Latin for Learners: 06/20/24

Thursday, June 20, 2024

26.07.24: Level 2; Dē crocodīlō [1]

hiō, hiāre, hiāvī [1]: yawn
līmus, -ī [2/m]: mud
mōs, mōris [3/m]: manner / way of behaving
namque: for; since i.e. because
pāreō, pārēre [2]: obey; the verb is followed by a noun in the dative case
pūrgō, purgāre, pūrgāvī [1]: clean
sapiēns, sapientis: wise

[A] In the next three posts which cover this text, I’ve added a number of ‘points’ after each question. If anybody is preparing for a Latin examination, reading comprehension questions will often be followed by a number in brackets, the bigger the number, the more detailed the examiners want the answer to be.

1.      Where exactly did the crocodile live? [2 points]
2.      What did the crocodile do when the sun was shining? [3 points]
3.      How did the bird help the crocodile? [4 points]
4.      What two good characteristics did the crocodile have, and which bad one? [4 points]
5.      Who also lived in the same place? [1 point]
6.      How many sons did he have? [1 point]
7.      Why is the man described as wise? [1 point]
8.      What did he advise his first son not to do, and why? [3 points]
9.      How did the son react to his father’s advice? [2 points]
10. What did the crocodile do when he saw the boy? [2 points]

[B]
1. What case is ‘O mī fīlī!’
2. What is the meaning of ‘que’ in benevolusque?

Notes:

[1] quīdam, quaedam, quoddam: a certain (person / thing); some (person / thing)

Olim crocodīlus quīdam in Aegyptō habitābat. │ There once lived a certain crocodile in Egypt i.e. quīdam makes the reference non-specific
Senex quīdam │ a certain old man
Avis quaedam sapiēns │ a certain wise bird

Many examples of this occur in the Mediaeval text Gesta Rōmānōrum

Rēx quīdam rēgnāvit, in cuius imperiō erat quīdam iuvenis. │ There ruled a certain emperor in whose empire was a certain young man.
Imperātrīx quaedam erat, in cuius imperiō erat quīdam mīles │ There was a certain empress in whose empire was a certain soldier
Perrexit ad quendam philosophum … │ He proceeded / went (on) to a certain philosopher …
Ad quandam cīvitātem … vēnit │ He came to a certain city.
Accidit quōdam diē … │ It happened on a certain day …

The declension of quīdam can be found at:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quidam#Latin

[2] crocodīlus … cui nōmen Rōbertus erat. │ Literally: a crocodile to whom was the name Robert = a crocodile … whose name was Robert / … who had the name Robert.

[3] dum sōl lūcet [present], Rōbertus …dormiēbat [imperfect] │ While the sun was shining, Robert … used to sleep

Although the sentence is in the past tense, dum (while) is regularly used with the present tense to indicate that the action was happening at the same time. English would translate it with a past tense.

Dum hiat [present], avis quaedam sapiēns ad eum advolābat [imperfect] … │ While he was yawning, a certain wise bird used to fly to him …

Hoc dum nārrat [present], forte audīvī [perfect] (Terence) │ I happened to hear this while she was telling it.

[4] Rōbertus igitur, vidēns ¦ hunc stultum puerum ¦ ad flūmen ambulantem … │ Robert, therefore, seeing ¦ this foolish boy ¦ walking towards the river …; ‘vidēns’ and ‘ambulantem’ are examples of present active participles describing what the nouns are doing. Detailed information on this important aspect of Latin grammar is coming up after the text has been covered.

