line from the Codex Buranus:
(Old Latin) mānis, -e (good)
+ in- > inmānis, -e or immānis, -e: (here)
frightful; monstrous
mortālis, -e: mortal │immortālis,
-e: immortal
The in- prefix with variant
spellings e.g. im- ill- gives the opposite meaning.
When the Romans got upset,
they tended to voice their frustration at the gods!
Lines from the Codex Buranus:
O Fortuna │Oh Fortune
velut luna │Like the moon
statu variabilis…
│ changeable in state
vita detestabilis │detestable life
…rota tu volubilis │
turning wheel (changeable in terms of fate)
… semper dissolubilis │
always ‘dissoluble’ (always fading to nothing)
[i] All 3rd declension
adjectives of 2 terminations end in -is / -e and a
significant proportion of them end in the suffix: vowel [mainly -ā- or -i-]
+ bilis [m/f] / -bile [n] which is formed usually
from verbs and denotes ‘worthy of’; the Latin suffix is reflected in English
derivatives. [image #1]
[ii] The English suffix –(i /a)ble was added to words which were not of Latin origin, but the meaning of the Latin suffix from which –(i/a)ble was derived was retained. [image #2]
This word came up in earlier posts. It is a very important adjective in this 2 termination category.
singular: omnis (masculine;
femine); omne (neuter) means ‘every’; ‘the entirety’
plural: omnēs (masculine;
feminine); omnia (neuter): in the plural means ‘all’
It very often occurs on its
own in the plural referring to people or things
omnēs: everyone
omnia: all things
Plural
[1] Nominative: -ēs
[m/f], -ia [n]
[i]: masculine and feminine
have the same ending: -ēs
[ii] neuter: -ia
[2] Genitive: -ium
all genders have the same
ending: -ium
[3] Dative: -ibus
all genders have the same
ending: -ibus
[4] Accusative -ēs
[m/f]; -ia [n]
[i] masculine and feminine
have the same ending: -ēs i.e. the same as the nominative plural
Note again! 3rd declension
adjectives are not only used with 3rd declension nouns; they just happen to
share the same endings:
Scrībae brevēs [3rd
declension adjective in the accusative] epistulās [2d declension
noun in the accusative] scrībunt.
[ii] neuter: -ia i.e. the
same as the nominative plural
Bear this word in mind!
[5] Ablative: -ibus
all genders have the same
ending: -ibus
Singular
[1] Nominative: -is [m/f],
-e [n]
[i] masculine and feminine
have the same ending: -is
Dominus ¦ crūdēlis ¦
servum castīgat. │ The cruel master punishes the slave.
[ii] neuter: -e
Hoc opus ¦ difficile ¦
est. │ This work is difficult.
[2] Genitive: -is
all genders have the same
ending: -is i.e. the same as the nominative masculine and feminine above but applies
to all genders in the genitive singular
Dolor mātris ¦ fortis ¦
erat magnus. │ The sorrow ¦ of the brave mother ¦ was great.
[3] Dative: -ī
all genders have the same
ending: -ī
Rēx ¦ fortī ¦
mīlitī praemium dat. │ The king gives a reward ¦ to the brave soldier.
[4] Accusative: -em [m/f];
-e [n]
[i] masculine and feminine
have the same ending: -em
[ii] neuter is the same as
the nominative singular: -e
[5] Ablative: -ī
all genders have the same
ending: -ī
Very important note! The grammatical terminology
can be misleading.
3rd declension adjectives
are not only used with 3rd declension nouns; they just happen to share the same
endings, for example:
Dominus [2nd
declension noun] crūdelis [3rd declension adjective] servōs
cāstigat. │ The cruel master punishes the slaves.
Servī dominum [2nd
declension noun in the accusative] crūdelem [3rd declension
adjective in the accusative] timent. │ The slaves fear the cruel master.
I’m going to start with the 3rd declension adjectives known as 2 termination because the vast majority belong to this group i.e. in the nominative singular [i] masculine and feminine have the same ending and [ii] the neuter has a different ending.
