Latin for Learners: May 2025

Sunday, May 25, 2025

03.09.25: Level 1; readings [20]; Davus lies

Having returned home, Davus now has to explain to his master where he had been all the time – and he tells an amazing tale:

Modo Viā Lātā (1) ībam, sed ecce: Gallus, vir firmus, mē capessit et clāmat:

“Quō vadis, furcifer?”

Ego trepidō et: “Vā-vādō”, inquam, “vādēbam…”

Gallus autem: “Nunc vāde mēcum! Nisi vadēs, tē traham!”

Ego ā nōnnūllīs virīs auxilium petō, virīque ē Gallō quaerunt: “Quō puerum dūcere parās?”

Tum Gallus: “Fugitīvus est, dominusque puerum suum repetit. Officia quidem spernit, sed mox in agrīs labōrābit!”

Statim virī rīdent et: “Pete ab aliīs auxilium, et tū, Galle, trahe puerum! Vādite!”

Cēdēbam igitur cum Gallō, diūque mē trahēbat; ego autem ā deīs auxilium petēbam – et ecce: Ēvādō, ad dominum meum properō, cūnctīsque deīs grātus sum!

(1) Viā Latā [ablative] ībam │ I was walking on the Via Lata (name of a street in Rome)

The text has many examples of third conjugation verbs. We can use the verb lūdō, lūdere [3]: ‘play’ as an example:

Present tense

lūdō, -ere [3]: to play; note the difference between 2^nd and 3^rd conjugation infinitives:

respondeō, respondēre [2]: reply; the infinitive ending has a long and stressed ē [re-spon-dḗ-re]

lūdō, lūdere [3]: play; the infinitive ending has a short and unstressed e [lū́-dĕ-re]

The 3^rd conjugation is formed by removing the infinitive ending i.e. lūd¦ere > lūd- to which the following endings are added; the accent [ ́] mark [e.g. lū́dō] is only there to indicate where the verb is stressed; it will not be used elsewhere and is not a feature of written Latin.

lū́dō: I play, am playing; personal ending is added directly to the stem

lū́dimus: we play

lū́dis: you (sg.) play; personal ending + stem vowel -i-

lū́dit: he / she / it plays

lū́dimus: we play

lū́ditis: you (pl.) play

lū́dunt: they play; personal ending + stem vowel -u-

Imperative (command)

Lūde! Play! (talking to one person); lūdite! Play! (talking to more than one person)

Exercise: Read through the text and find the Latin for:

(he) catches me
Go with me!
Go! (i.e. both of you)
He is rejecting his duties
I am going …
I escape
I seek help
Men are asking
Seek help (from others)!
The master wants the boy back.
Where are you going to?
Where are you preparing to take [ = lead] the boy to?
You … drag the boy (off)!

The text also introduces the imperfect and future tenses of 3^rd conjugation verbs:

[2] The imperfect tense is formed in the same way as 1^st and 2^nd conjugation verbs

The -re of the infintive is removed to form the stem but the /e/ become long: lūde¦re > lūdē-

To this stem the imperfect endings are added; note the change in stress marked here for reference

lūdḗ¦bam: I was playing / used to play

lūdḗ¦bās: you (sg.) were playing

lūdḗ¦bat: he / she / it was playing

lūdē¦bā́mus: we were playing

lūdē¦bā́tis: you (pl.) were playing

lūdḗ¦bant: they were playing

From the text:

vādēbam │ I was going / walking

cēdēbam cum Gallō │ (here) I was departing with the Gaul

mē trahēbat │He was dragging me

auxilium petēbam │ I was seeking help /support

[3] The future tense of 3^rd conjugation verbs does not have the same endings as the 1^st and 2^nd conjugation; the future tense endings are added directly to the stem of the verb:

lū́d¦am: I shall play

lū́dēs: you (sg.) will play

lū́det: he / she / it will play

lūdḗmus: we will play

lūdḗtis: you (pl.) will play

lū́dent: they will play

From the text:

Nisi vadēs, tē traham! │ Unless you go [literally: unless you will go], I shall drag you!

Links: 3^rd conjugation verbs

11.03.24: introduction to 3rd conjugation verbs ... and how to be a worthless dice player!