25.07.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima [6](1)

book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/445400638071210/

In which order [1-8] does the author first refer to the following:

a personal coin collection
description of the towns
gold coins
location of his uncle’s plot of land
making money (careful!)
ploughing
remains of Roman buildings
Roman roads

OM_06

9. Agellus patruī meī in Cantiō est, inter Dubrās et Rutupiās situs. Dubrae et Rutupiae oppida antīqua sunt. Multa sunt monumenta antīqua in Britanniā, multa vestīgia Rōmānōrum. Reliquiae villārum, oppidōrum, amphitheātrōrum Rōmānōrum hodiē exstant. Multae viae Rōmānae in Britanniā sunt. In Cantiō est via Rōmāna inter Rutupiās et Londinium. Solum Britannicum multōs nummōs aureōs, argenteōs, aēneōs et Britannōrum et Rōmānōrum occultat. Rusticīs nummī saepe sunt causa lucrī, cum arant vel fundāmenta aedificiōrum antīquōrum excavant. Nam nummōs antīquōs magnō pretiō vēnumdant. Patruō meō magnus numerus est nummōrum Rōmānōrum.

____________________

[1] My uncle's plot of land is in Kent, between Dover and Richborough. [2] Dover and Richborough are ancient towns. There are many ancient monuments in Britain, many traces of the Romans. [3] Remains of Roman villas, towns, and amphitheatres exist today. There are many [4] Roman roads in Britain. In Kent there is a Roman road between Richborough and London. The British soil hides many [5] gold, silver, and bronze coins of both the Britons and the Romans. The coins are often a [6] source of profit for people living in the countryside when they’re [7] ploughing or excavating the foundations of ancient buildings. For they sell ancient coins at a great price. [8] My uncle has a large number of Roman coins.

24.07.24: level 1; 4th conjugation verbs

Match the verbs with the images. The list isn’t entirely random; the first two are obvious, but take a look at the derivatives of most of the others (in bold) in the word cloud.

fīniō, -īre [4]

pūniō, -īre [4]

____________________

aperiō, -īre [4]

audiō, -īre [4]

cūstōdiō, -īre [4]

dormiō, -īre [4]

impediō, -rē [4]

mūniō, -īre [4]

oboediō, -īre [4]

sciō, -īre [4]

sentiō, -īre [4]

sepeliō, -īre [4]

veniō, -īre [4]

____________________

ēsuriō, -īre [4]

feriō, -īre [4]

nesciō, -īre [4]

saeviō, -īre [4]

saliō, -rē [4]

sitiō, -īre [4]

vinciō, īre [4]

23.07.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; A First Latin Reader (Vincent) [6]

Translation and answer in the comments

In which order are the following statements first referred to?

defending the bridge
destroying the bridge
fighting alone
Horatius’ comrades
swimming across the river
the Etruscans
the name of a river

Posteā Tarquinius et Lars Porsenna, quī erat rēx Etrūscōrum, ad oppidum appropinquābant. Tiberis, fluvius longus et lātus, erat inter Rōmānōs et Etrūscōs. Horātius et Lartius et Herminius pontem contrā cōpiās Porsennae dēfendēbant; intereā Rōmānī pontem dēlēbant. Inde Horātius, ubi Lartium et Herminium remīsit, sōlus contrā Etrūscōs pugnābat. Ubi Rōmānī pontem dēlēvērunt, Horātius trāns fluvium natāvit tūtus.

Posteā Tarquinius ¦ et Lars Porsenna, ¦ quī erat rēx Etrūscōrum, ¦ … │ Afterwards Tarquinius ¦ and Lars Porsenna ¦ who was the king of the Etruscans …

[1] Lars Porsenna: the antecedent i.e. the person(s) / thing(s) to which the relative pronoun (quī) refers in the relative clause (quī erat rēx Etrūscōrum)

[2] quī: [i] masculine singular agreeing with Lars Porsenna (masculine singular) [ii] nominative case because it refers to the subject: Lars Porsenna ¦ who was king …

____________________

Afterwards Tarquinius and Lars Porsenna, who was king of the [1] Etruscans, approached the town. [2] The Tiber, a long and broad river, was between the Romans and the Etruscans. Horatius and [3] Lartius and Herminius were [4] defending the bridge against the forces of Porsenna; Meanwhile the Romans were [5] destroying the bridge. Then Horatius, when he sent back Lartius and Herminius, [6] fought alone against the Etruscans. When the Romans destroyed the bridge, Horace [7] swam safely across the river.

