nunquam: never

____________________

Menelaus, when he saw the treachery of his guest, hurried to his brother and told him everything. Agamemnon exclaimed in terrible anger:

“Paris is treacherous; the whole race of the Trojans is treacherous, but they shall pay the penalty for their treachery and folly. I shall summon my whole army to the seashore; we shall put cavalry and infantry aboard ships, and we shall attack Troy by land and sea. Thus we shall destroy the wicked city and send the treacherous race down to the Underworld. We shall also carry a great deal of booty home. You too will bring Helen back home with you to your palace.”

Accordingly, Agamemnon summoned his entire army to the harbour. Many horsemen and many foot soldiers were present; all the princes from the whole of Greece also gathered there. But adverse winds kept the ships in the harbour for a long time. Therefore Agamemnon sent a messenger to the Delphic oracle and sought an answer from the god.

Apollo gave a sad and terrible answer:

“Because of her anger, Diana is keeping the Greek ships in the harbour and is not giving favourable winds. The Greeks will never sail to Asia unless they appease the goddess’s divine power with the blood of a maiden.”

27.02.27: Level 1; step-by-step; scaffolding [4] saying “I have” and “I like”

[C] This section builds on the two previous ones. Singular and plural nouns can be used with the patterns below.

[1] mihi est / sunt __________

Mihi est ūna ūva. | I have one grape.

• Mihi est X | I have; literally: to me (there) is __________; used with a singular noun

Mihi sunt duae ūvae. | I have two grapes.

Mihi sunt multae ūvae. | I have many grapes.

• Mihi sunt X | I have; literally: to me (there) are __________; used with a plural noun

Exercises

[i] est or sunt?

(1) Mihi __________ multī amīcī.

(2) Mihi ________ ūnus amīcus.

(3) Mihi ________ duo equī.

(4) Mihi ________ ūnum pōculum.

[ii] Complete the sentences with the correct words and endings.

(1) I have water.

Mihi ________ aqu_____.

(2) I have cheese.

Mihi ________ cāse_____.

(3) I have a friend (female).

Mihi ________ amīc_____.

(4) I have a shield.

Mihi ________ scūt_____.

(5) I have one shield.

Mihi ________ ūn_____ scūt_____.

(6) I have two horses.

Mihi ________ du_____ equ_____.

(7) I have many horses.

Mihi ________ mult_____ equ_____.

(8) I have one friend (male).

Mihi ________ ūn_____ amīc_____.

(9) I have two apples.

Mihi ________ du_____ māl_____.

(10) I have many eggs.

Mihi ________ mult_____ ōv_____.

(11) I have many maidservants.

Mihi ________ mult_____ ancill_____.

[2] __________ mē (valdē) dēlectat / dēlectant

Ūva mē dēlectat. | I like the grape.

• X mē dēlectat. | literally: X pleases / delights me > I like X (singular).

Ūvae mē dēlectant. | I like the grapes.

• X mē dēlectant. | literally: X please / delight me > I like X (plural).

Ūva mē valdē dēlectat. | I really like the grape.

• X mē valdē dēlectat. | literally: X really pleases / delights me > I really like X (singular).

Ūvae mē valdē dēlectant. | I really like (the) grapes.

• X mē valdē dēlectant. | literally: X really please / delight me > I really like X (plural).

Exercise

Here are some singular and plural nouns. How would you express that you like or really like them?

(1) singular

__________ mē (valdē) dēlectat

• cāseus: cheese
• casa: cottage
• fābula: story
• silva: forest
• villa: country house
• dōnum: gift
• vīnum: wine

(2) plural

__________ mē (valdē) dēlectant.

• fābulae: stories
• crūstula: small cakes; pastries; cookies
• dōna: gifts
• frāga: strawberries
• māla: apples
• pira: pears

LINKS

10.03.24: Talking about free time [2]: likes and dislikes

section [3] [i]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/100324-talking-about-free-time-2-likes.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/404742942136980

26.02.24: talking about friends and family members; mihi est / mihi sunt; conjunctions et, sed, vel

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/26_89.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/397753762835898

____________________

[1]

[i] (1) sunt; (2) est; (3) sunt; (4) est

[ii]
(1) Mihi est aqua.
(2) Mihi est cāseus.
(3) Mihi est amīca.
(4) Mihi est scūtum.
(5) Mihi est ūnum scūtum.
(6) Mihi sunt duo equī.
(7) Mihi sunt multī equī.
(8) Mihi est ūnus amīcus.
(9) Mihi sunt duo māla.
(10) Mihi sunt multa ōva.
(11) Mihi sunt multae ancillae.