Image #1: there are two NOUNS shown:
[A] is feminine and [B] is neuter; I’ll call them A and B because in [A]: all
3rd declension masculine and feminine adjectives decline the
same way as this noun: masculine and feminine 2 termination adjectives have no
difference between them
[B] is mare (sea);
that’s a neuter noun and its endings are a little different
from the masculine and feminine (marked in yellow).
Keep those endings in mind
and then look at:
Image #2: those are the ADJECTIVE endings and you’ll see that the endings are the same as the nouns. The only difference to note is that, while some NOUNS can have alternative ablative singulars (-e or -ī), the ADJECTIVE only ends in -ī.
This is the one that matches with the 3rd declension adjectives
Before I post the next part on 3rd declension adjectives, I wanted to share a story, and it's a story and an image that I shared with students for many years.
I had just completed my
first year of Russian at university. The Professor, Peter Henry, approached me
and explained that there was a one month scholarship at the Pedagogical
Institute of Minsk in, at that time, the Belorussian Republic of the USSR. This
scholarship was offered to second year students, but the candidate couldn't go,
and so he offered it to me. I was delighted.
You see that arrow in the
image? Two days after I started the course, I sat right there with my head in
my hands. One of the lecturers, Yurij Stulov, saw me, sat down beside me and
asked me what was wrong. I explained: 'Ya nichevo ne znayu' (I know nothing),
'Vsyo eto slishkom trudno' (All of this is too difficult), 'Ya khochu
vernut'sya v Angliyu' (I want to go back to England). More than that, I wanted
to give up Russian.
And I felt that way - I felt inferior -
because everybody else in the group was in their final year at Oxford and I had
only completed my first year. The questions were too difficult, the concepts
were too difficult, they could all answer the questions and I couldn't. Yurij
clapped me on the shoulder, wandered off and spoke to my lecturer.
The next day, the lecturer
gave me easier material to deal with, when the questions were too difficult he
didn't ask me, and when he thought I could answer them, he asked me. I changed
completely, I felt confident...and not only did I go back to Minsk the
following year, I had a further scholarship at Leningrad, completed my Masters
and taught the language for twenty years. That one moment, thanks to Yurij
Stulov, not only changed me, but I never forgot it and used that incident to
emphasise to students that none of us always find things easy.
So, if you find Latin
difficult at times, if somebody writes something that is still over your head,
don't be disheartened. Go back through the posts, check the alternative site,
use the file downloads, use the youtube videos, and ask questions. If, for example,
somebody writes here or elsewhere "Ah, that's a third person singular
imperfect passive subjunctive in a subordinate clause of purpose" then
remember the term I made up: Minsk syndrome. Don't bother about it; if you're
not at that stage yet, then leave it. Focus on your own level. A wall starts
from its foundations, not half way through.
And the reason I write this
is because, in the next post, I am about to state that 3rd declension
adjectives are like 3rd declension nouns, and if you're asking "What's a
3rd declension noun?" then the Minsk syndrome has kicked in.
But don't sit on a wall with your head in your hands. I'm going to post some
references that will summarise the 3rd declension nouns - because they are a
major element in Latin - and I am in the process of transferring all of the
information on the 3rd declension nouns onto the alternative site.
To some extent, he's been misleading them since 1919! Felix doesn't mean 'cat', it's a third declension adjective: fēlīx, fēlīcis meaning 'happy'. 'Cat' is fēlēs, fēlis [3/f]
Third declension adjectives are the last of the adjective declensions. They all take the same endings but there is a difference in the nominative singular. Here are three third declension adjectives:
[1] audāx: bold, daring;
only one form for masculine, feminine and neuter
[2] fortis [masculine and
feminine], forte [neuter]: brave, strong; two forms (i) for
masculine and feminine (ii) for neuter
[3] celer [masculine],
celeris [feminine], celere [neuter]: fast; three forms, a different
ending for all three genders
Therefore, …
[1] audāx is
an adjective of one termination
[2] fortis, forte is
an adjective of two terminations
[3] celer, celeris,
celere is an adjective of three terminations
Those are the expressions
used in grammar.