____________________

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruria

Map showing Etruria and Etruscan colonies as of 750 BC and as expanded until 500 BC

By NormanEinstein - Based on a map from The National Geographic Magazine Vol.173 No.6 June 1988., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=241378

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_language

By SBAUmbria - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33249416

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_art

By Sailko - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1464437

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatius_Cocles

23.07.24: level 2; is, ea, id [10]

Take a look at these two English sentences:

Did you buy the book I was telling you about? │ Did you buy that book I was telling you about?

There’s really no difference between the two i.e. both ‘the’ and ‘that’ are simply referring back to something that was talked about before. You’re not saying “I’d like to buy that book” and pointing to it on a shelf.

is, ea and id can also be used in this way. This is the closest we sometimes get in Latin to translating a word as ‘the’:

Tum ad Sullam iter fēcit et in eō itinere ter hostium exercitūs fūdit. │ He then made a journey [i.e. marched] to Sulla, and on the way [i.e. on that / the journey] he defeated the enemy's army three times.

in eā parte caelī │in that part of the sky (the speaker isn’t pointing to the sky but referring to a part of the sky previously mentioned)
Post id proelium iterum hūc vēnī … │ After that / the battle, I came here …
Itaque ad ea moenia cōpiās suās dūxit. │And so, he led his troops to those / the walls …
Saepe eīs temporibus ubi erant servī, clāmōrēs servōrum vulnerātōrum audīvī. │ Often in those times when there were slaves, they heard the cries of wounded slaves.
Eīs diēbus barbarī magnā vī impetūs faciēbant … │ In those days the barbarians made attacks with great force.

Below are some examples of is, ea, id being used in different ways. Note the translations.

Eī quī auxilium rogant nōn validī videntur neque eōs hostēs timent.

Those who ask for help do not seem strong, nor do the enemy fear them.

Uxor erat eī Eurydicē nōmine, quam maximē amābat. Cum eā in prātīs nitidīs lūdere gaudēbat. Prope Thrāciae ōram poēta uxorque eius bene beātēque vīvēbant.

He had a wife [i.e. to him was a wife] by the name of Eurydice whom he very much loved. He enjoyed playing with her in the shining meadows. Near the shore of Thrace the poet and his wife lived well and happily.

Eō tempore, Octāvius contrā Mārcum Antōnium bellum gessit.

At that time Octavius waged war against Mark Anthony.

“Percussit Absalom omnēs fīliōs rēgis, et nōn remānsit ex eīs saltem ūnus.” (Vulgate)

“Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.”

Et nōluit audīre eam: sed vocātō puerō quī ministrābat eī, dīxit: ēice hanc ā mē forās, et claudē ōstium post eam. (Vulgate)

And he refused to hear [listen to] her, but he called the boy who attended to him (i.e. was his servant) and said, “Throw this woman out away from me, and bolt the door after her.”

Nēmō eōrum relēgātus in exilium est. (Livy)

None / not one of them was sent into exile.

22.07.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima; review

book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/445400638071210/

[A] Match the sentences with the images:

[B] What case is in bold and why is it being used?

1. Aquam portāmus.

2. Circum villam est hortus.

3. Cum patruō meō in hortō saepe ambulās.

4. Hortum irrigāmus.

5. Magnus est numerus rosārum et violārum.

6. Murus hortī nōn altus est.

7. Patruus meus agellō suō operam dat.

8. Rivus est prope hortum.

21.07.24: Level 2; NLE 2008 (Intro) questions 13-30

IN THE ARENA

A large gladiator impatiently challenges his small opponent

image #1: questions

image #2: answers and outline of what the test paper is looking for

21.07.24: level 1; 3rd conjugation verbs

Match the verbs with the images.