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/110324-introduction-to-3rd-conjugation.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/405326338745307/

11.03.24: 3rd conjugation verbs: ways of learning [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/110324-3rd-conjugation-verbs-ways-of.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/405433262067948/

11.03.24: simple practice for the 3rd conjugation

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/110324-simple-practice-for-3rd.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/405447698733171/

11.03.24: 3rd conjugation verbs: ways of learning [2]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/110324-ways-of-learning.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/405500248727916/

24.10.24: Level 1; review; practice in the verbs [8]; 3rd conjugation

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/09/241024-level-1-review-practice-in-verbs.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/560489039895702/

03.09.25: Level 1; readings [19]; Roaming Davus; eō, īre and its compounds; present, imperfect and future tenses

While Marcus talks with his friends, he sees Davus, the slave of one of his friends, passing by the inn. Since that one likes to roam in the city, Marcus calls him:

M: Heus tū, quō is?

D: Eō, ehem, immō vērō ībam, nam nunc tū mē tenēs et rogās…

M: Quō ībās, furcifer?

D: Ībāmus, Mārce, nam Gallus mēcum it…

M: Sī Gallus tēcum ībit, tūtus ībis. Cōnstat enim cūnctōs Gallōs virōs firmōs esse.

D: Sed meus Gallus vir firmus nōn est. Ecce, ante templum stat neque in templum īre audet propter tē; timidus enim est.

M: Appāret nōnnūllōs Gallōs timidōs esse. Sed satis dē Gallīs! Quō nunc ībitis?

[D: tacet]

M: Respondēbō prō tē: “Per cūnctās viās ībimus, cūncta templa praeteribimus, postrēmō ad circum adībimus, quō cūnctī ōtiōsī eunt.”

[D: rīdet]

M: Quid rīdēs? Vōs nōn in circum ībitis, sed statim ad dominōs vestrōs redībitis neque per cūnctās viās errābitis. Quid exspectātis? Ī, Dāve! Abī, Galle! Properāte! Abīte!

eō, īre [irregular]: go, and its compounds

[1] Image #1: the verb eō, īre (go) is irregular in the present tense but its imperfect and future tense forms are regular. At first sight, the verb seems unusual in that its stem (apart from the 3^rd person plural present tense) is formed from a single vowel, but the personal endings are simply added to that stem:

[a] present tense

eō │ I (am) go(ing)

is │ You (singular) (are) go(ing)

it│He / she / it goes / is going

īmus │ We (are) go(ing)

ītis│ You (plural) (are) go(ing)

eunt │ They (are) go(ing)

[b] The imperfect and future tenses add the endings to the single vowel stem ī-

ībam, ībās etc.

ībō, ībis etc.

[c] The imperative (command) form is a single vowel in the singular to which -te is regularly added when the command is plural:

ī! go! (singular); īte! go! (plural)

[d] to eō, īre prefixes can be added which specify the type of movement involved, for example:

abeō, abīre: go away

adēō, adīre: approach; go towards

trānseō, trānsīre: go across

Regardless of the prefix, the verb itself will always be conjugated in the same way in the present, imperfect and future tenses.

Image #2 shows many of the prefixed verbs of eō, īre

Examples from the text:

[i] Present

Quō is? │ Where are you going to?

Gallus mēcum it │ The Gaul is going with me.

… quō cūnctī ōtiōsī eunt. │ … where all the idlers go to.

[ii] Imperfect

ībam │ I was going

ībāmus │ we were going

[iii] Future

Sī Gallus tēcum ībit, tūtus ībis │If the Gaul goes [literally: will go] with you, you will go safely.

Quō nunc ībitis? │ Where will you (pl.) go to now?

Per cūnctās viās ībimus │ We will go through all the streets.

Ad circum adībimus │ We will approach / go to(wards) the circus.

Cūncta templa praeteribimus │ We will go past all the temples.

Vōs nōn in circum ībitis, sed statim ad dominōs vestrōs redībitis │ You (pl.) will not go into the circus, but (you [pl.]) will immediately go back / return to your masters.

[iv] Imperative

Ī, Dāve! │ Go, Davus!

Abī, Galle! │ Go away, Gaul!

Note in the first two examples the use of the vocative case in -e since Davus and the Gaul (Gallus) are each addressed directly.

