09.03.24: Talking about free time: ōtium [1]

ōtium: free time; leisure

The Romans did not have skateboards, nor did they spend hours involved in online gaming! However, there is already a lot of vocabulary you know that can express free time activities. When you study the third conjugation of verbs, which you’ll be doing very soon, then you will have a much wider range of activities from which to choose. However, as always, work slowly and carefully focussing on a limited number of words and expressions. Become familiar and confident with the structures and then you can apply them when more topical vocabulary is introduced. The aim is to practise structures in some meaningful context even if they do not immediately correspond to your own personal experience. And so, if you are an obsessive online gamer, you can either try to find a New Latin expression for it, or alternatively say that you go horseriding in the forest – which the Romans certainly did do!

ambulāre: to walk; also dēambulāre: to go for walk

• In forō dēambulō. I go for a walk in the market.

cantāre: to sing

• Māne ¦ in balneō ¦ cantō: In the morning ¦ I sing ¦ in the bathroom.

cūrāre: to take care of; look after

• Equum meum cotīdiē cūrō. I take care of my horse every day.

equitāre: to ride on horseback

• In silvā diū equitō. I go riding in the forest for a long time.

errāre: to wander

• In agrīs errō: I wander in the fields.

irrigāre: to water

• Plantās in hortō semper irrigō. I always water the shrubs in the garden.

natāre: to swim

• In fluviō / piscīnā natō: I swim in the river / swimming pool.

nāvigāre: to sail

• Ad īnsulam nāvigō. I sail to an island.
• Nōnnumquam ¦ in scaphā ¦ cum amīcō meō ¦ nāvigō. Sometimes I sail ¦ in a little boat ¦ with my friend.
• Ūnā ad īnsulam nāvigāmus. We sail to an island together.

rēmigāre: to row

• Scapham ad īnsulam rēmigō. I row the boat to an island.

saltāre: to dance

• In caupōnā cum amīcīs saltō. I dance with friends in the bar.

spectāre: to watch

• Lūdōs vesperī spectō. I watch the games in the evening. (You can still watch “gladiators” fighting on TV!)

vīsitāre: to visit

• Monumenta antīqua vīsitō. I go to visit ancient monuments.

habēre: to have

• Multōs librōs habeō. I have many books.

Here, we can add a new verb: lēctitāre which has the specific meaning of 'to read often'; the more usual verb meaning 'to read' is legere but this belongs to a verb conjugation that you have not yet seen and so, for now, we will omit it, but you can say:

• Librōs fābulāsque lēctitō. I often read books and stories.

Similarly, the verb meaning 'to write' - scrībere - belongs to a different conjugation, but we can use the verb scrīptitāre meaning 'to write often':

• Litterās longās scrīptitō. I often write long letters.

iacēre: to lie

• Noctū in lectō iaceō dum lūnam stēllāsque ex fenestrā spectō. At night I lie in bed while I look out the window at the moon and the stars.

sedēre: to sit

• Sub umbrā ¦ castaneae ¦ sedeō. I sit ¦ under the shade ¦ of a chestnut tree.