09.03.24: notes on the previous post

[1] Expressing likes / dislikes: grātus, -a, -um

The default expressions in English are, for example, I (don’t) like, love, enjoy etc. However, other European languages can use expressions which do not make the person the subject of the ‘liking’ but rather the person / thing that is pleasing to that person. In the three examples below, all three languages use an indirect object, which in German and Russian, are specifically expressed – as they are in Latin – by the dative case.

(Fr.) Cette robe me plaît. This dress is pleasing to me. = I like this dress.

(Gmn.) Dieser Mann gefällt mir: This man is pleasing to me. = I like this man.

(Russ.) Eto vino mne nravitsya. This wine is pleasing to me. = I like this wine.

In the text, we see a similar pattern with adjectives:

grātus, -a, -um: agreeable; pleasing (an adjective, not a verb)

Servus dominō grātus est. The slave is pleasing to the master = The master likes the slave.

Hic liber nōn mihi grātus est. This book is not pleasing to me = I don’t like this book.

Haec īnsula est grāta mihi. This island is pleasing to me = I like this island.

From a previous post:

Magnum domicilium est dominō et dominae grātum. The large residence is pleasing to the master and mistress = The master and mistress like the large dwelling.

When translating – anything – from Latin into English, it is advisable at the early stages, to stick as closely as possible to the Latin original, even if it sounds a little stilted, so that you see exactly how the grammar of Latin is working.

Servus dominō grātus est.

[i] The slave is pleasing to the master. [ii] The master likes the slave.

While, of course, [i] above is a way of expressing the idea in English, it would not be the one that we would usually choose. After you become confident with any construction and you know how it is working, then you can [ii] be more ‘loose’ in translation provided that you still convey the meaning.

Hortī pulchrī puerīs et puellīs grātī sunt.

[i] Beautiful gardens are pleasing to boys and girls. [ii] Boys and girls like / enjoy beautiful gardens.

Tabernae et puellīs et servīs sunt grātae.

[i] The shops are pleasing to both the boys and the slaves. [ii] Both the boys and the slaves like the shops.

Soleae et tunicae novae servīs sunt grātae.

[i] The sandals and new tunics are pleasing to the slaves. [ii] The slaves like the sandals and new tunics.

Tunicae rubrae sunt Cornēliae grātae sed tunicae albae Secundae sunt grātae.

• Cornelia likes the red tunics but Secunda likes the white tunics.

Soleae rubrae et Cornēliae et Secundae sunt grātae.

• Both Cornelia and Secunda like the red sandals.

Look carefully at the use of two cases in this sentence:

Statuae ¦ deārum [genitive plural] ¦ puellīs [dative plural] sunt grātae.

[i] The statues ¦ of the goddesses ¦ are pleasing to the girls. [ii] The girls like the statues of the goddesses.

Praemia dīligentiae sunt grāta discipulīs.

[i] Prizes for hard work are pleasing to the pupils [ii] Pupils like [getting] prizes for their hard work.

The second option is a better rendering of the sentence, but it is important not to bypass [i] so that you are sure how the Latin sentence is formed.

From a previous post:

Domicilia pulchra dominīs Rōmānīs semper sunt grāta.

[i] Beautiful residences are always pleasing to the Roman masters. [ii] The Roman masters always like beautiful residences.

And here is the opening of a letter from Cicero – you met him when he was talking about Aristotle in an earlier post:

• Gratae mihi vehementer tuae litterae fuerunt.
• Your letter was exceedingly pleasing to me [litterae is plural but it is commonly used to refer to one letter] = I was exceedingly pleased with your letter.

[2] The other three adjectives, namely [i] amīcus, -a, -um: friendly [ii] cārus, -a, um: dear and [iii] proximus, -a, -um: next; very near; near by, also, like grātus, belong to a small group of adjectives which are followed by the dative and are all conveyed by English equivalents with the preposition to or towards:

Cornēlia et Secunda ¦ servīs ¦ sunt amīcae.

• Cornelia and Secunda are friendly ¦ to / towards the slaves.

Īnsula nōn est ¦ Italiae ¦ proxima. Īnsula est Graeciae proxima.

• The island is not ¦ close ¦ to Italy. The island is ¦ very near ¦ toGreece.

Graecia pulchra ¦ Rosae ¦ est cāra.

• Beautiful Greece is dear ¦ to Rosa.

Cornēlia quoque ¦ Annae ¦ est cāra.

• Cornelia is also dear ¦ to Anna. Again, other translations are possible e.g. Anna feels / has affection for Cornelia.

Servae ¦ fīliābus ¦ sunt cārae.

• [i] The slave-girls are dear ¦ to the daughters. [ii] The daughters feel affection for the slave-girls.