1. bibō, bibere [3]

2. cadō, cadere [3]

3. currō, currere [3]

4. discō, discere [3]

5. dūcō, dūcere [3]

6. edō, edere [3]

7. emō. ēmerē [3]

8. legō, legere [3]

9. lūdō, lūdere [3]

10. pōnō, pōnere [3]

11. scrībō, scribere [3]

12. vēndō, vēndere [3]

20.07.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; A First Latin Reader (Vincent): finding your way around Rome’s early history

Match the names of the descriptions with the places in the word cloud.

Ancient city in Latium, east of Rome
Ancient city in North Africa
Ancient city in present-day Turkey
Ancient city in the Alban Hills
Ancient Roman temple
Island off the coast of modern Turkey; location where the Greeks hid their ships during the siege of Troy
Major river in Italy; main watercourse in Rome
One of the seven hills of Rome
One of the seven hills of Rome
Region of Italy; location of Rome

20.07.24: level 2; is, ea, id [9]

Choose the correct pronoun; each of them has a very specific translation.

Answers are at the end.

1. Haec verba __________ dīc. │ Say these words to them.

2. __________ servī erant bonī. │ His slaves were good

3. Cornēlia bene __________ cūrāvit. │ Cornelia looked after them well.

4. Vir __________ __________ nārrāre coepit. │ The man began to talk about them.

5. Fāna __________ vastāvit. │ He destroyed their shrines.

6. Sermōnem __________ __________ habuit. │ He had a talk with them.

7. Quās rēs tū cottīdiē facis, __________ ego quoque faciō. │ What things you do every day, I also do them.

8. Nōnnūllās __________ avidē dēvorāvit. │ He greedily devoured some of them.

9. __________ __________ in aciē contendit. │ He fought with him on the battle line.

10. Bonum medicāmentum __________ dabō. │ I shall give good medicine to him.

eōs; eōrum; eius; eīs; eī; eās; eārum; dē eīs; cum eō; cum eīs

Image: the Mykonos Vase (c. 675 BC), the earliest depiction of the Trojan Horse; the Greeks are hiding in the horse

..equō nē crēdite, Teucrī. │ Do not trust the horse, Trojans

quidquid id est, timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs. │ Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts.

Vergil, Aeneid II.13-16 & 48-49

____________________

1. Haec verba eīs dīc.

2. Eius servī erant bonī.

3. Cornēlia bene eōs cūrāvit.

4. Vir dē eīs nārrāre coepit.

5. Fāna eōrum vastāvit.

6. Sermōnem cum eīs habuit.

7. Quās rēs tū cottīdiē facis, eās ego quoque faciō

8. Nōnnūllās eārum avidē dēvorāvit

9. Cum eō in aciē contendit.

10. Bonum medicāmentum eī dabō.

19.07.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima [5](2)

book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/445400638071210/

What case is in bold and why is it being used?

Ex [1] hortō [2] patruī meī [3] scopulōs albōs ōrae maritimae spectāmus. [4] Scopulī sunt altī. Et [5] ōra Francogallica nōn procul abest. Noctū ex [6] scopulīs pharōs [7] ōrae Francogallicae spectāmus, velut stellās clārās in [8] ōceanō. Quam bellus es, [9] ōceane, cum [10] lūna [11] undās tuās illustrat! Quantopere mē dēlectat vōs, [12] undae caeruleae, spectāre, cum tranquillae estis et [13] arēnam [14] ōrae maritimae lavātis! Quantopere me dēlectātis cum turbulentae estis et sub [15] scopulīs spūmātis et murmurātis!