(I used to note these as,
for example: fortis, -e [3/2t] i.e. it’s a third
declension adjective with two terminations. That’s not a
standard way of doing it, but that’s what I used.)
Below are some examples of
third declension adjectives.
One termination
Adjectives of one
termination can, like 3rd declension nouns, have a variety of forms in the
nominative singular.
audāx: bold; daring; reckless
caelebs: unmarried; single.
dīves: wealthy
fēlīx: happy
prūdēns: wise
vetus: old
Two terminations
Adjectives of two
terminations, to which by far the largest group of 3rd
declension adjectives belong, have a nominative singular in -is for masculine
and feminine, and -e for neuter.
brevis, -e: short; brief
crūdēlis, -e: cruel
difficilis, -e: difficult
facilis, -e: easy
fidēlis, -e: faithful; loyal
fortis, -e: brave; strong
gravis, -e: grave; heavy
levis, -e: light (not heavy)
nōbilis, -e: noble
pinguis, -e: fat; plump
trīstis, -e: sad
Three terminations
There are very few 3rd
declension adjectives of three terminations; all of them end in -er in
the masculine, -is in the feminine and -ein the neuter; note
that, with the exception of celer, the -er ending, like
some 2nd declension masculine nouns, loses the -e- when an ending is added.
celer, celeris, celere:
fast; swift
Note the loss of the /e/ in
the others:
acer, acris, acre:
sharp; bitter; keen; eager; cruel
alacer, alacris, alacre:
lively; brisk; cheerful; eager
celeber, celebris, celebre:
famous
paluster, palustris,
palustre: swampy; marshy
volucer, volucris, volucre: winged; able to fly
Most of the vocabulary needed to access this has been covered in previous posts related to the topic of weather. I’ve added some vocabulary below.
aliquantum: somewhat;
slightly
aura, -ae 1/f: air or breeze
depending on context; synonyms for aura:
āēr, -is [3 m/f]: air
spīritus, -ūs [4/m]: air;
light breeze
ventus, -ī [2/m]: wind
diēs can occur as both a
masculine and feminine noun, hence diēs obscura et pluviosa
dorat = durat from duro,
durare [1]: last; continue
impetuosus, -a, -um: violent
inamoenus, -a, -um:
disagreeable
minatur: (it’s) threatening
i.e. there is a threat of …
minantur: (they) are
threatening i.e. there are threats of …
subsequus, -a, -um (Late
Latin): following
subsequā nocte: on the
following night
temperatus, -a, -um:
moderate
Take a look at the text and
find the words for:
[1] find the verbs:
(it’s) getting cold
(it’s) getting warm
(it’s) getting hot
it is hot (and sultry)
it’s fine weather
it’s covered with clouds (or fog)
[2] find the adjectives:
cold
chilly
colder [with this ending, Latin and English almost match, so take a good look]
frosty
cloudy
rainy
stormy
windy
[3] find the nouns:
fine weather
clouds
hail
rain showers
rain
storm
Here are some questions on the text:
There are several references to wind, but on what date is a light (moderate) wind mentioned?
1. On what date are rainshowers, stormy weather and wind mentioned together?
2. Which date specifically mentions night and day?
3. On which date is there a lot of (a copious amount of) rain?
4. Which dates refer to cold nights?
5. Which dates refers to a ‘dark’ day?
6. Which two dates refer to thunder?
7. On which two dates does the weather continue to be the same as the day before? Think also of the meaning of endure in the sense of lasting.
8. How does the weather change on the 11th?
9. Is it very cloudy on the 12th?
10. Are there light winds on the 14th?
11. How does the air change on the 23rd?
12. What is there a danger (periculum) of on the 29th?
The document in the previous post is a series of simple
weather descriptions for one month. The author wrote it in Latin not as some
pointless “exercise” to show how well he knew the language. He wrote it in
Latin as an active means of communication which would be universally understood
by his academic peers throughout Europe. You won’t find a Classical Latin text
with such an intensity of weather expressions one after the other – or you will
have to wade through the writings of Lucretius - but you will in this text.
