15.12.25: Level 1; Carolus et Maria [20][i] text, vocabulary, notes

[1] Is quī in illō locō stat est avunculus puerī puellaeque. Est frāter Iūliae. Avunculus Iūliam et nautam et Carolum et Mariam diū exspectat. Undique circumspectat et nunc eōs videt. Avunculus omnēs salūtat. Mox omnēs ad domum avunculī eunt. Puer puellaque multa rogant et avunculus multa nārrat. Tēctum avunculī parvum sed grātum vidētur. Inter tēctum et viam est hortus pulcher. Circum hortum est mūrus quī hortum tegit sī aliquis eum vāstāre cupit. Flūmen parvum prope tēctum fluit.

[2] Posterō diē omnēs ā tēctō avunculī eunt. Ruīnās mūrī antīquī vident. Ōlim Rōmānī ad hanc īnsulam vēnērunt quod sociōs novōs dēsīderābant. Hic erat mūrus antīquissimus Caesaris quī erat dux Rōmānōrum. Īnsulam oppugnāre et occupāre cupiēbat. Armātī erant Britannī et, ubi hostēs, Rōmānōs, vidēbant, īrātī erant. Itaque diū Rōmānī ad terram ab aquā venīre nōn audēbant. Diū in aquā manēbant.

[3] Subitō vir fortis, quī perīculum vidēbat, clāmābat. “Properāte, mīlitēs!” inquit. “Britannōs armātōs oppugnāte!” Ita mīlitēs iubēbat. Itaque mīlitēs ācriter pugnābant. Posteā Caesar mīlitēs probābat quod hoc audēbant. Rōmānī iacula et alia tēla iaciēbant et Britannōs superābant. Propter perīculum magnum huius bellī sociī ab Eurōpā vēnērunt et Caesarem iūvērunt. Populus Rōmānus multās aliās terrās occupāvit. Quamquam Caesar erat dux bonus, tamen multōs inimīcōs Rōmae habēbat. Posteā hī eum necāvērunt.

[4] Undique pater māterque circumspectant. Flūmina et aliās rēs Britanniae laudant. “Habetne nunc Britannia hostēs quī īnsulam occupāre et vāstāre cupiunt?” rogat Carolus.

“Minimē,” respondet avunculus, “sed posteā propter hostēs ā sociīs auxilium postulābant.”

Mox Carolus et Maria ā Britanniā aberunt. In aliā terrā, Germāniā, erunt.

vocabulary

[1]

ruīna, -ae [1/f]: ruin

avunculus, -ī [2/m]: uncle

inimīcus, -ī [2/m]: enemy; compare [i] inimīcus and [ii] hostis (pl. hostēs), [i] usually referring to a personal enemy, whereas [ii] is used to refer to a foreign enemy, especially enemy armies

populus, -ī [2/m]: people

[2]

armō, -āre, -āvī [1]: arm

armātus, -a, -um: armed

circumspectō, -āre, -āvī [1]: look around

oppugnō, -āre, -āvī [1]: attack

probō, -āre, -āvī [1]: approve

salūtō, -āre, -āvī [1]: great

superō, -āre, -āvī [1]: overcome; conquer

iuvō, -āre, iūvī [1]: help

audeō, -ēre [2]: dare

videō, -ēre [2]: see > vidētur: (he / she / it) is seen / seems

[3]

is, ea, id: he / she / it

adjective: antīqu¦us, -a, -um: ancient > antīqu¦issimus, -a, -um: most ancient / very ancient; this creates the superlative form of the adjective, the equivalent of English ‘-est’ e.g. oldest or ‘most + adjective’ e.g. most beautiful. In Latin, the superlative may be translated in that way or, depending on context, simply by ‘very + the adjective’. Here, very ancient would be the best rendering of the word.