Abīte! │ Go away! (addressing more than one person)

[v] Infinitive

neque in templum īre audet │ and he does not dare to go into the temple

[e] All previous posts on this topic are available as one file here:

https://mega.nz/file/2YlhgZAI#ND1ssYsC85ylcjS9EVHKcY2d4GthuGxSua7P-lG9Ebw

Separate links are listed below:

16.03.24: eō, īre [irregular]: go; compounds of eō, īre

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/160324-eo-ire-irregular-go-compounds-of.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/407788755165732/

15.05.24: review; eō, īre: go [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/150524-review-eo-ire-go-1.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/443145798296694/

16.05.24: review; eō, īre [2]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/160524-review-eo-ire-2.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/443763864901554/

17.05.24: eō, īre with prefixes [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/170524-eo-ire-with-prefixes-1.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/444399821504625/

17.05.24: eō, īre with prefixes [2]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/170524-eo-ire-with-prefixes-2.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/444400401504567/

02.09.25: Level 3; Sonnenschein; Prō Patriā [9]; Anglī et Saxonēs [1]

Inter cēnam nōs puerī “Quis hoc castellum dēlēvit?” inquimus. Et patruus meus “Dē fortūnā castellī nihil cōnstat” inquit; “aetās fortasse mūrōs dēlēvit. Sed vōs mihi respondēte. Cuius nōmen hīc praecipuō honōre habētur?” Aqua haerēbat: nihil habuimus respondēre. Et amita mea “Nōnne memoriā tenētis?” inquit. Tum Lȳdia, quae librum dē historiā Anglicā in manibus nūper habuerat, “Anglī et Saxonēs” inquit “in hunc angulum Cantiī cursum tenuērunt.” Et ille “Vērum est” inquit; “nam annō quadringentēsimō quadrāgēsimō nōnō Hengistus et Horsa ad īnsulam Tanatim, quae tum rēvērā īnsula erat, nāvēs suās applicāvērunt. Locus ipse duo tantum vel tria mīlia passuum ā castellō Rutupīnō iacet.” Tum illa “Nōnne ab angulō Cantiī Anglī nōmen suum habuērunt?” Nōs puerī rīsimus. Sed amita mea “Sīc nūper affirmāvit vir doctus. Atque nōmen ipsum Cantiī nihil aliud significat quam prōmunturium vel angulum.” Tum patruus meus “Sed Tacitus populum Germāniae Īnferiōris commemorat quī nōmen habēbat Anglōrum; pars Suēbōrum erant.” Et Lȳdia “Fortasse in angulō Germāniae habitābant” inquit. Et ille “In paenīnsulā Cimbricā rēvērā habitāsse affirmantur; et duo illa verba ‘angulus’ et ‘Cantium’ Germānica sunt.”

Notes

[1] aqua haerēbat < aqua haeret: literally ‘the water stops’ = I am, we are etc. at a loss; haereō, -ēre [2]: stick

[2] In paenīnsulā Cimbricā rēvērā habitāsse affirmantur. │ They are claimed in fact to have lived on the Cimbrian peninsula.

habitāsse; much more will be said about this in a later post. There are two points, however, to note at the moment:

[1] this is a perfect active infinitive meaning ‘to have done’ (something)

[i] the perfect active infinitive is formed from the perfect stem: habitō, -āre, habitāvī

[ii] Remove the -ī > habitāv-

[iii] add -isse > habitāvisse │ to have lived

01.09.25: topic; Dialogī puerīlēs (Simon Roeth: 1556) [2] dē scholā (iii) links for review

verb conjugations: present tense

interrogō, -āre [1]: ask

recitō, -āre [1]: recite

rūminō, -āre [1]: think over

doceō, -ēre [2]: teach

respondeō, -ēre [2]: reply

taceō, -ēre [2]: be quiet

canō, -ere [3]: sing

colligō, -ere [3]: collect

legō, -ere [3]: read

repetō, -ere [3]: repeat

scrībō, -ere [3]: write

oboediō, -īre [4]: obey

1^st conjugation

https://mega.nz/file/yYtDTBJb#x6MNIqoFJb_As9X2_9BsmnGZOzMOaoxAj7K-B4lG3uo

2^nd conjugation

https://mega.nz/file/mQFijRxD#aCvwzNlq3dHeEP7hr7VGmdLry_1z6cCoGYFAhdh8K6g

3^rd and 3-iō conjugation

https://mega.nz/file/PZFEAIaL#rAlmUqjUcF0fjIlKKbqo0F0MWGj0FQB5zIvwHM2EpVo

4^th conjugation

https://mega.nz/file/jUVwAQaT#HnIrEIqAdtRrB4xOxakJ0v80ekm6Y60xt6xXhp0q5pA

[2] eō, īre [irr.] go, and its compounds

Quō eunt bēluae. │ (And) beasts / brutes go there.

