24.05.24: level 2; perfect tense [5]; first conjugation (4); perfect of sum, esse

2 first conjugation verbs that don’t form the perfect tense with -v-:

dō, dare, dedī [1]: give

stō, stāre, stetī [1]: stand

And the irregular verb: sum, esse

Sum, esse, fuī: that perfect tense could not be predicted but, like any other verb, once you have the perfect tense, the same endings are added

• fuī: I was (have been)
• fuistī: you (sg.) were
• fuit: he / she / it was
• fuimus: we were
• fuistis: you (pl.) were
• fuērunt: they were

Find the Latin

The boy gave me

You didn’t give me

We have given everything

They all gave

You have been (foolish)

We were (happy)

We are (happy)

The place was

There were around one hundred …

Three Romans stood …

Yesterday I stood

The brave cavalryman stood …

____________________

1. Fuērunt enim circiter centum latrōnēs

2. Heri fēlīcēs fuimus; hodiē miserī sumus.

3. Herī in summō saxō stetī.

4. Locus herbōsus fuit.

5. Mihi nōn dedistī.

6. Omnēs gemitum profundum dedērunt.

7. Omnia dedimus.

8. Prō comitibus suīs fortis eques stetit.

9. Puer quī hoc mihi dēdit est Pūblius.

10. Stulta et scelerāta fuistī.

11. Trēs igitur Rōmānī in angustō locō stetērunt. 

 

24.05.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima [2](3): cloze

24.05.24: Level 1: match up the personal endings

 

24.05.24: Level 1; child’s play - the personal endings tell you who’s doing what …

24.05.24: O Fortuna (Codex Buranus) [2]

This song is packed with aspects of Latin that have been covered in the posts since the group started. If you’ve been following the posts, or the other site, or you’re using your own resources, songs like this really help you to see where you are, and / or point to areas that still need to be looked at.

1st declension nouns

angaria, -ae [1/f]: (original meaning) compulsory service to a lord (very apt in this song)

c(h)orda, -ae [1/f]: string (of a musical instrument)

fortūna, -ae [1/f]: fortune; fate

hōra, -ae [1/f]: hour

lūna, -ae [1/f]: moon

mora, -ae [1/f]: delay

rota, -ae [1/f]: wheel

hāc in hōrā: (ablative) in this hour

sine morā: (ablative) without delay

Note: in Mediaeval Latin spelling there is shift from /ae/ to /e/to reflect pronunciation change e.g. saepe (often) > sepe; puellae > puelle, there’s an interesting example in this song:

Corde pulsum tangite. This is from chorda, -ae [1/f]: string of a musical instrument.

Chordae pulsum tangite │ literally: touch the beat of the string; pluck the vibrating string

The other Mediaeval spelling to note is michi; Classical Latin: mihi

2nd declension nouns

dorsum, -ī [2/n]: back

lūdus, -ī [2/m]: game

pulsus, -ī [2/m]: beat; pulse; strike

per ludum: (accusative) through(out) / during the game

3rd declension nouns

mēns, mentis [3/f]: mind

sors, sortis [3/f]: fate

egestās, egestātis [3/f]: poverty; want; need

potestās, potestātis[3/f]: power

virtūs, virtūtis [3/f]: virtue

salūs, salūtis [3/f]: safety; security; health

scelus, sceleris [3/n]: evil deed; wickedness

4th and 5th declension nouns

status, -ūs [4/m]: state; condition

aciēs, aciēī [5/f]: sharpness; keeness

glaciēs, glaciēī [5/f]: ice

statū (ablative) variābilis: changeable in state / condition

1st / 2nd declension adjectives

contrārius, -a, -um: contrary; conflicting

malus, -a, -um: bad; evil

nūdus, -a, -um: bare

vānus, -a, -um: vain; empty; deceptive

Note: these words below are not actually adjectives although they have exactly the same endings

affectus, -a, -um: (here) weakened; impaired

dēfectus, -a, -um: tired; worn out

obumbrātus, -a, -um: darkened; shadowed

vēlātus, -a, -um: wrapped; veiled

In English, if we say, for example, the letter was written, these words, known in grammar as passive participles, have the same meaning; they will be discussed in a later post.

3rd declension adjectives

dētestābilis, -e: abominable; detestable

dissolūbilis, -e: dissoluble

fortis, -e: strong; brave

immānis, -e: immense; enormous; (here) inhuman

inānis, -e: empty; meaningless

variābilis, -e: variable; changeable

volūbilis, -e: turning; spinning

1st conjugation verbs

cūrō, cūrāre [1]: take care of; heal; cure

obdūrō, obdūrāre [1]: harden; persist

3rd conjugation verbs

crēscō, crēscere [3]: grow

dēcrēscō, dēcrēscere [3]: decrease

dissolvō, dissolvere [3]: dissolve

plangō, plangere [3]: lament

sternō, sternere [3]: knock to the ground; strike down

tangō, tangere [3]: touch; strike

Irregular

ferō, ferre: bring

The only verb that I’m not going to say anything about is:

michi quoque niteris │you bear upon me too

That involves an aspect of Latin verbs that will take quite some time to explain. It’s best just to note it.