Texts from this period are interesting because they show a
“rebirth” of interest in, among others, science and geography. Sometimes these
texts have no translation (I cannot recall whether this one did) and sometimes
they appear in no other format except the original.
So, this is an original Latin text in its original format. I
have copied it exactly the way it was written and I’ll make a few comments
about certain aspects of the format. Earlier writing which used calligraphy can
be quite dense but this 18th century piece is quite accessible.
A couple of notes:
[1] (May 8th) serenitas. FB cannot
reproduce the letter, but the one that looks like an /f/ with a small stroke to
the left is a form of /s/.
[2] Some texts use /j/ instead of /i/: MAJUS = MAIUS; most
books nowadays (and these posts) use /i/. [image #1]
[3] diacritics: these are marks placed above or
below letters (sometimes beside letters) to indicate, for example, how a letter
is pronounced; if you have studied French then you will already be familiar
with ‘accents’ e.g. é, ç, or, if you know German then you will recognise the
umlaut accent ü. Latin does not use diacritics; the macron that you see in the
posts and in textbooks is only used to indicate long vowels [ā, ē, ī, ō, ū] but
diacritical marks were used from the Middle Ages by the scribes copying Latin
manuscripts and are also evident in this text.
nubilũ Letter /u/ with tilde [ ͂ ], the same diacritic used in
Spanish (but for a different reason), represents a following /m/ or /n/
nubilum: cloud; mist
[4] Endings are sometimes missing from the texts; this one
is marked by a full stop to indicate that:
impetuos. ventos = impetuosos ventos
[5]
(i) procellosumq: this is an abbreviation of the
enclitic que (and)
(ii) &, an ampersand, the sign to mark ‘and’
We are only focussing on the weather expressions, but there
are some other points of interest which use vocabulary that has already been
discussed in previous posts [image #2]
Curs: abbreviation for cursus, -ūs [4/m]
here referring to the ‘courses’ of the Moon i.e. the revolutions of the Moon
around the Earth.
Or: abbreviation for ortus, -ūs [4/m] referring
to the hour (hōra) and minute (minūta) the sun rises; note the
appearance of the word for minute; minutes were not used in the expression of
clock time in Ancient Rome. This is an example of a word that did exist in
Classical Latin which has been adapted.
Oc: abbreviation for occasus, -ūs [4/m] referring to the hour (h) and minute (m) the sun sets.
Although the long-term aim of the group is, in part, to read
Classical Latin, it isn’t the case that we can only learn Latin from the
Romans. Latin is not their exclusive property, any more than English is the
exclusive property of the English, even though, sometimes, we like to think so.
Many quotations from the Roman authors have been used to
illustrate points, but those quotations are often contained within much larger
and complex literary works. Learning to read Latin is a gradual process which
is why many texts have been included from schoolbooks which, I feel, were
written by thoughtful writers who were also teachers i.e. they constructed the
texts in such a way as to emphasise particular points to their pupils.
We’re going to look at a document written in 1750, and it’s
“real” Latin because the language didn’t stop when the Ancient Romans did; it
continued, evolved and acquired new vocabulary to meet contemporary needs.
So, the document is posted below. Over the next couple of posts we’ll take it apart.
Since the previous posts have discussed how inchoative verbs express how something is becoming something else, it’s appropriate here to talk about an important verb in Latin:
fiō, fieri: become; be
made
Now, this verb is part of a
far wider discussion with regard to Latin verbs, but, for the moment, it’s so
common that you should be able to recognise it:
fīō: I become
fīs: you (sg.) become
fit: he / she / it becomes
fīmus: we become
fītis: you (pl.) become
fīunt: they become
Magister īrātus fit:
the teacher gets / becomes / is made angry.