Redeunt hominēs. │ Men return.

https://mega.nz/file/2YlhgZAI#ND1ssYsC85ylcjS9EVHKcY2d4GthuGxSua7P-lG9Ebw

16.03.24: eō, īre [irregular]: go; compounds of eō, īre

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/160324-eo-ire-irregular-go-compounds-of.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/407788755165732/

15.05.24: review; eō, īre: go [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/150524-review-eo-ire-go-1.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/443145798296694/

16.05.24: review; eō, īre [2]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/160524-review-eo-ire-2.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/443763864901554/

17.05.24: eō, īre with prefixes [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/170524-eo-ire-with-prefixes-1.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/444399821504625/

17.05.24: eō, īre with prefixes [2]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/170524-eo-ire-with-prefixes-2.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/444400401504567/

01.09.25: topic; Dialogī puerīlēs (Simon Roeth: 1556) [2] dē scholā (ii) vocabulary, notes, exercises

[1] belua, -ae [1/f]: (large) beast; monster; (referring to people) beast; brute. It’s a rather negative view of school children! The original German is unvernünftige Tiere: ‘unreasonable’ or ‘unwise’ animals.

[2] littera, -ae [1/f] [i] letter (i.e. of the alphabet) [ii] in the plural [a] ‘letter’ i.e. a written communication which, although plural in Latin, can refer to one or more letters [b] literature [c] knowledge; scholarship e.g. a man of letters

[3] museum, -ī [2/n]: this word as meaning ‘school’ occurs in other works from this period (Comenius uses it in 1658 to refer to a ‘study’ room); from Anc. Gk. Μουσεῖον [Mouseîon: a shrine of the Muses]

Originally a temple of the Muses, then a place dedicated to the works of the Muses. In this sense the most remarkable and most important museum of antiquity was that established at Alexandria by Ptolemy Philadelphus in the first half of the third century B.C., or perhaps by his father, Ptolemy Soter. This institution contributed very largely towards the preservation and extension of Greek literature and learning.

https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=museum-harpers

The nouns schola, -ae [1/f] (the title of the dialogue) and lūdus, -ī [2/m] are the nouns used to refer to a school.

[4] Nouns that refer to character or attitude can have far wider meanings than they may at first suggest, derivatives often being more specific than was the case in original CL.

pietās, pietātis [3/f]: in Roth’s original 16^th century work he uses: Gotsforcht [= Modern German Gottesfurcht: fear of God] and so ‘piety’, ‘duty to God’ is what he means. The noun, however, can also refer more generally to dutiful conduct (a sense of duty), loyalty (e.g. to one’s parents), patriotism i.e. although it is used in the text in a religious sense, it may not have that implication elsewhere.

[5] mōs, mōris [3/m]: behaviour; conduct; habit; custom

[6] Note the two different and common ways in which Latin forms adverbs from adjectives:

avidus, -a, -um: (here) eager, enthusiastic > avidē: eagerly; enthusiastically

dīligens: diligent; careful > dīligenter: diligently; carefully

fidēlis, -e: faithful > fidēliter: faithfully

[7] Match the English with the Latin in the word cloud

answer

ask

be quiet

learn

listen

obey

read

recite

repeat

return

sing

speak Latin

teach

think over

write

auscultāre; canere; discere; docēre; interrogāre; īre; legere; loquī latīne; obēdīre (oboedīre); recitāre; redīre; repetere; respondēre; rūmināre; scrībere; tacēre

01.09.25: topic; Dialogī puerīlēs (Simon Roeth: 1556) [2] dē scholā (i) text and translation

DIALOGUS QUĪNTUS dē scholā │ FIFTH DIALOGUE concerning the school

A: Quid est schola? │ What is a school?

B: Conventus honestissimus. │ A very honourable meeting.

Officīna hominum. │ A workshop of men.

Quō eunt bēluae. │ (And) beasts / brutes go there.

Redeunt hominēs. │ Men return.

A: Quid agitur in mūseō? │ What is done / happens in a school?

B: Lūdīmagister docet. │ The schoolmaster teaches …

dīligenter │ diligently (carefully)

sēdulō │ purposely (busily; zealously)

fidēliter │ faithfully (honestly)

sine intermissiōne. │ without a break.

A: Quid tandem docet? │ What does he teach, then?

