20.03.24: more on ages; duration of time [1]

In the earlier post that shows the tombstone of Bodicacia, the inscription states:

VIXIT ANNOS XXVI: she lived for 27 years

annus: year

vīgintī septem annōs; the noun is in the accusative plural (for twenty-seven years)

When Latin talks about the duration of time i.e. for how long something happened, the accusative is used. Both German and Russian do the same: Gmn. den ganzen Tag (for the whole day); Russ. vsyu nedelyu (for the whole week).

Many posts ago, how to express age was introduced:

• Decem annōs nātus [masc.] / nāta [fem.] sum.

I am ten years old, but, literally, I have been born for ten years. Therefore, it’s the same idea as: vixit vīgintī septem annōs.

You can now express any age and talk about family members, friends and children. Just take a look at a couple of small points:

īnfāns (masculine or feminine): a young child; a baby; the word itself is also an adjective meaning “not yet able to speak” although, over time, the term could refer to any young child, not necessarily a baby.

In this construction expressing age, only the numbers 1 [ūnus] and 2 [duo] will change.

• Īnfāns meus ūnum annum [accusative singular] nātus / nāta est.

My child / infant / baby is one year old, but, literally, my child has been born for one year.

• Īnfāns meus duōs annōs [accusative plural] nātus / nāta est.

My child is two years old, but, literally, my child has been born for two years.

After that, it’s plain sailing:

• Īnfāns meus trēs annōs nātus / nāta est. My child is three years old.
• Fīlius meus septendecim annōs nātus est. My son is seventeen years old.
• Fīlia mea vīgintī annōs nāta est. My daughter is twenty years old.
• Marītus meus trīgintā annōs nātus est. My husband is thirty years old.
• Uxor mea quīnquāgintā annōs nāta est. My wife is fifty years old.
• Sexāgintā annōs nātus / nāta sum. I’m sixty years old.
• Avia mea nōnāgintā annōs nāta est. My grandmother is ninety years old.

Of course, if you're talking about your own family or friends, you would want to be precise, and so just look at what, logically, happens with the compounds using 1 and 2.

• Fīlius meus ¦ vīgintī ūnum ¦ annōs nātus est.

The whole number is a plural i.e. My son has been living for 21 years, and, therefore, annōs, but ūnus itself is singular and so stays in the singular: ūnum.

• Centum ūnum ¦ annōs nātus / nāta sum! I’m 101 years old!
• Fīlia mea ¦ trīgintā duōs ¦ annōsnāta est. My daughter is 32 years old.
• Avus meus ¦ octōgintā duōs ¦ annōsnātus est. My grandfather is 82 years old.

The other numbers after two won’t change in this construction.

• Quot annōs nātus / nāta es? How old are you?
• Quadrāgintā quīnque ¦ annōs nātus / nāta sum. I’m 45 years old.
• Septuāgintā octo ¦ annōs nātus / nāta sum. I’m 78 years old.

Have a go: how would you say these ages?

1. XXXV annōs nātus / nāta sum.
2. LXXX annōs nātus / nāta sum.
3. XXIII annōs nātus / nāta sum.
4. L annōs nātus / nāta sum.
5. LXI annōs nātus / nāta sum.
6. XLVII annōs nātus / nāta sum.
7. XCVI annōs nātus / nāta sum.
8. LXXIX annōs nātus / nāta sum.
9. XIII annōs nātus / nāta sum.
10. C annōs nātus / nāta sum.