23.09.24: follow-up; books, writing and related topics [1]

Referring to:

https://www.facebook.com/.../permalink/521706370440636/

Learning a language isn’t only of course about what you know already – but also about what you can find out so that you can develop your knowledge.

Quod genus librōrum vōbīs praecipuē placet? │ What type of books do you particularly like?

genus, generis [3/n]: type

Let’s take it apart to find out [1] what it literally says and [2] how you can rework it.

[1]

[i] Quod genus … [ii] vōbis … [iii] placet?

[i] What type … [ii] to you …. [iii] is pleasing? = What type do you like?

The three-part question:

[i] Quid [ii] tibi (one person) / vōbīs (more than one person) [iii] placet? = literally: [i] What [ii] to you [iii] is pleasing? = What do you like?

The three-part answer:

[i] X [ii] mihi [iii] placet = literally: [i] X [ii] to me [iii] is pleasing = I like X

Rather than literally saying “I like (something)” Latin changes the idea around to “Something is pleasing to me”. This is no different from Fr. X me plaît, or Gmn. X mir gefällt, or Russ. X mne nravitsya i.e. they are all saying X is pleasing to me. English can do that but it sounds rather formal.

[2]

[a] Therefore, whatever you like in Latin can be expressed in this way.

[i] Mūsica [ii] mihi [iii] placet │ I like music = literally: music is pleasing to me

Hic liber mihi placet │ I like this book = literally: this book is pleasing to me

Haec pictūra mihi placet │ I like this painting

Hoc carmen mihi (valdē / praecipuē) placet │ I (really / particularly) like this song / poem

Hoc carmen mihi perplacet │ I really like this song / poem; per- intensifies the verb

Ea (lēx) mihi perplacet (Cicero) │ This / that (law) really pleases me = I really like this law

Latin is flexible and so you can find the words in a different order:

servī meī perplacet mihi cōnsilium (Plautus) │ The advice / plan of my slave is very pleasing to me = I very much like my slave’s advice

[b] If what you like is plural then the verb will become plural:

[i] Carmina [ii] mihi [iii] placent │ I like poems = literally: poems are pleasing to me

Monumenta antiqua mihi placent │ I like ancient monuments

Commentāriī dē bellō Gallicō mihi placent │ I like the Commentaries on the Gallic War

Fābulae mihi placent │ I like stories / plays

Cōmoediae ¦ Plautī ¦ mihi placent │ I like the comedies ¦ of Plautus

Carmina ¦ Catullī ¦ mihi placent │ I like the poems ¦ of Catullus

Antīqua opera et verba cum vōbīs placent … (Plautus) │ Since ancient works and words are pleasing to you …

[c] What you like does not have to be a noun; it can be an infinitive:

[i] Legere [ii] mihi [iii] placet │ I like reading / to read = literally: to read is pleasing to me

Mihi legere carmina Latīna … placet │ I like to read Latin poems = literally: to me it’s pleasing to read Latin poems

Saltāre mihi placet │ I like to dance

Cantāre / canere mihi placet │ I like to sing

Mihi legere fabulās placet │ I like reading / to read stories

Mihi epistulās scrībere placet │ I like writing / to write letters

Mihi mūsicam audīre placet │ I like listening to / to listen to music

Mihi pictūrās pingere placet │ I like to paint pictures

Mihi pelliculās / taeniolās spectāre placet │ I like to watch movies; pellicula, -ae [1/f]; taeniola, -ae [1/f] (New Latin)

Mihi versūs ediscere placet │ I like to learn verses by heart

Mihi cōmoediās ¦ Plautī ¦ legere praecipuē placet. │ I especially like reading the plays of Plautus.

Ōrātiōnēs / Epistulās ¦ Cicerōnis ¦ legere mihi valdē placet. │ I really like reading Cicero’s speeches / letters.

litterae, -ārum [1/f/pl] can refer to [i] one or more letters, or [2] literature i.e. the concept is usually expressed in the plural

Litterās Latīnās legere mihi valdē placet. │ I really like reading Latin literature.