[4]

quamquam: although

itaque: therefore

tamen: however; nevertheless

ōlim: at one time

undique: everywhere

Notes

[1]

is quī in illō locō stat: he / the one (the man) who is standing at that place

hī eum necāvērunt: they killed him

mūrus quī hortum tegit ¦ si aliquis eum vāstāre cupit: a wall that protects the garden ¦ if anybody wants to destroy it

eōs videt: he sees them

[2] quī: who / which / that; it introduces a relative clause (also known as an adjectival clause) that relates to a previously named person or thing

(1) is ¦ (2) quī … stat │ (1) he / the one (man) ¦ (2) who is standing …

est (1) mūrus ¦ (2) quī hortum tegit │ (there) is (1) a wall ¦ (2) which / that is protecting the garden

Hic erat mūrus antīquissimus  Caesaris ¦  quī erat dux Rōmānōrum │ Here was the very ancient wall of  Caesar ¦  who was the commander of the Romans

 vir fortis, ¦  quī perīculum vidēbat │ a brave  man ¦  who saw the danger

Habetne nunc Britannia  hostēs ¦  quī īnsulam occupāre … cupiunt? │ Does Britain now have  enemies ¦  who want to occupy … the island?

[3] Translation of the perfect and imperfect tense

[i] Translating the perfect tense into English is usually straightforward i.e. I did or I have done something.

Ōlim Rōmānī ad hanc īnsulam vēnērunt │ At one time the Romans came to this island

Caesarem iūvērunt │ they helped Caesar

Populus Rōmānus multās aliās terrās occupāvit │ The Roman people occupied many other lands

Posteā hī eum necāvērunt. │ Afterwards they / these men killed him.

The perfect tense most often refers to a “one-off”, single and completed action

[ii] When learning the imperfect tense, it is convient to remember it as “I was doing something” i.e. the equivalent of the English past progressive referring to an action that was happening. However, that translation can sometimes be too literal and / or sound clumsy. This can depend on context and / or personal style but there are other ways of expressing the Latin imperfect.

English can often use a simple past whereas Latin uses an imperfect:

[i] repeated action in the past: “When I was little, I often visited my grandmother’s house” English can use a simple past or “used to …” or “would” i.e. “ I often used to visit / would often visit my grandmother’s house.”

Latin uses an imperfect tense to convey this idea: Posteā propter hostēs ā sociīs auxilium postulābant │ Afterwards, because of the enemies, they would demand / used to demand help from the allies

[ii] a situation that existed over a period of time; it may also be referred to as a state i.e. the ways things generally were: Quamquam Caesar erat dux bonus, tamen multōs inimīcōs Rōmae habēbat.  │ Although Caesar was a good commander, he nevertheless had many enemies in Rome.

The next two examples show ‘states’ rather than actions i.e. what somebody wanted or felt:

Īnsulam oppugnāre et occupāre cupiēbat. │ He wanted to attack and occupy the island [i.e. he didn’t suddenly want to do that, but rather it was a desire he generally felt at the time]

sociōs novōs dēsīderābant │ they desired new allies

[iii] an action that continued over a period of time with no sense of beginning or end:

Itaque mīlitēs ācriter pugnābant. │ Therefore, the soldiers fought fiercely.

Itaque diū Rōmānī ad terram ab aquā venīre nōn audēbant. │ Therefore, for a long time the Romans did not dare to come to the land from the water.

Diū in aquā manēbant.  │ They remained in the water for a long time.

[iv] Depending upon context, the imperfect can convey the beginning of action, a good example being:

Subitō vir fortis … clāmābat │ Suddenly a brave man … started shouting

[v] Subitō vir fortis, quī perīculum vidēbat, clāmābat │ Suddenly a brave man, who saw / could see the danger, started shouting [verbs such as ‘see’ or ‘hear’ or ‘feel’ are known as verbs of perception]

[vi] Rōmānī iacula et alia tēla iaciēbant │ The Romans threw / were throwing / kept throwing javelins and other missiles …

… et Britannōs superābant │ … and were conquering (overcoming) / began to conquer (overcome) the Britons [i.e. the imperfect tense verb suggests the ongoing process, whereas the perfect tense would indicate that the action was completed: Britannōs superāvērunt │ they conquered the Britons]