19.03.24: reading; pronouns in the ablative case

Read the text for understanding and then take a look at the notes, especially those on the pronouns in the ablative case.

Agricolae Perīculum Effugiunt

[Latin Our Living Heritage; Breslove and Hooper (1968): slightly adapted]

Pater līberōs fēmināsque in aedificium dūcit. Animālia ex agrīs cōgit. Est īrātus quod Gallī līberōs terrent. Noctū pater et Mārcus, frāter līberōrum, ad cēterōs agricolās veniunt; dē perīculō monēre temptant. Sed agricolae nōn audiunt quod dormiunt. Itaque nōn respondent.

Mārcus īrātus fortiter clāmat. "Nōnne audītis? Cūr dormītis? Dē magnō perīculō vōs monēmus. Gallī ad agrōs nostrōs perveniunt. Līberōs nostrōs terrent. Aedificia vestra et familiae vestrae sunt in magnō perīculō. Cūr diūtius manētis?"

Tandem agricolae respondent. “Nōn dormīmus. Vōs audīmus.” Statim ex agrīs animālia cōgunt. Cum līberīs fēminīsque Rōmam fugiunt. Sēcum bona portant et servōs dūcunt. Intrā mūrōs Rōmae manent. Laetī sunt quod perīculum effugiunt.

Vocabulary

cēterus, -a, -um: the other; the rest

diūtius: [i] diū: for a long time [ii] diūtius: for longer

perveniō, pervenīre [4] (usually with ad + accusative): reach

temptō, temptāre [1]: try; attempt; test

Notes

[1] Read carefully!

• Vōs [accusative] monēmus: We are warning you.
• Vōs [accusative] audīmus: We hear you.

These two very simple statements are classic examples of why, when reading Latin, you can’t just go through it from left to right!

What do these mean?

1. Nōs audiunt.
2. Vōs vidēmus.
3. Mē amat.
4. Tē amant.
5. Eōs amāmus.

[2] Secum bona portant. They carry (their) possessions with them.

[i] There is the adjective bonus, -a, -um: good

[ii] There is also a noun: bonum, meaning a ‘moral good’ but in the plural – bona – it refers to ‘possessions’.

[3] Sē¦cum bona portant. They carry their possessions with ¦ them.

A few points to note here:

[i] sē is a reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject of the sentence i.e. They take the goods with themselves.

[ii] cum (with) is a preposition that is followed by the ablative case; the pronouns in the ablative case are given below; look at the examples and note in particular what happens with cum when it’s used with certain pronouns – and only that preposition does this.

• nominative ego

> ablative mē: sine mē (without me); mēcum (with me)

• nominative tū

> ablative tē: ā tē (from you / by you); tēcum (with you)

• nominative is

> ablative eō: cum eō (with him)

• nominative ea

> ablative: eā

• nominative id

> ablative: eō

• nominative nōs

> ablative: nōbis; prō* nōbis (for us; on our behalf); nōbiscum (with us)

• nominative vōs

> ablative: vōbis; cōram** vōbis (before you i.e. in your presence); vōbiscum (with you)

• nominative eī / eae / ea

> ablative: eīs; cum eīs (with them)

*prō + ablative: for; on behalf of

**cōram + ablative: in the presence of; face to face with

These pronouns are also posted in the images in a table; marked in grey are those pronouns which are the same in different cases.

[iii] cum is attached to the end of the pronoun: mēcum (with me), tēcum (with you), nōbiscum (with us), vōbiscum (with you); with eō / eā / eō and eīs it is not attached i.e. cum eō (with him), cum eīs (with them). No other preposition attaches itself in this way, as the poet Martial tells you!

Nec tēcum possum vīvere, nec sine tē. (Martial)

I can neither live with you, nor without you.

And if you want to express undying love, image #2 posted shows you how! The word order is slightly different, but the meaning’s the same.

Similarly:

• Pax vōbiscum: peace (be) with you
• Epistulam ā tē accipiō. I receive a letter from you.