ex hortō
Ex hortō ¦ patruī meī …
Scopulōs albōs … spectāmus.
Scopulī sunt altī.
Ōra Francogallica nōn procul abest.
ex scopulīs
pharōs ¦ ōrae ¦ Francogallicae spectāmus.
in ōceanō
Quam bellus es, ōceane.
Lūna undās tuās illustrat.
Lūna undās tuās illustrat.
Quantopere mē dēlectat vōs, undae caeruleae …
Arēnam … lavātis.
arēnam ¦ ōrae ¦ maritimae
sub scopulīs

18.07.24: level 1; bright white (and purple) politicians

Are your politicians ‘shining white’? Those seeking political office in Ancient Rome liked to give the impression that they were. They wandered around wearing bleached white togas, a symbol of purity. An aspiring politican was known as a candidātus with reference to the shining white colour. And from that we have the word candidate.

Tyrian purple dye, which was made from the secretions of sea snails, was extremely expensive in antiquity. Therefore, the colour was worn by Roman magistrates; it became the imperial colour worn by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.

17.07.24: Level 1; review; prepositions

This post isn’t about what case(s) these prepositions take, but simply about reviewing their meanings. It is not a complete list but these are ones that commonly occur. Match the meanings with the prepositions in the word cloud. I have given one or two distinct meanings for each of them although, in context, there may be different translations. Many people say, quite rightly, that Latin helps with English – but it can be the other way around. Of the twenty prepositions listed, sixteen of them occur in English as prefixes with the same original meaning.

(away) from
(down) from; about / concerning
(together) with
above
across
after; behind
against
among; between
around (physically)
at the house of [ = Fr. chez]
for; on behalf of; as a prefix: idea of 'moving forward'
in front of; before
in or, depending on case, into
near
on account of
out of
through; along
to(wards)
under
without

And how many of these are in English?

a.m. = ante meridiem = before noon

abnormal

antenatal

attract [from La. ad+ trahere > attrahō, -ere (3): pull towards]

circumference; circumnavigate the globe

conference [con-: variation of cum]

contradict

de-ice the car; descend; description

exit

inspect i.e. look into something; inhabitant i.e. someone who lives in a particular location

international

peruse a book

p.m = post meridiem = after midday

postnatal

pro Republican / Democrat (no political bias here); progress

submarine

supernatural

transport

17.07.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; A First Latin Reader (Vincent): Who’s who?

So far, there have been five posts with the title of A First Latin Reader by Vincent (1936) and already you can see that, in the early history of Rome, there are many names involved. Try this match up exercise so that, gradually you can put the jigsaw pieces together.

first queen of Carthage
king of Alba Longa; grandfather of the twin brothers
king of Alba Longa; ordered the death of the twin brothers
king of the Etruscans
king of the Rutuli, chief antagonist of Aeneas
mother of the twin boys
one of the two first consuls of the Roman Republic
one of the two first consuls of the Roman Republic
the founder of Rome
the seventh and last king of Rome
the twin brother of the founder of Rome
Trojan hero

17.07.24: level 2; is, ea, id [8]; the “table”: how to handle it – step by step [3]

In the plural, all the pronouns have the same endings as 1st / 2nd declension nouns, and so, if you’re already familiar with the nouns, then it isn’t something ‘new’.

At the early stage of learning them, I kept a single meaning in mind. I stuck to their meanings as pronouns and gave a distinct English translation for each of them.

Nominative

Eī celeriter cucurrērunt. │ They ran quickly.
Eī quoque silēbant. │ They also were silent.
Eī quī ¦ rūrī habitābant semper timēbant. │They [i.e. those (people)] who lived in the countryside were always afraid.
Quid eae dixērunt tibi? (Plautus) │ (Referring to a group of women) What did they say to you?

Genitive

Ibi circum poētam volābant tenuēs umbrae eōrum. │ Their slender shadows were flying there around the poet.
Hostēs semper superō, quod oppida eōrum ācriter oppugnāre et agrōs eōrum vastāre audeō. │ I always conquer the enemy because I dare fiercely to attack their towns and lay waste their fields.
Posteā vērō, hospes, sciēs dē terrā, et āere, et aquā, et ignī et fōrmīs eōrum... │ In truth, (my) guest, later you will know about the land, and the air and water and fire and their forms.

