Tuesday, November 4, 2025

19.01.26: Level 1; Carolus et Maria [23][ii] Find the Latin

Hodiē omnēs Americānī laetī sunt quod in Ītaliā sunt. Hīc mīles, amīcus patris, et poēta, amīcus magistrae, habitant. Hī duo virī Rōmae tēcta habent et paucōs diēs Americānī Rōmae manent. Tēctum mīlitis est magnum et ex māteriā factum. Tēctum multās rēs pulchrās habet.

Pater mīlitis multōs servōs habet. Pater nōn est dominus dūrus. Omnēs servī, igitur, eum laudant. Nūllus servus perfidus inter servōs est. Cum dominus imperat, omnēs statim pārent.

Antīquīs temporibus Rōmānī multōs servōs habēbant. Ita mīles nārrat. Multās rēs faciēbant. Labor eōrum nōn erat semper facilis. Lignum portābant; agrōs cūrābant; cēnās parābant; paucī servī erant magistrī puerōrum puellārumque. Aliī erant servī quī in bellō captī sunt. Sī servī erant perfidī, interdum diū in vinculīs tenēbantur. Servīs perfidiīs vincula nōn erant grāta. Paucī necābantur. Tum cēterī servī maestī et timidī erant. Facile nōn erat servum bonum esse, sī dominus malus dūrusque erat.

Interdum ā tēctō dominī servī mittēbantur. Saepe sē in fugam dabant. Tum sine auxiliō per tōtam terram errābant. Interdum cum bēstiīs ferīs pugnāre iubēbantur. Interdum servī ā ducibus incitābantur et posteā bellum erat. Animus servī bonī prō dominō suō pugnāre semper parātus erat. Sī dominus et servus in perīculō erant, servus nōn sē, sed dominum servābat. Multī servī vītam dūram agēbant ubi dominī erant saevī.

"Servōs in Americā nōn habēmus," inquit Maria.

"Ōlim servōs habēbātis," respondet mīles. "Servī vestrī erant Āfricānī et dominī saepe erant saevī."

"Ita, sed ūnus vir, dux magnus, repertus est. Is servīs nōn erat inimīcus," respondet Maria. "Bellum magnum, tamen, inter populōs terrae nostrae erat. Hodiē omnēs sunt amīcī. Incolae inter sē animō bonō sunt. Hoc bellum memoriā tenēre nōn cupiō."

Nocte Maria omnēs rēs quās hodiē vīdit et audīvit in epistulā scrīpsit. Eam ad magistram mīsit.

Schoolbook texts are deliberately constructed to focus on certain features of a language. In this case, it is giving practice in different tenses of the verb (including passive forms) since, in authentic Roman literature, that is precisely what will happen.

Find the Latin:

[1] Present tense

[i] (they) live here

[ii] These two men have houses in Rome

[iii] The Americans are staying in Rome for a few days

[iv] The house has many beautiful things

[v] All the slaves praise him

[vi] When the master commands

[vii] … everybody (pl. in Latin) immediately obeys

[viii] The soldier recounts (the story) in this way

[ix] We don’t have slaves

[x] Maria replies

[xi] I do not wish to remember this war [literally: …. to keep this war in memory]

[2] Perfect tense: actions that happened once

Maria …

[i] saw

[ii] heard

[iii] wrote

[iv] sent

[3] Imperfect tense: note the translation of ‘used to’ or ‘would’ to emphasise actions that happened repeatedly, continued for a length of time or generally existed in the past.

[i] The Romans had / used to have many slaves

[ii] They did / used to do / would do many things

[iii] Their work wasn’t always easy / didn’t always used to be / wouldn’t always be easy

[iv] They used to / would

… carry wood

… take care of the fields

… prepare dinners

[v] They would often take to flight [literally: give themselves into flight]

[vi] They would wander through the whole land

[vii] The slaves didn’t use to / would not save himself

[viii] Many slaves led / used to lead / would lead a hard life

[ix] “You used to have slaves at one time

[x] The masters were often cruel

[4] Passive forms

(1) imperfect passive (to be discussed in the next post)

[i] They used to be held / would be held in chains

[ii] a few used to be killed

[iii] slaves used to be sent

[iv] they would be ordered to fight

[v] the slaves would be encouraged / urged on by the commanders

(2) perfect passive

[i] one man was found

[ii] slaves who were captured in war

____________________

[1] Present tense

[i] (they) live here │ hīc … habitant

[ii] These two men have houses in Rome │ Hī duo virī Rōmae tēcta habent

[iii] The Americans are staying in Rome for a few days │ paucōs diēs Americānī Rōmae manent

[iv] The house has many beautiful things │ Tēctum multās rēs pulchrās habet

[v] All the slaves praise him │ Omnēs servī … eum laudant

[vi] When the master commands … │ Cum dominus imperat

[vii] … everybody (pl. in Latin) immediately obeys │ … omnēs statim pārent

[viii] The soldier recounts (the story) in this way │ Ita mīles nārrat

[ix] We don’t have slaves │ servōs nōn habēmus

[x] Maria repliesrespondet Maria

[xi] I do not wish to remember this war [literally: …. to keep this war in memory] │ Hoc bellum memoriā tenēre nōn cupiō.

[2] Perfect tense

Maria …

[i] saw │ vīdit

[ii] heard│audīvit

[iii] wrote│scrīpsit

[iv] sent│ mīsit

[3] Imperfect tense

[i] The Romans had / used to have many slaves │ Rōmānī multōs servōs habēbant

[ii] They did / used to do / would do many things │ Multās rēs faciēbant

[iii] Their work wasn’t always easy / didn’t always used to be / wouldn’t always be easy │ Labor eōrum nōn erat semper facilis

[iv] They used to / would

… carry wood │ lignum portābant

… take care of the fields │ agrōs cūrābant

… prepare dinners │ cēnās parābant

[v] They would often take to flight [literally: give themselves into flight] │ Saepe sē in fugam dabant

[vi] They would wander through the whole land │ per tōtam terram errābant

[vii] The slaves didn’t use to / would not save himself │ servus nōn sē … servābat.

[viii] Many slaves led / used to lead / would lead a hard life │ Multī servī vītam dūram agēbant

[ix] “You used to have slaves at one time” │ “Ōlim servōs habēbātis

[x] The masters were often cruel │ dominī saepe erant saevī

[4] passive forms

(1) imperfect passive

[i] They used to be held / would be held in chains │ in vinculīs tenēbantur

[ii] a few used to be killed │ Paucī necābantur

[iii] slaves used to be sent │servī mittēbantur

[iv] they would be ordered to fight │ pugnāre iubēbantur

[v] the slaves would be encouraged / urged on by the commanders │ servī ā ducibus incitābantur

(2) perfect passive

[i] one man was found │ ūnus vir … repertus est

[ii] slaves who were captured in war │ servī quī in bellō captī sunt

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