And take a close look at the image because there are three verb tenses around the image of the king:

rēgnō, rēgnāre, rēgnāvī [1]: rule; reign

rēgnō: I rule / I am ruling

rēgnābō: I shall rule

rēgnāvī: I (have) ruled

 

23.05.24: O Fortuna (Codex Buranus; early 13th century) [1]

This isn’t any level 1 or level 2, but I’ll include some original texts from time to time. I used this song to check how I was doing when learning the language. I didn’t jump into the works of Cicero; I went for Mediaeval song lyrics because they still contain all the major points of Latin.

Despite this song complaining about the vagaries of fate that are beyond our control, whoever wrote O Fortuna in the early 13th century probably had fate on his side. A century or so later the Black Death wiped out an estimated 50,000,000 people including perhaps 50% of the European population; nobody knew what caused it and nobody knew how to stop it. They just had to accept their fate.

How ironic it is to listen to this song, with Carl Orff’s towering and dark composition, performed by the Edinburgh Festival choir – in a silent and locked down Scotland – at the mercy of a global pandemic which, at first, had no cure. The pleasure in their faces at the end is probably when restrictions were relaxed a little.

Whatever was going to happen at that time, it was out of our hands.

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi │Fate, the Empress of the World

In this post I have given the Latin lyrics together with an English translation as close as possible to the original. In the next post I’ll give vocabulary and notes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNwBExn1zgg

O Fortuna │O Fortune

velut luna │just like the moon

statu variabilis │variable in state

semper crescis │(you are) always growing (waxing)

aut decrescis │ or decreasing (waning)

vita detestabilis │detestable life

nunc obdurat │now it oppresses

et tunc curat │and then it soothes (heals)

ludo mentis aciem │keeness of mind with a game (it plays with mental clarity)

egestatem │poverty

potestatem │power

dissolvit ut glaciem. │it melts (them) like ice.

Sors immanis │Fate, monstrous

et inanis │and empty

rota tu volubilis │you turning wheel

status malus │evil condition

vana salus │ empty (worthless) security (a false sense of security / well-being)

semper dissolubilis│always dissoluble (fading to nothing)

obumbrata │shadowed

et velata │and veiled

michi quoque niteris │you bear upon me too

nunc per ludum│dorsum nudum│fero tui sceleris. │Now through the game of your wickedness I bear a naked back [= my back is bare]

Sors salutis│The fate of health

et virtutis│and virtue

michi nunc contraria, │are now against me

est affectus│weakened

et defectus│worn out (“weighted down” in some translations)

semper in angaria. │always in slavery

Hac in hora│in this hour

sine mora│without delay

corde pulsum tangite; │touch the beat of the string

quod per sortem│because through fate

sternit fortem, │she strikes down the strong

mecum omnes plangite! │Everybody weep with me!

23.05.24: level 2; perfect tense [4]; first conjugation (3)

Find the Latin

I pretended

I tried (to tell)

I wasn’t ill

I woke up (everybody)

I’ve already told enough

you didn’t wash

you recited

The verbs are listed at the end but take a look at the verbs in the sentences first because, even if you’d never seen any of them, you could work out their meanings. Apart from ‘recite’ which is obvious:

In a flight simulator, does the pilot go into the air?

If the chocolate cake looks tempting, what might you do?

What does a narrator do?

If your audience is sleeping why would you try to excite them?

Where might you wash your hands in a restaurant?

There’s only one left: aegroto, aegrotare, aegrotavi [1]: be sick

1. Aegrum simulāvistī.

2. Collum nōn lāvistī.

3. Nōn aegrōtāvistī.

4. Omnēs excitāvī.

5. Sed satis, ut putō, iam nārrāvī.

6. Temptāvī tibi dīcere …

7. Tū heri recitāvistī.

____________________

aegrōtō, aegrōtāre, aegrōtāvī [1]: be sick

excitō, excitāre, excitāvī [1]: wake up (somebody)

lavō, lavāre, lāvī [1]: wash

nārrō, nārrāre, nārrāvī [1]: tell (a story); recount

recitō, recitāre, recitāvī [1]: recite

simulō, simulāre, simulāvī [1]: pretend

temptō, temptāre, temptāvī [1]: try

23.05.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima [2](2): match the Latin and English words from the previous text

1. ad

2. apud

3. circum

4. cum (two meanings)

5. ex

6. interdum

7. nōn sōlum … sed etiam

8. nunc

9. post

10. quoque

11. saepe

12. sed

13. ubi

14. vel

____________________

about; around

after

also

at the house of

but

not only … but also…

now

often

or

out of / from

sometimes

to(wards)

when

where

with

23.05.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima [2](1)

The translation is below the text, but focus on the verbs in bold.