26.02.27: Level 1; First Latin Lessons (6); dative case: 1st declension; singular and plural [ii]; expressing the subject of a verb

I: Māter tua Cornēliae dōnum dat. Cornēlia fīliae agricolae dōnum ostendit. Fīlia agricolae quoque dōnum cupit, sed māter tua fīliae agricolae dōnum nōn dat.

II: Agricolae epistulās dō, et agricola mihi pecūniam dat. Agricola epistulās legit. Agricola epistulās fīliae ostendit, sed fīlia epistulās nōn legit.

III: Puella mihi casam poētae mōnstrat. Casa est parva. Poētam nōn videō, sed fīliam poētae interdum videō. Fīlia poētae parvam casam amat.

IV: Poēta fīliae pictūram dat. Fīlia poētae mihi pictūram ostendit. Pictūram laudō et poētam laudō. Fīlia poētae est laeta puella.

V: Nauta mihi fābulam narrat. Māter mea quoque mihi interdum fābulās narrat. Soror mea multās fābulās legit et saepe parvīs puellīs fābulās narrat. Parvae puellae fābulās amant.

VI: Māter mea fīliae tuae dōnum dat. Epistulās saepe nautīs dō. Agricola poētae pecūniam dat. Poēta agricolae epistulam meam ostendit. Puella nautae casam meam mōnstrat. Soror tua agricolae epistulās ostendit.

(1) vocabulary

laudō: I praise

videō: I see

cupit: (he / she / it) wishes; desires

mōnstrat: (he / she / it) points out

narrat: (he / she / it) tells, e.g. a story

ostendit: (he / she / it) shows

fābula: story

pictūra: picture

(2) expressing the subject of a verb

The subject of the verb tells you who or what is performing the action. A subject can be:

[i] a noun e.g. The farmer tells stories.

[ii] a pronoun e.g. He tells stories. ‘He’ is an example of a subject pronoun; the other English subject pronouns are I, you, he / she / it, we, they.

Latin also has subject pronouns, but they are often omitted because the ending of the verb tells you who / what the subject is. Here are examples from this and earlier passages. At this stage look for the endings:

[a]

Īnsulam amō | I love the island.

Dōnum puellīs dō. | I give a gift to the girls.

Poētam laudō. | I praise the poet.

Poētam nōn videō. | I do not see the poet.

Cūr patriam meam nōn amās? | Why do you not love my homeland?

Eurōpam saepe laudāmus, sed Americam amāmus. | We often praise Europe, but we love America.

[b] he, she, it and they are known specifically as third person pronouns; these pronouns are used when talking about someone or something; most often, they refer to a person / thing already mentioned:

I see the farmer. He is telling stories to the girls.

Again, although Latin does have 3^rd person pronouns, they are not required:

[i]

Agricolam videō. | I see the farmer.

> Fabulās puellīs narrat. | He is telling stories to the girls.

> Parvam fīliam habet. | He has a small daughter.

[ii]

Agricola parvīs puellīs fābulās narrat. | The farmer is telling stories to the little girls.

> Fābulās amant et laudant. | They love and praise the stories.

____________________

I: Your mother gives a gift to Cornelia. Cornelia shows the gift to the farmer’s daughter. The farmer’s daughter also wants the gift, but your mother does not give the gift to the farmer’s daughter.

II: I give letters to the farmer, and the farmer gives money to me. The farmer reads the letters. The farmer shows the letters to his daughter, but the daughter does not read the letters.

III: The girl shows me the poet’s house. The house is small. I do not see the poet, but I sometimes see the poet’s daughter. The poet’s daughter loves the small house.

IV: The poet gives a picture to his daughter. The poet’s daughter shows me the picture. I praise the picture and I praise the poet. The poet’s daughter is a happy girl.

V: The sailor tells me a story. My mother also sometimes tells me stories. My sister reads many stories and often tells stories to little girls. The little girls love stories.

VI: My mother gives a gift to your daughter. I often give letters to sailors. The farmer gives money to the poet. The poet shows my letter to the farmer. The girl shows my house to the sailor. Your sister shows letters to the farmer.