Antōnius Octāviānusque
inimīcī fīunt: Anthony and Octavian become enemies.
Bacche, bene venies gratus
et optatus, ¦ Bacchus, you will come to us welcome here and wanted
per quem noster animus fit letificatus*.
¦ through whom our spirit is made joyful
*There is a shift in
Mediaeval Latin spelling to reflect pronunciation change: /ae/ in Classical
Latin becomes /e/ in Mediaeval; Classical Latin is laetificatus
Where it occurs a lot is in
the past: factus, -a, -um est i.e. he / she / it became or was made:
Cn. Octāviō, quī prīmus ex
illā familiā cōnsul factus est (Cicero) ¦ (We have heard that)
Gnaeus Octavius—the first of that family who was elected consul…
The image from the Middle Ages, judging by the lady’s reaction, doesn’t suggest that everybody was keen on drinking!
A nice use of the inchoative verbs is with colour:
albus, -a, -um: white > albēscō, albēscere
[3]: become white; turn pale
non aequore verso tam creber fractis albescit fluctus
in undis (Silius) ¦ Thick and fast they come, like the billows on a stormy sea
that whiten amid the breaking waves
So, we can combine this with a quick recap on some of the
colour adjectives in Latin:
niger, nigra, -um: black > nigrēscit: it turns / it’s
becoming black
ruber, rubra, -um: red > rubēscit: it turns red; can also
refer to blushing
flāvus, -a, -um: yellow > flāvēscit: it turns yellow
viridis, -e [3rd declension adjectīve; coming soon]: green
> viridēscit: it turns green
All the inchoative verbs are 3rd conjugation; most of them
are unlikely to be found in any other person except the 3rd singular or plural
since they primarily describe changes happening to inanimate objects. A nice
one, though, is canēscō, canēscere [3]: become white; turn grey; it’s from the
adjective cānus, -a, -um, ‘grey’ with reference to hair. You can
use it in this way: canēscō: I’m growing old, I’m growing grey with age.
Have a look at the images posted and match them with these
simple phrases:
folium, -ī [2/n]: leaf
frōns, frondis [3/f]: foliage; leafy branch
1. Abōrēs frondēscunt.
2. Caelum nigrēscit.
3. Caelum rubēscit.
4. Capillus albēscit.
5. Folia autumnō rubēscunt.
6. Herba flāvēscit.
You possibly never knew that, when you eat a croissant,
you’re eating an inchoative verb, but before I talk about that, here are the
opening lines of O Fortuna (Codex Buranus circa 12th century) which is also the
first piece of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana
O Fortuna ¦ Oh Fortune
Velut luna ¦ Just like the moon
Statu variabilis ¦ variable in state [(you
are) changeable]
Semper crescis ¦ You’re always growing
[waxing]
Aut decrescis; ¦ Or you’re decreasing [waning]
Vita detestabilis ¦ hateful life
OK, now you have what you need to look at inchoative verbs!
Croissant “increasing” with, in terms of the food item,
reference to a crescent moon, a moon that is increasing <
French croître: grow; increase. The verb, through Old French, is
derived from Latin: crescēns (growing) which, in turn, is from
the verb you see in the O Fortuna extract: crēscō,
crēscere [3]: rise; increase; come to be:
Semper crescis: you’re always growing [waxing]
Aut decrescis: or you’re always decreasing
[waning]
If you are interested in music, you may know the Italian
term crescendo meaning that what you’re playing starts getting
louder and the musical symbol for that (<) illustrates it.
If something is growing or decreasing, it is changing
state.
Latin has a number of verbs which convey this idea and are
known as inchoative.
Inchoative verbs (from Latin incohō ‘begin’),
also known as inceptive verbs (Latin: incipiō ‘begin’) describe a change of
state i.e. something becomes something else, for example it changes
in size, shape, colour, appearance etc; in English this idea is very often
expressed by the verbs ‘become’, ‘grow’, ‘turn’ and, commonly in speech ‘get’
together with an adjective:
It’s getting dark.