B: Prīmum pietātem. │ First of all, piety.

Deinde bonōs mōrēs. │ Then good morals.

Postrēmō bonās litterās. │ Finally good learning (scholarship).

Discipulī vērō dīligenter auscultant. │ But the pupils diligently listen.

Et discunt avidē ... │ And they eagerly learn …

colligere litterās │ to spell [= literally: to pick up letters]

legere │ to read

scrībere │ to write

loquī latīne │ to speak in Latin

canere │ to sing

tacēre │ to be quiet

obēdīre [also: oboedīre] │ to obey

recitāre │ to recite

repetere │ to repeat; recall

rūmināre │ to ‘chew over’; think over

respondēre │ to reply

interrogāre │ to ask

A: Bene est. │ That’s good.

Monday, May 19, 2025

31.08.25: Level 1; readings [18]: Damocles’ sword; indirect statement; the accusative-infinitive

“Ego”, inquit Epicharmus, “cūnctōs tyrannōs miserōs esse videō. Quis enim ignōrat tyrannīs semper īnsidiās imminēre? Itaque nē tyrannī quidem putant vītam suam beātam esse. Sī placēbit, vōbīs parvam fābulam dē Dionȳsiō nārrābō…”

Tum Mārcus: “Placet, nam cōnstat tē semper pulchrās fābulās nārrāre.”

Et Epicharmus: “Dāmoclēs, ūnus ex amīcīs Dionȳsiī, dīvitiās tyrannī semper laudābat, Dionȳsium fortūnae fīlium esse praedicābat.

Aliquandō tyrannus: ‘Quid, sī dēmōnstrābō tē errāre mēque nōn tam beātum esse, quam tū putās? Tē hodiē ad cēnam (1) invītō.’

Iam Dāmoclēs laetus trīclīnium intrat. Videt mēnsās bonīs cibīs abundāre, gaudet servōs verbīs suīs pārēre – subitō autem horret: Dēsuper gladius imminet, et appāret gladium saetā equīnā (2) pendēre!

Et Dionȳsius: ‘Ecce fortūna tyrannōrum! Num mē esse beātum adhūc putās?'”

(1) ad cenam: (invite somebody) to a meal

(2) saetā equīnā (ablative): on a horse’s hair

Indirect statement

This text contains many examples (in italics) of indirect statement.

[1] A ‘statement’ can be [i] direct or [ii] indirect:

[i] “I’m hungry,” says John. This is a direct statement i.e. quoting the actual words that John says, which, in English, are usually indicated by speech marks “_____ ” (also known as quotation marks or inverted commas).

The Latin term is orātiō recta: direct speech / direct discourse

[ii] John says ¦ that he is hungry. This is an indirect statement i.e. it reports what John says without using his actual words. It is also known as reported speech. In English, and in other languages, this often involves a change of tense: “I’m hungry,” said John > John said ¦ that he was hungry.

The Latin term is orātiō oblīqua: indirect speech / indirect discourse

[2] Neither the term ‘statement’ nor ‘speech’ gives you the full picture because both imply something that is said or written. However, the terms ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ can also refer to, for example, what somebody thinks or feels or sees.

[3] Latin expresses indirect statement differently from English and in other languages. It is a lengthy topic and so, at this level, we’ll look at one aspect of it.

Four examples to begin with:

[i]

Direct statement: The pupils are studying. │ Discipulī student.

Indirect statement: The teacher says ¦ that the pupils are studying.

Magister dīcit ¦ [1] discipulōs [accusative] [2] studēre [infinitive]

[literally: The teacher says ¦ [1] the pupils [2] to be studying]

Classical Latin does not use a conjunction i.e. any equivalent of English ‘that’ in this construction.

[1] the subject of the indirect statement is in the accusative case

[2] the verb of the indirect statement becomes an infinitive

That’s why the construction is referred to as an accusative-infinitive.

[ii]

The accusative-infinitive is like a ‘formula’ i.e. two consistent changes are made to create an indirect statement from a direct one.

Direct statement: Caesar is approaching the city. │ Caesar urbī appropinquat.

Indirect statement: The messengers shout ¦ that Caesar is approaching the city.

Nūntiī clāmant ¦ [1] Caesarem [accusative] urbī [2] appropinquāre [infinitive].

[literally: The messengers shout [1] Caesar [2] to be approaching the city.]

