Vincent makes three statements in the video that refer to important points of grammar:
1. Sed nōn possum hoc vītāre.
│ But I cannot avoid this.
2. Quod illam terram
valdē amō. │Because I really love that region.
3. Is fīet
sacerdōs. │ He will become a priest.
In this post we’ll look at
the first two.
Different grammar books or
online references are not always consistent in how they interpret or label
them.
Demonstrative adjectives
The term demonstrative itself
comes from Latin:
dēmōnstrō, dēmōnstrāre [1]:
show; point out; draw attention to
I like this book but I don’t
like that book.
‘This and that’ are
demonstrative adjectives i.e. they are used to describe,
to ‘point to’ an object or person that is near to you (this / these):
- How much is this book?
- These people are talking too loudly. They’re getting on my nerves.
‘That / those’ refer to
something or someone further away and often to someone or something that isn’t
physically there e.g.
- Can you show me that shirt on the shelf?
- How much are those cakes?
- I was in the bank. I really don’t like that manager.
- Have you tried those cakes which they sell in the supermarket?
Latin, like English, has
different words to express these ideas:
[1] hic [masc.], haec
[fem.], hoc [neut.]: this [pl. these]
- hic liber: this book
- hī mīlitēs: these soldiers
[2] ille [masc.], illa
[fem.], illud [neut.]: that [pl. those]
From the video:
- Quod illam terram valdē amō. │Because I really love that region.
He isn’t there; he’s
referring to something that is away from him and that he cannot even see.
If he said …
Hanc terram valdē amō. │ I really
love this region.
…he’s in it.
Both [1] and [2], however,
can also stand alone as demomnstrative pronouns i.e. they can
mean he / she / it [pl. they]
[1] hic, haec, hoc:
this (man), this (woman), this (thing); he / she / it [pl. these men / women /
things; they]
From the video:
- Sed nōn possum hoc vītāre. │ But I cannot avoid this / it.
It’s as if the situation
he’s referring to is right in front of him.
[2] ille, illa,
illud: that (man), that (woman), that (thing); he / she / it [pl. those men
/ women / things; they]
Here are some simple
sentences; the declension of hic and ille is
uploaded to files:
[A]
1. Hunc virum
timeō. │I fear this man.
2. Cūr ad hanc īnsulam
nāvigāmus? │ Why are we sailing to this island?
3. Quis hoc templum
aedificat? │ Who’s building this temple?
4. Ancillae hōs librōs
portant. │ The maidservants are carrying these books.
5. Servī hās amphorās
portant. │ The slaves are carrying these amphorae.
6. Barbarī ad haec castra
properant. │The barbarians are rushing to this camp.
7. Post hoc aedificium
est via lāta. │ There’s a wide steet behind this building.
8. Amīcus meus in hāc viā
habitat. │ My friend lives in this street.
9. Quis haec arma
timet? │ Who is afraid of theseweapons?
10. Hic dīxit:
Possum dēstruere templum Deī, et post trīduum reaedificāre illud. (Vulgate)
│ He said: “I can tear down the temple of God, and after three
days rebuild it.
11. Vulpēs hunc vīdit
(Phaedrus) │ The fox saw him.
12. Hanc amāvit
Iuppiter. (Servius) │ Juppiter loved her (this
girl).
[B]
1. Puella illum puerum
nōn amat. │ The girl doesn’t love that boy.
2. Vidēsne illōs puerōs
in fluviō? │ Do you see those boys in the river?
3. Cūr ad illam īnsulam
nāvigant? │ Why are they sailing to that island?
4. Vidēsne illās stēllās
in caelō? │ Do you see those stars in the sky?
5. Agricolae agrōs in illīs locīs
possident. │ The farmers own the fields in those places.
6. Illa puella
in illā tabernā labōrat. │ That girl works
in that shop.
7. Illae fēminae
in Ītaliā nōn nātae sunt. │ Those women were not
born in Italy.
8. Quis in illō oppidō
habitat? │ Who lives in that town?
9. Illud vīnum
valdē amō. │ I love that wine very much.
10. Estne ille amīcus
tuus? │ Is he your friend?
11. Illī ex
Hispāniā oriundī sunt. │ They are from Spain.
12. Illam amō. │
I love her (that girl).
Image #1: hic being
shown both as demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
Image #2: ille being
shown both as demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
The video links go into a
lot of detail on this; as I’ve said before, don’t try to amass all the
information at once (I didn’t); just focus on the existence of the two,
recognise them when you’re reading, and pick up the endings as you go along.
[1] hic, haec, hoc
[2] ille, illa, illud
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