3. Ex fenestrīs vīllae undās spectās. Undās caeruleās amō. Quam magnae sunt, quam perlūcidae! Post cēnam lūnam et stēllās ex fenestrā meā spectō. Prope vīllam est silva, ubi cum amitā meā saepe ambulō. Quantopere nōs silva dēlectat! Ō cōpiam plantārum et herbārum! Ō cōpiam bācārum! Nōn sōlum nautae sed etiam agricolae circum habitant. Casae agricolārum parvae sunt. Nautae casās albās habitant. Amita mea casās agricolārum et nautārum saepe vīsitat.

5. Lȳdia quoque, cōnsōbrīna mea, apud amitam meam nunc habitat. Lȳdia columbās cūrat: cūra columbārum Lȳdiae magnam laetitiam dat. Tū, Lȳdia, cum apud magistram tuam es, linguae Francogallicae et linguae Anglicae operam dās; sed ego linguīs antīquīs Rōmae et Graeciae operam dō. Saepe cum Lȳdiā ad silvam vel ad ōram maritimam ambulō. Interdum cum nautā in scaphā nāvigāmus. Quantopere nōs undae caeruleae dēlectant! Lȳdia casās agricolārum cum amitā meā interdum vīsitat. Vōs, fīliae agricolārum, Lȳdiam amātis, ut Lȳdia vōs amat. Ubi inopia est, ibi amita mea inopiam levat.

____________________

[3] From the windows of the villa you look at the waves. I love the blue waves. How large they are, how transparent! After dinner I look at the moon and the stars from my window. There is a forest near the village, where I often walk with my aunt. How much the forest delights us! Lots of plants and herbs! What a large number of berries! Not only sailors but also farmers live around. The cottages of the farmers are small. The sailors live in white houses. My aunt often visits the cottages of the farmers and the sailors.

[5] Lydia, my cousin, is also now living with my aunt. Lydia takes care of the doves: the care of the doves gives great happines to Lydia. You, Lydia, when you are with your teacher, give attention to the French language and the English language; but I give attention to the ancient languages of Rome and Greece. I often walk with Lydia to the forest or to the seaside. Sometimes we sail with a sailor in a boat. How the blue waves delight us! Lydia sometimes visits the farmers' cottages with my aunt. You, daughters of farmers, love Lydia, as Lydia loves you. Where there is need / scarcity, there my aunt relieves (their) need. 

23.05.24: Level 1; 10 at a time; people [4]

 

Mocapor is saying hello to anyone passing by – maybe from his shop sign, but most likely from beyond the grave! Either way, he wanted us to know what he did for a living.

22.05.24: level 2; Perfect tense [3]; first conjugation (2)

One of the skills that Latin develops is the ability to think around a problem rather than staring at it.

Find the Latin for these verbs in the text:

he watched

he loved

he spurred on

he rushed

he seized

they invited

they rushed (x2)

they carried

If you already know them, then no problem. What are your options if you don’t? Of course, you can look them up in Wiktionary but, before you do that, look at them from a different angle. The verbs are listed at the end.

1. ‘invite’ is obvious

2. What does a porter do?

3. What do spectators do?

4. If you incite somebody to violence, what is it you do?

5. If somebody is amorous, how would you describe them?

6. I was listening in rapt attention as the old man told his story.

I suspect you can thank the Normans for all of that.

____________________

Sed Plūtō, patruus puellae, Deae fīliam procul spectāvit et statim puellam vehementer amāvit. Subitō equōs caeruleōs incitāvit et per prāta properāvit, et puellam perterritam raptāvit.

Rōmānī igitur Sabīnōs ad lūdōs magnōs invītāvērunt. Pāx erat inter Rōmānōs et Sabīnōs. Itaque Sabīnī ad lūdōs Rōmānōrum libenter properāvērunt. Nec scūta nec gladiōs nec hastās apportāvērunt. Cum Sabīnīs, virginēs multae et fōrmōsae properāvērunt.

____________________

amō, amāre, amāvī [1]: love

apportō, apportāre, apportāvī [1]: bring

incitō, incitāre, incitāvī [1]: (here) spur on (e.g. a horse)

invītō, invītāre, invītāvī [1]: invite

properō, properāre, properāvī [1]: hurry

raptō, raptāre, raptāvī [1]: seize; carry off

spectō, spectāre, spectāvī [1]: look at; watch 

 

22.05.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima [1] (4); cloze (2)

https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Ora_Maritima/Text

22.05.24: Level 1; 10 at a time; people [3]