[iii] Note the additional changes which happens in these two:

[a]

Direct statement: Julia is ¦ a good student. │ Iūlia est ¦ bona discipula [nominative].

Iūlia est bona discipula: in grammar ‘bona discipula’ is known as the predicative nominative after the verb ‘to be’; that predicative nominative will also become accusative in the indirect statement.

Indirect statement: The teacher says ¦ that Julia is ¦ a good student.

Magister dīcit ¦ [1] Iūliam [accusative] ¦ bonam discipulam [accusative] ¦ [2] esse [infinitive].

[literally: The teacher says ¦ [1] Julia [2] to be ¦ a good student.]

[b]

Direct statement: My teacher is an educated man. │ Magister meus ¦ homō doctus [nominative] ¦ est.

Indirect statement: I believe ¦ that my teacher is ¦ an educated man.]

Crēdō ¦ [1] magistrum meum [accusative] ¦ hominem doctum [accusative] ¦ [2] esse [infinitive].

[literally: I believe ¦ [1] my teacher [2] to be ¦ an educated man.]

Examples from the text

The first two examples are ‘taken apart’ to show the construction with the literal and actual translation. All of the examples follow the same ‘formula’ discussed above.

[1]

Cōnstat ¦ [1] tē [accusative] semper pulchrās fābulās [2] nārrāre [infinitive].

[literally: It is agreed ¦ [1] you [2] to tell beautiful tales.]

> It is agreed ¦ that [1] you always [2] tell beautiful tales.

[2]

Ego … [1] cūnctōs tyrannōs [accusative] ¦ miserōs [accusative] [2] esse [infinitive] videō.

[literally: I see ¦ [1] all tyrants [2] to be ¦ miserable.]

> I see ¦ that [1] all tyrants [2] are ¦ miserable.

[3]

Quis enim ignōrat ¦ tyrannīs semper [1] īnsidiās [2] imminēre?

For who doesn’t know ¦ that [1] plots [2] are always hanging over tyrants?

[4]

Nē tyrannī quidem putant ¦ [1] vītam suam ¦ beātam [2] esse.

Not even tyrants think ¦ that [1] their life [2] is ¦ blessed.

[5]

[1] Dionȳsium fortūnae fīlium [2] esse praedicābat.

He warned ¦ that [1] Dionysius [2] was ¦ the son of Fortune.

[6]

Sī dēmōnstrābō ¦ [1] tē [2] errāre ¦ [1] mēque nōn tam ¦ beātum [2] esse.

If I (shall) show ¦ that [1] you [2] are wrong ¦ and (that) [1] I [2] am not so ¦ blessed.

[7]

Videt ¦ [1] mēnsās bonīs cibīs [2] abundāre.

He sees ¦ that [1] the tables [2] are overflowing with good food.

[8]

Gaudet ¦ [1] servōs verbīs suīs [2] pārēre.

[i] He rejoices ¦ that [1] the slaves [2] are obeying his words.

[9]

Appāret ¦ [1] gladium saetā equīnā [2] pendēre.

[i] It is obvious ¦ that [1] a sword [2] is hanging by a horse’s hair.

[10]

Num [1] mē [2] esse ¦ beātum adhūc putās?

[i] Surely you don’t still think ¦ that [1] I [2] am ¦ blessed?

Saturday, May 17, 2025

30.08.25: Level 3; Sonnenschein; Prō Patriā [8]; Castellum Rutupīnum [7]; conversations

Note [i] the words in bold all of which have now been discussed in depth, and [ii] the points with asterisks in the second conversation.

[1] Match the questions in [A] with the answers in [B]

[A]

[i] Quid vōs puerōs inter fēriās maximē dēlectat ?

[ii] Quid, cum Ventae Belgārum eritis, vōs maximē dēlectābit?

[iii] Nōnne scholīs at studiīs dēlectābiminī?

[iv] Num multī?

[v] Magistrīne lūdīs pilārum dēlectantur?

[vi] Num sine scientiā follis volāns geminātur et revocātur?

[B]

Cum Ventae Belgārum erimus, per hiemem folle, per aestātem pilā dēlectābimur.
Fortasse nōn multī.
Inter fēriās lūdō trigōnālī maxima dēlectāmur.
Magna est scientia follem volantem gemināre et revocāre.
Nōnnūllī ex magistrīs lūdīs operam dant: nōn sine scientiā pila dextrā laevāque captātur.
Nōnnūllī ex puerīs scholīs et lībrīs dēlectābuntur, sed nōn omnēs.