Dative

Semper eīs partem praedae dedērunt. │ They always gave a part of the booty to them.
Dulcissimum erat eīs cantum dīvīnum audīre. │ It was the sweetest thing for them to hear the heavenly singing.

Accusative

… et eōs amīcōs fēcit. │ And he made them friends.
Ubīque sunt in aquā nāvēs et magna est laetitia Cornēliae ubi eās videt. │There are ships everywhere in the water and great is Cornelia’s happiness [Cornelia is very happy] when she sees them.
Prope mare castra mūniēmus quae nēmō oppugnābit quod ea bene dēfendēmus. │ We shall fortify the camp near the sea which nobody will attack because we shall defend it well. [castra (camp) is plural in Latin]
Avunculus rūra semper amābat et laetus erat quod nunc cum Cornēliā ea iterum vīsitābat. │(Her) uncle always loved country areas and was happy because he was now visiting them again with Cornelia.

Ablative

… et fābulās dē eīs laeta legit. │ …and she happily read stories about them.

16.07.24: Level 2; Mārs Rōmulum in Caelum Vocat [2]

As in the last post, identify the tenses being used and fill in the missing verbs.

Caelum iterum serēnum erat. Iam Rōmānī in Campō Mārtiō iterum ambulābant, sed rēgem nusquam vidēbant. Mox autem Iūlius, iuvenis Rōmānus, per viam Rōmānam iter ad urbem tenēbat. Subitō ā sinistrā, magnum et serēnum, Rōmulum prope viam vidēbat. Vehementer timuit - capillī in capite horruērunt.

Sed Rōmulus verbīs benignīs, "Ō Iūlī," inquit, "nūlla est causa timōris. Nunc Quirītēs nūmen meum adōrābunt et Rōmulum Quirīnum vocābunt. Templa et ārās aedificābunt, et ad ārās dōna apportābunt. Semper artem bellī et arma cūrābunt, et corpora in armīs dīligenter exercēbunt. Ita Quirīnus Populum Rōmānum servābit."

Itaque Iūlius Rōmulī dicta populō nārrāvit, et Quirītēs templum rotundum aedificāvērunt. In templō rotundō Quirīnī nūmen adōrābant.

The sky __________ clear again. Now the Romans __________ again in the Field of Mars, but they __________ the king anywhere. Soon, however, Julius, a young Roman, was on his way to the city. Suddenly on the left, great and serene, he __________ Romulus near the road. He __________ terribly __________ - the hairs on his head __________.

But Romulus, with kind words, __________, "O Julius, there is no cause for fear. Now the Romans __________ my divine will and __________ Romulus Quirinus. They __________ temples and altars, and __________ gifts to the altars. They __________ always __________ the art of war and weapons, and __________ diligently __________ their bodies in weapons. Thus Quirinus __________ the Roman people."

And so Julius Romulus __________ (his) words to the people [= told the people what he had said], and the Romans __________ a round temple. In the round temple they __________ the divine will of Quirinus.

dictum, -ī [2/n]: word

āra, -ae [1/f]: altar

horreō, -ēre, horruī [2]: (here) stand on end (of hair)

nūmen, nūminis [3/n]: divine will

nusquam: nowhere

timeō, -ēre, timuī [2]: be afraid

Notes:

[1] …iter ad urbem tenēbat: [literally: (he) was holding the road] (he) was on his way to the city

[2] “Ō, Iūlī”: vocative case of noun in -ius i.e. Iūlius > Iūlī

[3] Quirīnus, -ī [2/m]: (Proper noun) name given to Romulus after his deification

[4] Quirītēs, Quirītium [3/m/pl]: term used to refer to the Romans as civilians rather than in their military capacity

16.07.24: Level 1; Ora Maritima [5](1)

book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/445400638071210/

Note: the reader misreads one word; he says *iuna* rather than lūna.

