11.05.24: review; future tense [3]; working with different tenses; the sī clause [3]: Julia: a Latin Reader [3]

Identify the present tense verbs and the future tense verbs from this passage.

1. they will fight

2. they will have

3. they will kill

4. we have

5. we live

6. we love

7. we will be

8. And the imperative / command form: Farewell! Be well!

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“in casīs Rōmānīs laetae et placidae habitāmus; līberōs cārōs habēmus et vehementer amāmus; et Sabīnōs et Rōmānōs amāmus. "Sī Rōmānī cum Sabīnīs pugnābunt, Rōmānī Sabīnōs, Sabīnī Rōmānōs necābunt. Tum Sabīnae nec virōs nec patrēs nec frātrēs habēbunt. Ō patrēs, valēte! Nōn iam Sabīnae sed Rōmānae semper erimus fīliae vestrae."

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Vocabulary and notes

nec … nec: neither … nor …

nōn iam: no longer

As you go on reading Latin, features will “turn up” that, from my own experience, if you try to deal with all of it at once, it’s too much information at one time and, to be honest, of little help if you’re not seeing it in context.

This little text is a case in point:

"Sī Rōmānī cum Sabīnīs pugnābunt, Rōmānī Sabīnōs, Sabīnī Rōmānōs necābunt. │ If the Romans fight with the Sabines, the Romans will kill the Sabines and the Sabines (will kill) the Romans.

Sī (if) introduces what in grammar is known as a conditional clause.

If I have time, │I will go to the bank.

If I have time, both in English and in Latin, is called a conditional clause. That part of the sentence e.g. an action or a set of circumstances has to exist before │ the main action of the sentence can take place.

If he doesn’t do his homework (conditional clause) │I’ll be really angry (the outcome).

[i] The standard format for that construction in English is:

If it rains [present tense] tomorrow │we will not go out  [future tense].

But you also see this:

[ii] If he won’t tell [future] you the answer │then it’ll be [future] your problem and not mine.

Now look at the Latin example; in this type of conditional sentence, Latin uses the future tense in both parts of this sentence.

Sī Rōmānī cum Sabīnīs pugnābunt, │ Rōmānī Sabīnōs, Sabīnī Rōmānōs necābunt.

If the Romans (will) fight with the Sabines │ the Romans will kill the Sabines, (and) the Sabines will kill the Romans.

Step-by-step: that’s by no means the whole story. Conditional sentences in Latin are a big topic that involve a lot of focus on verbs and so simply be aware that tense usage between English and Latin does not always match.

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We live, happy and peaceful, in Roman houses; we have our dear children and love them very much; we love both the Sabines and the Romans. If the Romans fight with the Sabines, the Romans will kill the Sabines, (and) the Sabines will kill the Romans. Then the Sabines will have neither husbands, nor fathers, nor brothers. O fathers, farewell! No longer Sabines but Romans, we will always be your daughters.