23.03.24: Asking for directions; irregular verb volō, velle (want)

We can use the topic of directions to do further practice in command forms and learn some new verbs and phrases.

[1] Asking where something is

[dīc mihi [dative] ... Tell me [Say to me]

• dīc mihi, quaesō, ... Tell me, please, …
• dīc mihi, amābō tē, ... Tell me, please …

dīcō, dīcere [3]: say; tell. You need the command form which, in the singular, is a little irregular because it does not end in -e; the plural is regular

• dīc! (talking to one person)
• dīcite! (talking to more than one person)

quaesō, quaesere [3]: ask (for); seek, but here in the 1st person, it translates as ‘please’

amābō tē: it may sound odd but another way of saying ‘please’ literally means “I shall love you”.

• Dīc mihi, quaesō, ubi est forum? Tell me, please, where is the market?
• Dīc mihi, amābō tē, ubi sunt thermae? Tell me, please, where are the baths?

Think of other places in a town you already know in Latin. How would you ask where they are? Here are some examples:

• amphitheātrum
• fluvius
• forum holitōrium
• forum piscātōrium
• taberna lībrāria
• tabernae
• templum
• thermopōlium

[2] Asking if something is nearby:

“Cōnsulis castra in propinquō sunt” (Livy): The consul’s camp is near (at hand).

“Vīcī erant in propinquō.” (Curtius Rufus): There were villages near by.

• Estne in propinquō caupōna? Is there a pub around here?

[3] How to say that you want to go somewhere.

Here we can look at a new and important irregular verb: vōlō, velle: want

1. volō: I want
2. vīs: you (sg.) want
3. vult: he / she / it wants
4. volumus: we want
5. vultis: you (pl.) want
6. volunt: they want

The verb functions in the same way as English i.e. if you say that you want to do something, then what you want to do is in the infinitive. Although Latin word order is flexible, stick to the pattern of putting the main verb at the end:

• Domum īre volō. I want to go home.
• Rōmam īre volō. I want to go to Rome.
• In Ītaliam īre volō. I want to go to Italy.

You can see that there are different ways of expressing ‘to’:

There are a handful of words, including domus that don’t need a preposition; the accusative alone is enough.

Place names e.g. Rōma also don’t require a preposition; again, the accusative is enough: Rōmam (to Rome)

• In Ītaliam īre volō: Italy’s a pretty big place and so you go ‘into’ it! And you would do the same with the names of other countries.
• Ad Ītaliam navigāre volō: I want to sail to Italy i.e. towards it, in the direction of it

The preposition may vary depending on precisely what you want to say, but with most places you can simply use ad + accusative.

• Ad tabernam īre volō. I want to go to the shop.
• Ad forum īre volō. I want to go to the market.
• Vīsne ad forum īre? Do you want to go to the market?
• Volō illūc īre. I want to go (to) there. [illūc is an adverb meaning ‘to there’ or ‘to that place’]

In the next post, with the help of Plautus, we’ll look at how you give directions.

• “Ī … ī ad forum” (Plautus). Go …go to the forum!