25.02.27: Level 4; literature; Mediaeval; Carmina Burana: Fortune plango vulnera [3]: the Wheel of Fortune

Image: the Wheel of Fortune from the Carmina Burana

Going from the left in a clockwise direction … three important tenses in one Mediaeval wheel of Doom

Left: regnābō │I shall reign

Top: regnō │ I reign

Right: regnāvī │ I (have) reigned

Bottom: sum sine regnō │ I am without a kingdom

25.02.27: Level 4; literature; Mediaeval; Carmina Burana: Fortune plango vulnera [2]: notes and vocabulary

[1]

Fortūne [ML = CL: Fortūnae] plangō vulnera │ I lament the wounds of Fortune

stillantibus ocellīs, │ with dripping [flowing / tearful] eyes

quod sua michi [ML = CL: mihi] munera / subtrahit rebellis. │ because she rebelliously withdraws her gifts from me

vērum est, quod legitur  │ It is true what is read

fronte capillāta / sed plērumque sequitur / [i] Occāsiō calvāta. │ [i] Opportunity has hair at the front, but generally a bald patch follows

“Opportunity is described as having hair only on the front of her head - she can be seized as she approaches, but once she has passed, a person grabs futilely at the back of her head.” (Betts)

calvātus, -a, -um: bare; made bald

capillātus, -a, -um: having hair

plangō, -ere, plānxī, plānctus [3]: bewail; lament; mourn

sequor, sequī, secūtus sum [3/deponent]: follow

stīllō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: drip; trickle

stillāns, stillantis: present active participle > ocellīs stillantibus │ with dripping eyes

subtrahō, -ere, -trāxī, -trāctus [3]: remove; withdraw

sua michi [dative] munera subtrahit │ She removes / takes away her gifts from me

[2] “In the second and third stanzas reference is made to the Wheel of Fortune, a common motif in the Middle Ages and often represented in art, where it was conceived as a primitive Ferris wheel accommodating four - one up, one down, one about to achieve prosperity, one about to be plunged into misery.” (Betts) 

Note in this stanza the use of perfect passive participles and adjectives derived from them

ēlātus

coronātus

beātus

privātus

In Fortūn(a)e soliō │ On the throne of Fortune

sēderam ēlātus, │ I had sat [pluperfect tense] (having been) exalted (raised up;  elevated) [perfect passive participle]

prōsperitātis ¦ variō / flōre [ablative] ¦ corōnātus; │ (having been) Crowned [perfect passive participle] ¦ with the many-coloured flower of prosperity

quicquid enim flōruī │ for however (in whatever way) I have flourished

fēlīx et beātus │ happy and blessed

nunc ā summō corruī │ Now I have fallen down from the top

glōriā prīvātus. │ (having been) deprived [perfect passive participle] of glory.

corruō, -ere, -uī, corrutus [3]: fall down

solium, -ī [2/m]: [i] seat; chair [ii] (here) throne

[i] sēderam ēlātus │ I had sat (having been) exalted (raised up)

The verb ferō (carry; bear), which will be discussed in greater depth in later posts, has unusual principal parts: ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus (why that happens will be explained)

lātus: having been carried

Those same principal parts will apply to compound forms of ferō:

ēlātus: having been lifted up

[ii] gloriā [ablative] prīvātus │ deprived of glory [literally: deprived from glory]

the ablative case can be used to express separation from something e.g. eōs timōre līberāvit │ he freed them from fear

[3]

Fortūn(a)e rota volvitur; │ the wheel of Fortune is turned

dēscendō minōrātus; │ I descend (having been) diminished

alter in altum tollitur; │ another is raised up on high

nimis exaltātus │ (having been) too exalted

rēx sedet in vertice │ the king sits at the top

caveat ruīnam! │ let him beware ruin!

nam sub axe legimus │ for below the axle we read

Hecubam rēgīnam. │ Queen Hecuba.

axis, -is [3/m]: axle (of a wheel)

minōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1] (late latin): reduce; diminish

vertex, verticis [3/m]: (here) highest point; summit; top

caveat ruīnam │ let him beware ruin; subjunctive, known in grammar as the jussive subjunctive that forms a command / suggestion usually referring to a third person rather than directly addressing somebody

Hecuba: “The name of Hecuba was a suitable inscription for the axle as she was the supreme example of Fortune's malice. From being Queen of Troy, after its sack she suffered such misery as a captive of the Greeks that the gods, out of pity, turned her into a dog.” (Betts)