The leaves are turning brown.
It’s growing warm now.
The same idea can also be expressed by English verbs such as
‘darkEN’, ‘lightEN’ where the suffix -en can have the same inchoative idea.
It’s brightening up now. (It’s getting bright.)
His face reddened. (His face turned red.)
These verbs also mark the beginning of an action:
The sun is beginning to shine.
The day is dawning.
What to look out for is -sc-
crēscō, crēscere [3]: increase
It’s still hiding in the croissant < crēscēns
…
and it’s even more obvious in crescendo
calet: it’s warm / hot > calēSCit: it’s turning warm /
hot
frīget: it’s cold > frīgēSCit: it’s getting cold
liquet: it is liquid > liquēSCit: it melts
lūcet: it shines; it’s dawning > lūcēSCit: the day is
breaking
tenebrae [f. pl]: darkness > tenebrēSCit: it grows dark
tepet: it’s warm > tepēSCit: it’s growing warm
vespera, -ae [1/f]: evening > vesperāSCit: it’s becoming
evening
The Romans never made it to Jamaica, but this is a short
description of weather conditions there written by a visitor in 1769.
In Īnsulā Jamāīcā, in quā maximus est aestus quālibet nocte
fulgurat mēnsibus Iūliō, Augustō et Septembre. Fulgurat saepe cum tonitrū.
This is from the website nle.org. It’s in the form of a TV weather forecast but not your normal weather forecast since the presenter throws in a few historical references! Check the vocabulary and have a go at answering the questions.
[1] In which countries will
it be:
(i) hot and sultry?
(ii) windy?
[2] What’s the outlook like
for tomorrow?
[3] Where will it be particularly (praesertim)
windy?
[4] Why does the presenter
refer to Alexander the Great and Ptolemy?
[5] The presenter makes
reference to a naval battle at Actium. Which two people were defeated?
[6] Who rules Egypt?
[7] Which two words describe
the climate of the land of the Pyramids?
[8] The Nile flows into the
Mediterranean. But what did the Romans call the Mediterranean?
[9] What famous structures
are located at Alexandria?
[10] Where is the outlook
bad?
Grātiās tibi agō, Favōnī. Tōtam per Ītaliam aestuōsa est
hodiē, ut semper hīs temporibus annī. Auspicia autem
sunt bona ad tempestātem crāstinam. Ventōsum est
autem in Graeciā, praesertim hīc in Macedoniā. Alexander
Magnus et prīmus Ptolemaeus in Macedoniā nātī sunt. Et ventōsum est apud
Actium, ubi Caesar Octāviānus nāvālī proeliō superāvit Cleopatram Antōniumque.
In Aegyptō, rēgnō Cleopatrae terrāque pȳramidum āridum est.
Ecce Nīlus, fluēns in Mare Nostrum! Ecce Alexandrīa, ubi est bibliothēca
clārissima et Pharōs nōtissimus. Auspicia mala sunt Aegyptō ad tempestātem
futūram.
aridus, -a, -um: dry; parched; arid
auspicium, -ī [2/n]: (here) sign; indication (outlook), but
can also mean ‘divination’
The word is derived from auspex, auspicis [3/m]
referring to an ‘augur’, somebody who foretells events by observing, for
example, the behaviour of birds, animals, or unusual phenomena. The theoretical
derivation of the Latin is *avi + spex a person who examines the flight of
birds. In Ancient Rome, the augur would interpret omens at official events.
Similar to the auspex was the haruspex,
haruspicis [3/m], someone who examined the intestines of animals in
divination; the noun is often translated as soothsayer. [image]
tempestās crāstina: tomorrow’s weather
crāstinus, -a, -um: tomorrow(’s)
futūrus, -a, -um: literally means “about to be”
hīs temporibus annī [ablative of time when]: at these times of the year
tempestās futūra: future
weather
tempus annī: time of the year
aqua calet: eāmus hinc intrō, ut lavēs (Plautus) ¦ The water’s hot; let’s go in so you can bathe.