[2] Match the answers in [A] with the questions in [B]

[A]

[i] Nōmen eī fuit Antōnīnō Piō.*

[ii] Eī quī illud vāllum aedificāvit nōmen fuit Hadriānō.*

[iii] Hominēs contrā quōs Agricola in Calēdoniā bellāvit Pictī fortasse fuērunt.

[iv] Collibus in quibus victōriam magnam reportāvit nōmen fuit Montī Graupīō.*

[v] Vēra est; nam haec est fōrma nōminis quae in librō Tacitī dē vītā Agricolae stat.

[vi] Nōmen quod nōs hodiernī illīs collibus damus falsum est.

[B]

Cūr, igitur, nōs hodiernī collēs Grampīōs vocāmus?
Quī hominēs fuērunt contrā quōs Agricola in Calēdoniā bellāvit ?
Quid fuit nōmen collibus in quibus victōriam magnam reportāvit?
Quid fuit nōmen eī quī vallum inter Clōtam et Bodotriam situm aedificāvit ?
Quis vallum illud magnum aedificāvit, quod inter Luguvallium et Segedūnum situm erat?
Vērane est haec fōrma nōminis?

*nōmen + the dative case of a specific name

You already know that [i] the dative case + [ii] esse can be used to express possession, and whatever is possessed is in the nominative case:

[i] Mihi [ii] est liber [nominative]│ literally: [i] to me [ii] (there) is a book > I have a book

[ii] Est [i] mihi domī pater │ I have a father at home

[i] Hominī cum deō similitūdō [ii] est. Literally: [i] To Man [ii] (there) is a similarity with God > Man has a likeness to God.

And that structure can be used when giving people’s names:

Nōmen [i] mihi [ii] est Mārcus [nominative] │ [i] To me [ii] (there) is the name Marcus > I have the name Marcus / My name is Marcus

Puerō nōmen est Mārcus [nominative]│ The boy’s name is Marcus

The name of the person is in the nominative case just like any other noun that is ‘owned’. However, in the Sonnenschein text, a feature is used whereby the actual name of the person / thing itself is also in the dative case. Both the nominative and the dative of the name are possible.

Note how the dative case is being used to express the specific name in these examples from the entire text:

(1) [i] Eī … nōmen [ii] fuit Hadriānō [dative]. │ Literally: [i] To him [ii] was the name ¦ Hadrianius > He had the name / his name was Hadrian.

(2) Nōmen [i] eī [ii] fuit ¦ Antōnīnō Piō [dative] │ Literally: [i] To him [ii] was the name ¦ Antoninus Pius > He had the name / his name was Antoninus Pius.

(3) Nōnne [i] tōtī īnsulae nostrae nōmen [ii] est ¦ Britanniae ? │ Literally: Surely [i] to our whole island [ii] there is the name Britannia? > Surely our whole island has the name / is called Britannia?

(4) Portus celeber hīc erat, [i] cui nōmen [ii] erat ¦ Portuī Rutupīnō [dative] │ Literally: There was a famous port here [i] to which [ii] was the name Portus Rutupinus > There was a famous port here which had the name / was called Portus Rutupinus.

(5) [i] Collibus in quibus victōriam magnam reportāvit nōmen [ii] fuit ¦ Montī Graupīō [dative] │ Literally: [i] To the hills … [ii] was the name Mons Graupius > The hills in which he brought back a great victory are called / have the name ¦ Mons Graupius.

From Livy:

(1) Per idem ferē tempus aedēs Matris Magnae Īdaeae dēdicāta est quam deam is P. Cornēlius advectam ex Asiā P. Cornēliō Scīpiōne, ¦ cui posteā Āfricānō [dative] fuit cognōmen, ¦ P. Liciniō cōnsulibus in Palātium ā marī dētulerat.

About the same time a temple was dedicated to the Great Idaean Mother, a goddess whom this same Publius Cornelius, when she came from Asia in the consulship of Publius Cornelius Scipio, ¦ [literally: to whom later was the surname Africanus] > who later had the surname Africanus, ¦ and Publius Licinius, had escorted to the Palatine from the harbour.

(2) [i] Puerō ab inopiā ¦ Egeriō [dative] ¦ [ii] inditum nōmen │ Literally: [i] To the boy [ii] was given the name Egerius from his poverty. > The name Egerius was given the boy from his poverty.