19.02.25: Moving on; introduction to Level 3

[1] This FB group was never designed to be a random series of posts. It began on 19.02.24 at level 1 i.e. your cat knew more Latin than you did. Level 1 covered what I felt were the building bricks of the language.

19.05.24: a second level was introduced which simply continued from Level 1. The second level assumed that members were already confident in the features of level 1 either by using the posts here or on the other site, or through their own private study. Level 1 has continued and reviews points covered earlier.

Image #1: “Crossing the line”

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/445843464693594/

[2] I am now introducing a third level to the group which, in terms of the language covered, will go on from Level 2 to “the end”; Latin never really ends, but the grammar does reach a conclusion. Some of the texts remain quite simple but are chosen because they clearly show a specific point. However, they will increase in difficulty.

[3] Levels 1 and 2 will carry on reviewing the earlier topics; certain topics take a long time to explain, sometimes requiring many posts, and so there will be less repetition of the same point, but there will be:

Links to previous FB posts

Files stored in the group

Specific links to cloud storage and other external online sources which are both accurate and well-produced

[4] Everything that I post here – all three levels – is available on the alternative site [see image #2] that has been online almost since the group started.

[5] I have also started a new site [see image #3] which focuses only on the Level 3 posts. That is for those who are at a more advanced level and want to by-pass the less challenging topics.

I have mentioned before that, for some reason, FB does not allow a direct link to those sites and so simply note the addresses in the images.

18.02.25: Level 2; the passive voice [36]: translation practice

Most of the sentences in this exercise contain two perfect passive participles, for example:

[1] Oppidum [i] captum ¦ [ii] dēlētum est.

The sentence shows [i] a perfect passive participle describing the noun and [ii] a passive verb with ‘esse’

[i] The ‘having been captured’ ¦ town ¦ [ii] was destroyed.

Very often that literal translation needs to be reworked. There are various possibilities, but the examples below maintain the concept that something had happened to the town before the next action.

• The town, [i] after it had been captured, [ii] was destroyed.
• [i] When the town was captured [ii] it was destroyed.
• [i] The town was captured [ii] and destroyed.
• [i] Having been captured, [ii] the town was destroyed.

[2] Oppidum ¦ [i] ab hostibus captum ¦ [ii] dēlētum est.

• The town, captured by the enemy, was destroyed.
• After the town had been captured by the enemy it was destroyed.
• The town was captured by the enemy and (it was) destroyed.

Look out for tense sequences when translating

Dux barbarus ā Caesare captus Rōmam missus est.

The barbarian commander, captured by Caesar, was sent to Rome.

= The barbarian commander, who had been / was captured by Caesar, was sent to Rome.

Barbarī ā Rōmānīs captī Rōmam semper mittuntur.

Barbarians, captured by the Romans, are always sent to Rome.

= Barbarians who are / have been captured by the Romans, are always sent to Rome.

1. Cīvis vehementer perterritus in carcere clausus est.
2. Equus ligneus, ā Graecīs aedificātus, in urbem ductus est.
3. Gladiātor graviter vulnerātus ā medicō cūrātur.             
4. Helena, ā Paride vīsa, ad urbem Trōiam ducta est.       
5. Hostēs, captī ā mīlitibus Rōmānīs, Rōmam mittuntur.
6. Nāvēs tempestāte frāctae reficī nōn poterant.
7. Oppidum diū obsessum tandem incēnsum est.
8. Puer miser, ā cane rabiōsō morsus, cūrārī nōn poterat.             
9. Rēx gladiō interfectus postrīdiē sepultus est.  
10. Servī, ā dominīs laudātī, interdum līberābantur.
11. Terrae, ā Rōmānīs captae, bene regēbantur.
12. Urbs oppugnāta ab Horātiō dēfēnsa est.

One area that will be discussed at Level 3 is the style of the Roman authors, and there are certain features to look out for. As a “taster” here is an extract from the Jugurthine War by Sallust.

Cēterum oppidum incēnsum, Numidae pūberēs interfectī, aliī omnēs vēnumdatī, praeda mīlitibus dīvīsa.

Firstly, the statements are given in groups of three words (the “rule of three”) and note also the repetition of certain sounds

[i] Cēterum [ii] oppidum [iii] incēnsum

[i] Numidae [ii] pūberēs [iii] interfectī

[i] aliī [ii] omnēs [iii] vēnumdatī

[i] praeda [ii] mīlitibus [iii] dīvīsa

Moreover, the author omits the use of “esse” to form these passive constructions, thus allowing a greater and almost poetic momentum with emphasis on the final participle of each statement:

Cēterum oppidum incēnsum, │ Moreover, the town was burned

Numidae pūberēs interfectī, │ the adult Numidians (were) killed

aliī omnēs vēnumdatī, │ all the others (were) sold

praeda mīlitibus dīvīsa. │ (and) the spoil (was) divided among the soldiers

17.02.25: Level 1; readings [2]: Acquaintances everywhere

Nunc Mārcus et Cornēlia, Aemilia et Titus sedent et gaudent, nam Lūcius et Gāius appropinquant; rīdent et salūtant. Cornēlia nārrat: “Hodiē etiam Tullia et Claudia adsunt. Ecce! Ibi sedent.” Gāius rogat: “Cūr Quīntus nōn adest?” Tum Mārcus: “Quīntus aegrōtat, sed ibi sunt Titus et Aemilia! Lūdus nōn sōlum mē dēlectat, sed etiam…” Subitō Aemilia vocat: “Ecce elephantus, ecce sīmia!” Claudia et Cornēlia et Aemilia gaudent et rīdent.