Latin makes use of impersonal verbs to describe weather conditions, an impersonal verb in English most often using it although that pronoun is not referring to anything in particular, for example: it’s raining (Fr. il pleut; Gmn: es regnet), it’s snowing (Fr. il neige; Gmn. es schneit).
We’ll begin by looking at a
range of impersonal verbs used by the authors.
plumbō et saxīs grandinat.
(Pacuvius) ¦ it’s hailing with lead and rocks
sī nūbilāre coeperit
(Varro) ¦ If it starts to grow dark
At quārē aliquandō nōn fulgurat et tonat (Seneca)
¦ But why is there no lightning sometimes and yet it
thunders?
prius quam lūcet adsunt
(Plautus) ¦ before it is daybreak they are with me
intereā tōtō nōn sētius
aëre ningit (Virgil) ¦ Meanwhile it snows no
less over the whole sky
cum pluit in
terrīs et ventī nūbila portant (Lucretius) ¦ when it rains on
earth and winds bring clouds
cum tonat, … fulminat,
cum serēnat. (Minucius) ¦ when it thunders, … lightning
strikes, when it’s clear
Ante rorat* quam
pluit (Varro) ¦ it drizzles before it rains
*rorat can also
refer to the formation of dew
[also: leniter pluit
(it’s raining gently)]
And verbs can also be used
to describe how people feel and what a particular type of weather is doing:
dum calet,
dēvorārī decet iam. (Plautus) ¦ while he's warm, 'tis proper for
him to be gobbled up.
Quod tibi suprā scrīpsī
Cūriōnem valdē frīgēre, iam calet (Cicero) ¦ I
said just now that Curio was much in the cold:
well, he is now getting warm
Hic Sīrius alget, brūma tepet (Statius)
¦ Here Sirius* is chill, midwinter is warm.
*the dog-star
Sōl omnibus lūcet (Petronius)
¦ The sun shines on everyone
Iuppiter tonat. Jupiter
thunders. (Dickinson reference)
cum ventus spīrat lēnis
(Varro) ¦ when a gentle wind is blowing
[also: ventus flat]
And here’s a great one from
Petronius, the only Roman author, as far as I know, who actually said it:
et Iovem aquam exōrābant.
Itaque statim urceātim plovēbat ¦ and they prayed to Jupiter
for rain. And it rained bucketfuls:
Forget “plovebat”; that’s a
non-standard reworking of pluēbat (it was raining) to convey the rather vulgar
nature of the character talking.
urceātim from urceus,
-ī [2/m]: pitcher; jug
urceātim pluit: it’s
raining buckets; it’s bucketing
This is a follow-up on a verb used in the video in the previous post.
The verb sciō, scīre
[4]: know has an opposite: nesciō, nescīre [4]: not know
i.e. the verb itself expresses negation with no need for nōn before
it.
nesciō: I don’t know; *nōn
sciō is wrong
In part, the verb volō,
velle: want has a negative equivalent …
nōlō, nōlle: not want
In the video, Vincent said:
Nōlō domī
manēre et domīre: I don’t want to stay at home and sleep.
Parts of this verb are
formed with a single word, and parts of it use nōn like the
negative of any other verb:
velle (want) ¦ nōlle (not
want)
volō: I want ¦ nōlō:
I don’t want [i.e. *nōn volō is wrong]
vīs: you (sg.) want ¦ nōn vīs:
you (sg.) don’t want
vult: he / she / it wants
¦ nōn vult: he / she / it doesn’t want
volumus: want ¦ nōlumus:
we don’t want
vultis: you (pl.) want
¦ nōn vultis: you (pl.) don’t want
volunt: they want ¦ nōlunt:
they don’t want
The present, imperfect and
future forms of the verb (the three tenses covered so far) are posted below.
You will see that, in the imperfect and future tenses, the idea is expressed by
a single word; nōn is not used at all.
