Latin for Learners: 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

See also:

13.07.25: Level 3; the Labours of Hercules; [VIII] the Belt of Hippolyte, Queen of the Amazons; syncopated verb forms; elision; the descent to Hades and the dog Cerberus

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/04/130725-level-3-labours-of-hercules-viii.html

Exercise

This, and further sections of this text, ‘throw’ different tenses at you at the same time. Put the verbs in bold in the text (also listed below) under the appropriate heading; a few examples are given

affirmantur; affirmāvit

applicāvērunt

cōnstat

erant; est; erat; sunt

habēbant; habētur; habuerat; habuērunt; habuimus

haerēbat

iacet

respondēre; respondēte

rīsimus

significat

tenētis; tenuērunt

____________________

present: commemorat …

imperfect: habitābant …

perfect: dēlēvit …

pluperfect:

imperative:

infinitive:

Background

[1] Hengistus and Horsa: Germanic brothers who are supposed to have led the invasion of Britain in the 5^th century, but nowadays considered to be mythical

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