8. Ex hortō patruī meī scopulōs albōs ōrae maritimae spectāmus. Scopulī sunt altī. Et ōra Francogallica nōn procul abest. Noctū ex scopulīs pharōs ōrae Francogallicae spectāmus, velut stellās clārās in ōceanō. Quam bellus es, ōceane, cum lūna undās tuās illustrat! Quantopere mē dēlectat vōs, undae caeruleae, spectāre, cum tranquillae estis et arēnam ōrae maritimae lavātis! Quantopere me dēlectātis cum turbulentae estis et sub scopulīs spūmātis et murmurātis!

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From my uncle’s garden we look at the white cliffs of the seashore. The cliffs are high. And the French coast is not far away. At night from the cliffs we look at the lighthouses of the French coast, just like bright stars in the ocean. How beautiful you are, ocean, when the moon lights up your waves! How it delights me to watch you, blue waves, when you are clam and wash the sand of the seashore! How you delight me when you are stormy and foam and murmur beneath the cliffs.

15.07.24: Level 2; Mārs Rōmulum in Caelum Vocat [1]

Three tenses in the same text: perfect, imperfect, future; take a look at the translation and fill in the missing verb forms. Look for the “clues” [i] -ba- / -bā- (imperfect) [ii] -bō / -bi- / -bu- (future) [iii] the -v- stem (perfect)

In angulō Tiberis Campus Mārtius iacēbat. In Campō Mārtiō iuvenēs Rōmānī corpora dīligenter exercēbant. Ita firma et valida habēbant corpora. Post lūdōs in flāvīs Tiberis undīs natābant. Ita Tiberis corpora fessa recreābat.

Hīc forte Rōmulus cīvibus suīs iūra dabat; bonōs cīvēs laudābat; malōs cīvēs culpābat. Subitō fulminis fragor populum perterruit; magnī dē caelō imbrēs virōs fēmināsque fugāvērunt.

Rōmulus sōlum serēnus impavidusque manēbat; Mārtem patrem in caelō vidēbat. Tum Mārs fīlium verbīs benignīs vocāvit: "Satis," inquit, "in terrīs rēgnāvistī; nunc in caelō et in stēllīs cum patre tuō cēterīsque dīs rēgnābis. Fīlium meum ad caelum portābō."

Tum equōs mīrōs incitāvit. Rōmulus cum patre ad stēllās properāvit.

At the corner of the Tiber __________ the Field of Mars. On the Field of Mars the young Romans diligently __________ their bodies. Thus they __________ strong and firm bodies. After the games they __________ in the yellow waves of the Tiber. Thus the Tiber __________ their tired bodies.

Here by chance Romulus __________ rights to his citizens; he __________ the good citizens; he __________ bad people. A sudden crash of lightning __________ the people; great rainstorms from the sky __________ the men and women.

Romulus alone __________, serene and undaunted; he __________ his father Mars in heaven. Then Mars __________ his son with kind words: "You __________ enough on earth,”; “now you __________ in heaven and in the stars with your father and the other gods. I __________ my son to heaven."

Then he __________ the wonderful horses. Romulus __________ with his father to the stars.

fragor, fragōris [3/m]: crash (sound); din

fulmen, fulminis [3/n]: lightning; thunderbolt

imber, imbris [3/m]: rain

incitō, -āre, -āvī [1]: (here) spur on (a horse)

iūs, iūris [3/n]: law; right

perterreō, terrēre, terruī [2]: frighten (thoroughly); the per- prefix intensifies the action

Notes:

[1] word order:

in flāvīs ¦ Tiberis ¦ undīs │ in the yellow waves ¦ of the Tiber

magnī ¦ dē caelō ¦ imbrēs │ great rainstorms ¦ from the sky

[2] suus, sua, suum: his / her / its (own); their (own); suus declines like the other possessive adjectives meus and tuus, and is used when the possessor is the subject of the sentence:

Rōmulus cīvibus suīs iūra dabat │ Romulus gave rights to his (own) citizens

[3] forte [adverb]; by chance i.e. it is not connected to the 3rd declension adjective fortis, -e [3]: strong

[4] dīs: ablative plural of deus; deīs also exists

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_Martius

15.07.24: level 1; adjectives [2]; colour

Latin has many adjectives to describe colour and it is not always easy to ‘pin down’ the precise colour they visualised. Traupman explains:

“The vagueness of Latin color terms is due to the origin of colors out of dyestuff and pigments. The colors of minerals vary, and dyes produce different effects according to the mode of preparation and the materials dyed. Their applications have to be guessed from literary sources, which for the most part are incidental and vague. Color names used by poets tend to be applied metaphorically or indefinitely.”

However, when using colours from your own perspective in order, for example, to describe hair or clothes, the list below will form a sound basis.

1. albus, -a, -um: (dull) white

2. aureus, -a, -um: golden

3. candidus, -a, -um: shining white

4. cānus, -a, -um: grey(-haired)

5. caeruleus, -a, -um: blue; greenish-blue

6. cȳaneus, -a, -um: deep / dark blue

7. flāvus, -a, -um: yellow; blond

8. fuscus, -a, -um: dark; brown; also: brunneus, -a, -um (Late / Mediaeval): brown

9. prasinus, -a, -um: leek green; also: viridis, -e (a 3rd declension adjective)

10. purpureus, -a, -um: purple

11. roseus, -a, -um: pink

12. rūfus, -a, -um: red (of hair)

13. āter, ātra, ātrum: matt black

14. niger, nigra, nigrum: shining black

15. ruber, rubra, rubrum: red

Alternatively, Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestley in “The Devil wears Prada” explains the subtlety of colour:

This… “stuff”? Oh, okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You… go to your closet, and you select… I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back, but what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean.

You can look up any of the adjectives in Wiktionary and a more detailed list of all colours is given.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/niger#Adjective

14.07.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; A First Latin Reader (Vincent) [5]

Rēgēs populum Rōmānum diū regēbant. Ultimus rēx, quem Rōmānī appellābant Tarquinium Superbum, erat saevus et populum terrēbat. Sed multōs superāvit et Gabiōs, oppidum Latīnōrum, oppugnāvit, et Capitōlium, templum magnum, aedificāvit. Rōmānī rēgem, quod erat saevus, ab oppidō expulērunt. Posteā Rōmānī, quia nūllus rēx erat in oppidō, duōs cōnsulēs—Brūtum et Collātīnum—creāvērunt. Tarquinius et sociī cōpiās contrā Rōmānōs dūcēbant et Brūtum cōnsulem necāvērunt. Sed Rōmānī Tarquinium auxiliō deī Silvānī superāvērunt.

Ultimus rēx [antecedent], ¦ quem [relative pronoun] Rōmānī appellābant Tarquinium Superbum │ The last king, ¦ who(m) the Romans called Tarquinius Superbus …; quem is masculine singular agreeing with rēx, but is in the accusative since it is the direct object of the relative clause: The last king ¦ who(m) [direct object: accusative] the Romans [nominative] called Tarquinius Superbus.

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For a long time kings ruled the Roman people. The last king, whom the Romans called Tarquinius Superbus (“the Proud”), was cruel and terrified the people. But he overcame many and attacked Gabii, a town of the Latins, and built the Capitol, a great temple. They expelled the Roman king from the town because he was cruel. Afterwards the Romans, because there was no king in the town, created / elected two consuls—Brutus and Collatinus. Tarquinius and his associates led troops against the Romans and killed the consul Brutus. But the Romans overcame Tarquinius with the help of the god Silvanus.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabii