14.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (3); 1st declension nouns [ii]

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latin_for_beginners_(1911)/Part_II/Lesson_VII

14.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (2); 1st declension nouns [i]

Note: most of the review sections for readings [6] – [11] are based upon:

Latin for Beginners (D'Ooge; 1911)

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latin_for_beginners_(1911)

Links to the relevant sections are posted after each review section. D’Ooge’s sentences can appear a little old fashioned, but they are thorough and give good practice in each of the points covered.

At times, I have adapted his work in these posts mainly by expanding on the information or giving some additional explanation where I thought it was necessary.

When the book was first published, there was no answer key; a key was subsequently produced much later (author and publication date not listed):

https://archive.org/details/bld-latin-for-beginners-key-rl/mode/2up

I have included the answers at the end of each post where necessary; I have checked the accuracy of those keys which I have used but cannot vouch for any other answers that are not relevant to what is being covered here.

[i] All Latin nouns whose nominative singular ends in -a belong to the First Declension.

[ii] Gender of First-Declension Nouns: nouns of the first declension are feminine unless they denote males. Thus silva is feminine, but nauta, sailor, and agricola, farmer, are masculine

[iii] The term case refers to the function of the noun in a sentence; English has something similar but nowhere near to the same extent as Latin:

The lady is writing a letter │ ‘the lady’ is the subject of the sentence i.e. she is performing the action; in Latin this is known as the nominative case

The lady’s son is a general in the army │ the s apostrophe in English (the lady’s) indicates that she is the ‘owner’ of, in this case, a son; in Latin this is known as the genitive case

I’m writing a letter to the lady │ to the lady shows that she is the indirect object of the action i.e. something is being sent to her or given to her or done for her; in Latin this is known as the dative case

Did you see the lady? │ here, the lady is the direct object of the action i.e. she is ‘receiving’ the action e.g. I am reading a book; the lady is writing a letter; in Latin this is known as the accusative case

The last case, known as the ablative case, is not so simple to define; it has numerous uses including with many prepositions e.g. (together) with; in; on; from; about (concerning). The ablative case will be discussed in depth in a later post.

The lady was sitting in the garden.

The lady went out of the house.

I went with the lady to the theatre.

She was writing a letter about her son.

Two of the exercises below give some simple introduction to the cases.

Nouns

casa, -ae, f., cottage

cēna, -ae, f., dinner

gallīna, -ae, f., hen, chicken

īnsula, -ae, f., island (pen-insula)

Adverbs

deinde, then, in the next place

ubi, where

Preposition

ad, to, with acc. to express motion toward

Verbs

habitat, he (she, it) lives, is living, does live (inhabit)

laudat, he (she, it) praises, is praising, does praise (laud)

parat, he (she, it) prepares, is preparing, does prepare

vocat, he (she, it) calls, is calling, does call; invites, is inviting, does invite (vocation)

Pronoun

quem, interrog. pronoun, acc. sing., whom?

Exercise [1]*: translate into English

1. Agricola cum fīliā in casā habitat.
2. Bona fīlia agricolae cēnam parat.
3. Cēna est grāta agricolae* et agricola bonam fīliam laudat. [* *pleasing to the farmer i.e. Latin uses the dative case]
4. Deinde fīlia agricolae gallīnās ad cēnam vocat.
5. Gallīnae fīliam agricolae amant.
6. Malae fīliae bonās cēnās nōn parant.
7. Fīlia agricolae est grāta dominae.
8. Domina in īnsulā magnā habitat.
9. Domina bonae puellae parvae pecūniam dat.

Exercise [2]**: translate into Latin

1. Where does the farmer live?
2. The farmer lives in the small cottage.
3. Who lives with the farmer?
4. (His) little daughter lives with the farmer.
5. (His) daughter is getting (parat) a good dinner for the farmer.
6. The farmer praises the good dinner.
7. The daughter's good dinner is pleasing to the farmer.

Exercise [3]***: Label the image with as many nouns that you already know.

Exercise [4]: Answer the questions in Latin.

1. Quis cum agricolā in casā habitat?
2. Quid bona fīlia agricolae parat?
3. Quem agricola laudat?
4. Vocatne fīlia agricolae gallīnās ad cēnam?
5. Cuius fīlia est grāta dominae?
6. Cui domina pecūniam dat?

____________________

* [1]: 1. The farmer lives with his daughter in the cottage. 2. The farmer's good daughter prepares dinner. 3. Dinner is pleasing to the farmer and the farmer praises his good daughter. 4. Then the farmer's daughter calls the hens to dinner. 5. The hens love the farmer's daughter. 6. Bad daughters do not prepare good dinners. 7. The daughter of the farmer is pleasing to the lady / mistress of the house. 8. The lady lives on a large island. 9. The lady gives money to the good little girl.

** [2]: 1. Ubi agricola habitat? 2. Agricola in casā parvā habitat. 3. Quis cum agricolā habitat? 4. Fīlia parva cum agricola habitat. 5. Fīlia agricolae bonam cēnam parat. 6. Agricola bonam cēnam laudat. 7. Bona cēna fīliae agricolae grāta est.

*** [4]

1. Quis cum agricolā in casā habitat? [Who lives in the cottage with the farmer?] > Fīlia cum agricolā in casā habitat. Fīlia agricolae. Fīlia agricolae in casā cum agricolā habitat.
2. Quid bona fīlia agricolae parat? [What does the farmer's good daughter prepare?] > Fīlia bona cēnam parat. Cēnam. Fīlia bona agricolae cēnam parat.
3. Quem agricola laudat? [Whom does the farmer praise?] > Agricola fīliam laudat. Fīliam agricolae. Fīliam laudat.
4. Vocatne fīlia agricolae gallīnās ad cēnam? [Does the farmer's daughter call the hens to dinner?] > Vocat.
5. Cuius fīlia est grāta dominae? [Whose daughter is pleasing to the lady?] > Fīlia agricolae est grāta dominae. Fīlia agricolae.
6. Cui domina pecūniam dat? [To whom does the lady give money?] > Domina bonae puellae parvae pecūniam dat. / Puellae bonae parvae. / Domina puellae pecūniam dat.

13.04.25: Level 3; Verbs with the dative case [1]: compound verbs

A word of advice (warning): the further you go into Latin, the more you will come across lengthy, long-winded and highly analytical articles online about certain features of the language. While the detail given by these researchers is to be admired, they are not really operating from a learner’s perspective. For me, I looked at some of these aspects on a “need to know” basis i.e. focus on the key point(s), and be aware of the existence of a certain feature.

Referring to the two immediately previous Level 2 reading passages

[1] M. Valerius Corvus (349BC)

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/01/300324-h-b-level-2-reading-m-valerius.html

[2] the spirit of Ancient Rome

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/01/020425-h-b-level-2-reading-spirit-of.html

1. legiōnēs utrimque pugnae interfuērunt │ the legions on both sides took part in the battle
2. T. Mānlius Torquātus dextrō, P. Decius Mūs sinistrō cornū praeerat: │ T. Manlius Torquatus commanded / was in command of the right wing (of the army), P Decius Mus (in command of) the left.
3. Latīnōrum paucī pugnae superfuērunt. │few of the Latins survived the battle

[i] Three verbs are marked in bold. Bearing in mind that a verb in Latin can have several meanings, we will focus on what these three specifically (and commonly) mean in the context of the passages:

1. inter¦sum, interesse, interfuī: take part
2. prae¦sum, praeesse, praefuī: command
3. super¦sum, superesse, superfūī: survive

Those three verbs are compound verbs i.e. they are formed with the verb esse and a prefix which, when standing alone, functions as a preposition. Many compound verbs in Latin are followed by the dative case.

1. pugnae interfuērunt
2. T. Mānlius Torquātus dextrō … cornū praeerat
3. paucī pugnae superfuērunt

The thinking that underpins this is that the verbs are not taking a direct object, a sense that is also sometimes conveyed in English:

he commanded the right wing > he was in command of the right wing

he took part in the battle

The original meaning of the prefix isn’t necessarily being conveyed:

1. inter (between / among) + esse (to be): literally, (physically) to be between but has the additional meaning of participate
2. prae (in front) + esse (to be): literally, to be in front > to be in charge / to command
3. super (above) + esse (to be): literally, to be above > to survive

Omnibus negōtiīs nōn interfuit sōlum sed praefuit (Cicero)│ He was not only involved in all matters but took the lead in them.

This is a feature to be aware of rather than sit down and specifically learn because, as is often the case in Latin, it isn’t consistent; while many compound verbs take a dative, not all of them do, or sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t!

[1] ad¦sum, adesse, adfuī: be here, be present, be at hand

• tibi: I am near you

[2] dē¦sum, dēesse, dēfuī:  be wanting, be lacking, fall short of

• tibi: I fail you

[3] prō¦sum, prōdesse, prōfuī: benefit [= be of benefit to]; profit [= be profitable to]; be useful [to]

• quid enim prō¦derit hominī sī lucrētur mundum tōtum et dētrīmentum faciat animae suae (Vulgate) │ For what shall it benefit [of what benefit / profit will it be to] a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?

While this feature is most commonly seen with compounds of esse, it does occur with other verbs, for example:

[4] ap¦propinquō, -āre, -āvī [1] (= ad ‘towards’ + propinquō ‘approach’): draw near

• nec prius ab hoste est vīsus quam locō quem petēbat appropinquāvit (Livy) │ and he was not seen by the enemy before he was close to the spot for which he was making

[5] oc¦currō, occurrere, occurrī [3] = [ob ‘towards; against’ + currō ‘run’): run into; go to meet

• atque in alteram partem item cohortandī causā profectus pugnantibus occurrit (Caesar) │ and having likewise departed in another direction for the sake of encouraging (the soldiers) he finds / comes across them fighting

[6] in¦ferō, inferre, intulī [3]: (literally) to carry / bring in > bellum urbī in¦tulērunt │ they brought war into / upon the city

[7] sub¦veniō, subvenīre, subvēnī [4]: (literally) to come under > to support (come to the aid of)

• sed, tū, bone vir, flāgitāre saepe clāmōre in forō, quom lībella nusquamst, nisi quid lēnō hic subvenit tibi. (Plautus) │ But you, my good chap, are often being hunted after in the Forum with noise enough, when you haven't a penny to your name, unless this procurer here comes to help you a bit.

[8] prae¦ficiō, praeficere, praefēcī [3/-iō]: put [somebody] in charge [of something]

Look at the logic behind the following sentence:

• Senātus ¦ Caesarem [accusative] ¦ exercituī [dative] praefēcit │ The Senate put ¦ Caesar [accusative; direct object of the action of the Senate] ¦ in charge of the army [dative: indirect object]

Caesar is the direct object of the action – the Senate appointed / made him something – and they put him in charge of the army i.e. Caesar didn’t do anything to the army: the army is not a direct object and is expressed in the dative.

Similarly:

Quem [accusative] ¦ imperator ¦ illī legiōnī [dative] ¦ praefēcit ? │Whom ¦ did the commander put in charge ¦ of that legion?

Exercise

Complete the Latin sentences with the verbs listed below:

1. I am in command of the army │ exercituī __________
2. I lack jewels │ gemmae __________ mihi
3. I put you in charge of the army │ tē exerecituī __________
4. I survived my parents │ parentibus __________
5. I was involved in these things │ hīs rēbus __________
6. Your advice is useful to me │ cōnsilium tuum mihi __________
7. Ladies used to be among the spectators │ fēminae spectātōribus __________
8. The guards were failing in their duty to the prisoners │ cūstōdēs captīvīs __________
9. The brothers were coming to the aid of their sisters │ frātrēs sorōribus __________
10. Now they were approaching the city │ iam urbī __________

appropinquābant; dēerant; dēsunt; intererant; interfuī; praeficiō; praesum; prōdest; subveniēbant; superfuī

13.04.25: Level 3; The story of Arion [3]

In hās angustiās redāctus* Arīōn, in puppī stetit, omnī ōrnātū suō indūtus**. Tum ūnum ē carminibus canere incēpit. Nautae suāvī carmine captī ē puppī mediam in nāvem concessērunt. Ille omnī ōrnātū indūtus, captā citharā, carmen perēgit. Cantū perāctō in mare sē prōiēcit. Tum nautae Corinthum nāvigāvērunt.

vocabulary

cantus, -ūs [4/m]: song

cithara, -ae [1/f]: lyre

concēdō, concēdere, concessī, concessus [3]: (here) go away

peragō, peragere, perēgī, perāctus [3]: (here) finish; complete

puppis, -is [3/f]: stern of a ship; note: this noun has alternative accusative forms i.e. puppim or puppem

Note: if you use the Youtube video to which I’ve given a link, the presenter writes an error i.e. ē *puppā*, but this is a 3^rd declension noun and its ablative is puppī.

* In hās angustiās redāctus

angustia, -ae [1/f]: narrowness; scarcity; the noun the most often appears in the plural i.e. angustiae, -ārum referring to the singular English concept of ‘difficulty’ or ‘distress’

redigō, -redigere, redēgī, redāctus [3]: drive back; (here) reduce to a certain emotional state; In hās angustiās redāctus Arīōn … │ Arion, having been reduced to a state of distress …

** omnī ōrnātū suō indūtus

induō, -ere, induī, indutus [3]: put on (clothes)

ōrnātus, -ūs [4/m]: dress; apparel

If you watch the video link, the presenter does not give a precise translation of this, rendering the phrase as “Having put on …”; that isn’t correct because indūtus is a perfect passive participle that translates as “dressed”. Similarly, he is rather vague about the translation of ōrnātus:

… omnī ōrnātū suō indūtus … │ … dressed in all his apparel i.e. his fine attire; ōrnātus, -ūs, from the verb ornō, -āri, -āvī, -ātus [1] (decorate; Engl. derivatives: ornate, ornament) suggests fine or splendid clothing. 

questions

1. Where did Arion stand? (1)
2. What was his appearance? (1)
3. What did he start to do? (1) Aim for precision: Tum ūnum ē carminibus canere incēpit.
4. How did the sailors react to this? (3)
5. What did Arion do when the song was finished? (1)
6. What did the sailors finally do? (1)

notes

[1] ablative absolute

with X having been Y-ed

[X] captā ¦ [Y] chitarā │ with the lyre ¦ having been taken (up) = after the lyre had been taken up

[X] cantū ¦ [Y] perāctō │ with the song ¦ having been finished = after the song was finished

[2] Again, note the use of the perfect passive participle:

Nautae suāvī carmine captī … │ The sailors, having been captivated / (who had been) captivated by the sweet song, …

____________________

Reduced to this state of distress, Arion, dressed in all his finery, stood on the stern. He started playing one of the songs. Captivated by the sweet song, the sailors went away to the centre of the ship. He, dressed in all his splendid apparel, once his lyre had been taken up, finished the song. Once the song was finished, he threw himself into the sea. Then the sailors sailed to Corinth.

12.04.25: H & B; level 2; reading; a Pyrrhic victory (280BC)

Tarentī incolae, ubi bellum cum Rōmānīs gerēbant, auxilium ā Pyrrhō, Ēpīrī rēge, petiērunt. Pyrrhus cum maximō exercitū Graecōrum ad Ītaliam venit et cum Rōmānīs prope Hēraclēam pugnāvit. Tum prīmum in proelium contrā Rōmānōs elephantī ductī sunt. Rōmānī partim propter animālium ingentium timōrem, partim propter optimam disciplīnam Graecōrum vīctī sunt. Plūrimī tamen utrimque cecidērunt. Pyrrhus, ubi tot mortuōrum corpora vīdit, ‘Sī eiusmodī victōriam iterum reportāverō,’ clāmāvit, ‘sōlus ad Ēpīrum nāvigābō.’ Ūtilissima fuit Pyrrhō Cīneae lēgātī sapientia, nam plūra oppida per ēloquentiam conciliāvit Cīneās quam rēx bellō superāvit: frūstrā tamen cum Rōmānīs in urbe dē pāce disseruit: “Numquam cum hostibus, dum in Ītaliā sunt,’ Appius Claudius senātor respondit, ‘dē pāce Rōmānī dissērunt.’ Cīneās, ubi ad Pyrrhum revertit, ‘Rōmānōrum,’ inquit, ‘urbs deōrum templum, senātus deōrum concilium est.’ Tandem Pyrrhus prope Beneventum victus est; posteā ad Graeciam revertit.

[1] lines 1 -2 (Tarentī … petiērunt)

[i] Who was fighting the Romans? (1)

[ii] Who was Pyrrhus? (2)

[iii] Why was he contacted? (1)

[2] Lines 2 – 5; translate into English (12)*:

Pyrrhus cum maximō exercitū Graecōrum ad Ītaliam vēnit et cum Rōmānīs prope Hēraclēam pugnāvit. Tum prīmum in proelium contrā Rōmānōs elephantī ductī sunt. Rōmānī partim propter animālium ingentium timōrem, partim propter optimam disciplīnam Graecōrum vīctī sunt. Plūrimī tamen utrimque cecidērunt.

[3] Lines 5 – 7 (Pyrrhus, ubi … nāvigābō.)

What was Pyrrhus’s reaction when he saw the large number of deaths? (2)

[4] Lines 7 – 8 (Ūtilissima …. superāvit)

[i] Who was Cineas? (1)

[ii] Why was he useful to Pyrrhus? (4); nam ¦ [i] plūra oppida ¦ [ii] per ēloquentiam ¦ [i] conciliāvit Cīneās ¦ [iii] quam rēx [iv] bellō [iii] superāvit

[5] Lines 8 – end (frūstrā ... revertit)

[i] Why were peace negotiations unsuccessful? (2)

[ii] How did Cineas describe [a] Rome and [b] the Senate? (2)

[iii] What was the outcome of the conflict? (2)

[6] Either from your own general knowledge, or from the text, briefly explain the meaning of the term Pyrrhic victory. (2)**

[7]

[i] Explain the grammatical terms in bold

Tarentī incolae … auxilium ā Pyrrhō, Ēpīrī [a] rēge, [b] petiērunt.

[a] rēge: the noun is in apposition. What does this term mean? (2)

[b] petiērunt: a syncopated form of the verb (2)

[ii]

[a] Ūtilissima fuit Pyrrhō Cīneae lēgātī sapientia

In what case is Pyrrhō and why is that case being used? (2)

[b] … quam rēx bellō superāvit

In what case is bellō and why is that case being used? (2)

[iii] Compare the Latin and English word order (4)

propter animālium ingentium timōrem; ubi tot mortuōrum corpora vīdit

[iv] Compare and contrast the Latin and English tense usage (4)

‘Sī eiusmodī victōriam iterum reportāverō,’ clāmāvit, ‘sōlus ad Ēpīrum nāvigābō.’

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

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

https://www.heritage-history.com/index.php?c=read&author=guerber&book=romans&story=pyrrhus

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

Pyrrhus and his elephants

Pyrrhos, King of Epeiros, 297–272 BC. Head of Zeus in wreath of oak / Demeter seated, holding long sceptre and her veil; caption ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΥΡΡΟΥ (of king Pyrrhus)

Routes taken against Rome in the Pyrrhic War (280–275 BC); by Piom, translation by Pamela Butler - Image:Pyrrhic_War_Italy_PioM.svg, in Polish, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4588930

____________________

*[2] [i] With a very large army of Greeks [ii] Pyrrhus came towards Italy [iii] and fought with the Romans near Heraclea. [iv] Then for the first time elephants were led [v] into battle against the Romans. [vi] Partly on account of fear [vii] of the huge animals, [viii] (and) partly on account of the excellent discipline [ix] of the Greeks, [x] the Romans were beaten. [xi] Very many, however, fell [xii] on both sides.

**[6] “A Pyrrhic victory is a [i] victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that [ii] it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.”

12.04.25: Level 2; grammar revision; verbs [4]; fourth conjugation

Match the English with the Latin verbs in the word cloud; an example of a fourth conjugation verb in full is given for reference

1. they hear (listen)/ are hearing (listening)
2. they were hearing
3. they will hear
4. they (have) heard
5. they had heard
6. they will have heard
7. they are being heard / listened to
8. they were being heard
9. they will be heard
10. the senators were / have been heard │ senātōrēs (masc. pl.)…
11. the senators had been heard │ senātōrēs (masc. pl.) …
12. the women were / have been heard │ fēminae (fem. pl.) …
13. the women will have been heard │ fēminae (fem. pl.) …
14. the words were / have been heard │ verba (neut. pl.) …
15. the words had been heard │ verba (neut. pl.) …

____________________

audīverint; audīvērunt; audītī erant; audīverant; audiunt; audītī sunt; audītae sunt; audiēbant; audītae erunt; audīta sunt; audientur; audient; audīta erant; audiuntur; audiēbantur

11.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (1)

Match the nouns with the images

āra, -ae [1/f]

dea, -ae [1/f]

fābula, -ae [1/f]

fēmina, -ae [1/f]

patria, -ae [1/f]

pompa, -ae [1/f]

puella, -ae [1/f]

rēgina, -ae [1/f]

taberna, -ae [1/f]

via, -ae [1/f]

dīvitiae, -ārum [1/f/pl]

deus, -ī [2/m]

oppidum, -ī [2/n]

theātrum, -ī [2/n]

vīnum, -ī [2/n]

10.04.25: Level 3; The story of Arion [2]

Hī autem eum in mare prōicere cōnstituērunt; pecūniā enim potīrī cupiēbant. Tum vērō Arīōn cōnsilium intellēxit. Trīstis ad precēs cōnfūgit.* Pecūniā omnī nautīs oblātā, vītam dēprecātus est. Nautae vērō precibus virī nōn commōtī, mortem eī statim minātī sunt.

vocabulary

com¦moveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtus [2]: move (violently); stir; (here) ‘move’ in the sense of influence emotionally

cōnstituō, -ere, cōnstituī, cōnstitūtus [3]: decide

prō(i)iciō (sometimes written with one /i/), prōicere, prōiēcī, prōiectus [3-iō]: throw

*Trīstis ad precēs cōnfūgit.

• cōnfugiō, -ere, -fūgī [3-iō]: flee; take refuge; (here) have recourse to
• prex, precis [3/f]: prayer; entreaty

Literally: He, sad, had recourse to prayers; remember that Latin may use an adjective (tristis) to describe the person performing the action whereas English would prefer an adverb i.e. ‘He, sadly, could only turn to prayers / entreaties.’

questions

1. What did these men want to do to Arion and why? (3)
2. What was offered to the sailors? (1)
3. How did they react? (2)

notes

[1] ablative absolute; verb: ferō, ferre, tūlī, lātus

pecūniā omnī ¦ (nautīs) oblātā: a further example of the ablative absolute discussed in the previous post

The verb is: offerō, offere [3] < ob + ferō: bring before; (here) offer

It is a compound of the verb ferō, ferre [3]: bear; carry, and is known in grammar as a suppletive verb, the term used to describe parts of a verb that are not connected to the main form of the verb itself, an example of which in English would be: go – goes – going – gone, but … went

ferō, ferre, tūlī, lātus [3] i.e. the perfect tense and perfect passive participle bear no relation to the main parts of the verb

offerō, offerre, obtūlī, oblātus [3]: offer

pecūniā omnī ¦ (nautīs) oblātā │ with all (his) money ¦ having been offered (to the sailors) = after all his money had been offered to the sailors

A more detailed post will be given later on the verb ferō and its compounds since the verb can have multiple meanings.

[2] deponent verbs

dēprecor, deprecārī, dēprecātus sum [1/dep]: pray / plead for

minor, minārī, minātus sum [1/dep]: threaten; mortem (acc.) ¦ eī (dat.) … minātī sunt │ literally: they threatened ¦ death ¦ to him = they threatened him with death / they threatened to kill him

potior, potīrī, potitus sum [4/dep]: take possession (+ abl.); pecūniā … potīrī cupiēbant │ they desired to possess / take possession of the (his) money

[3] Note the use of the perfect passive participle functioning as an adjective to describe the sailors:

Nautae vērō precibus virī nōn commōtī, … │ But the sailors (who were) not moved / not having been moved [= unmoved] by the man’s prayers …

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These (men), however, decided to throw him into the sea. But then / then, in fact Arion understood the plan. He, sadly, had recourse to prayers. After all (his) money had been offered to the sailors, he pleaded for his life. But the sailors, not moved [= unmoved] by the man’s prayers immediately threatened him with death.

10.04.25: Level 3; deponent verbs (10); semi-deponent verbs

As the term would suggest, semi-deponent verbs display an unusual feature in that one part of the verb is deponent but the other parts are not. There are not many of these, they do not often occur, and the three most common I have placed first in the list; look at the third part listed

audeō, audēre, ausus sum (2): dare

gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsus sum (2): be glad; rejoice

soleō, solēre, solitus sum (2): be accustomed

cōnfīdō, cōnfīdere, cōnfīsus sum (3): trust

diffīdō, diffīdere, diffīsus sum (3): distrust

fīdō, fīdere, fīsus sum (3): to trust

[i] the present, imperfect and future tenses are conjugated like any other verb i.e. they are not deponent

gaudeō, gaudēs, gaudet etc. │ I rejoice, you (sg.) rejoice, he / she rejoices etc.

gaudēbam, gaudēbās etc. │ I was rejoicing, you (sg.) used to rejoice etc.

gaudēbō etc. │ I shall rejoice etc.

[ii] It is the perfect tense forms that are deponent i.e. there is no separate, single perfect tense form for these verbs; they are formed in exactly the same way as the perfect passive and perfect of other deponent verbs

gavisus, -a sum│ I (have) rejoiced i.e. the perfect tense is passive in form but has an active meaning

gavisi, -ae sumus / sunt │ we / they (have) rejoiced

ausus, -a es │ you (sg.) (have) dared

ausus, -a est │ (s)he (has) dared

ausi, -ae estis│ you (pl.) have dared

ausus erat │ he had dared i.e. the pluperfect tense form is passive but has an active meaning

Examples of perfect and pluperfect forms from the authors:

[1] audeō, audēre, ausus sum (2): dare

• non sine causa igitur Epicurus ausus est [perfect] dicere semper in pluribus bonis esse sapientem (Cicero) │ It is not without reason , therefore, that Epicurus ventured to say that he is always wise in many good things
• nunc, quia tantum ausi estis [perfect] sponte vestra … (Livy) │Now since you have dared so much of your own accord, …
• Ausus eram [pluperfect], memini, caelestia dicere bella (Ovid) │ I remember, I had dared to speak about celestial war
• et nec enim restitere Armenii, fuso qui proelium ausus erat [pluperfect] Demonacte praefecto (Tacitus) │ and the Armenians made no resistance after their governor, Demonax, had ventured on a battle and had been routed.

[2] gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsus sum (2): be glad; rejoice

• cognita morte C. Treboni non plus gavisus sum [perfect] quam dolui. (Cicero) │When I heard of the death of Caius Trebonius, I did not more rejoice than grieve.
• Videntes autem stellam gavisi sunt [perfect] gaudio magno valde (Vulgate) │ Seeing the star [= when they saw the star], they rejoiced with a very great joy

[3] soleō, solēre, solitus sum (2): be accustomed; be in the habit (of doing something)

• … tibi solitus sum [perfect] dicere magis te fortem accusatorem mihi videri quam sapientem candidatum (Cicero) │ … I have often said [i.e. I have often been accustomed to say(ing)] to you that you appeared to me to be a brave senator rather than a wise candidate.
• quos ubi et propius accedere et plures quam soliti erant [pluperfect] Celtiberi conspexerunt, … (Livy) │ When the Celtiberi saw them approaching more closely and in greater strength than they had usually done …

09.04.25: H & B; level 2; reading; a Roman father

T. Mānlius Torquātus cōnsul exercitum Rōmānum ad disciplīnam sevērissimam īnstituit. ‘Nēmō’ (sīc mīlitibus ēdīxerat) ‘sōlus extrā ōrdinēs cum hostibus pugnābit.’ Praeerat tum hostium equitibus vir propter virtūtem nōtissimus Geminus Mettius: Mānliī fīlium Mettius ad certāmen prōvocāvit. Mōvit iuvenis animum intrepidum vel īra vel pudor: patris iussa neglēxit hostemque superāvit et occīdit. Tum corpus Mettīī spoliāvit, spolia magnō cum gaudiō ad patrem portāvit. Pater autem ‘Quoniam, T. Mānlī,’ inquit, ‘nec cōnsulis imperium nec patris auctōritātem timēs contrāque imperātōris iussa extrā ōrdinēs sōlus hodiē cum hoste pugnāvistī mīlitāremque disciplīnam neglēxistī, poenās audāciae morte persolvēs. Trīste exemplum erimus, sed reliquīs iuvenibus ūtile.’ Statim patris iussū fīlius ad supplicium dūcitur.

[1] Lines 1 – 2 (T. Mānlius … pugnābit)

[i] How did Manlius Torquatus treat the Roman army? (1)

[ii] What order was given to the soldiers? (2)

[2] Lines 3 – 6; translate into English (15)*:

Praeerat tum hostium equitibus vir propter virtūtem nōtissimus Geminus Mettius: Mānliī fīlium Mettius ad certāmen prōvocāvit. Mōvit iuvenis animum intrepidum vel īra vel pudor: patris iussa neglēxit hostemque superāvit et occīdit. Tum corpus Mettiī spoliāvit, spolia magnō cum gaudiō ad patrem portāvit.

[3] lines 6 – end (Pater, autem … dūcitur)

In your own words explain – with reference to the extract – the Roman attitude towards military discipline (12)**

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

Manlius's son disobeys orders and fights a duel with a Latin warrior. Early 20th century book illustration

Titus Manlius Torquatus (Goltzius: c. 1590)

Consul Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus defeating a Gallic in 361 BC (Illustration by Tancredi Scarpelli)

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* [2] [i] At that time Geminus Mettius, ¦ [ii] a man very well-known ¦ [iii] on account of his courage, ¦ [i] was in command ¦ [iv] of the cavalry: ¦ [v] Mettius challenged Manlius’s son ¦ [vi] to a contest / battle. ¦ [vii] Either anger or shame ¦ [viii] stirred the mind ¦ [ix] of the fearless young man; ¦ [x] he ignored / disregarded his father’s commands, ¦ [xi] and conquered ¦ [xii] and killed [xi] the enemy. ¦ [xiii] He then despoiled (robbed) the body of Mettius ¦ [xiv] and, with great joy, ¦ [xv] carried the spoils to his father.

** [3] A military command is absolute; on no account should it be disobeyed. By acting alone and fighting outside the ranks the son disobeys the superior authority of Manlius as consul, commander and father:

… T. Mānlī,’ inquit, ‘nec cōnsulis imperium nec patris auctōritātem timēs contrāque imperātōris iussa extrā ōrdinēs sōlus hodiē cum hoste pugnāvistī …

Manlius’s reference to his son showing no fear (nec patris auctōritātem timēs) may suggest that the latter thought there would be no repercussions since the command had been given by his father. However, military hierarchy is unassailable and superior to family bonds. Consequently, Manlius shows no favoritism towards his son. Despite the son’s killing of Mettius that victory does not justify the disregard of military discipline:

mīlitāremque disciplīnam neglēxistī

The son’s failure to adhere to command is so intolerable that even his own father condemns him to death:

poenās audāciae morte persolvēs

The reference to audācia serves as a warning; here the noun has its full negative sense of “recklessness”. Manlius’s son, provoked by an enemy soldier, fails to maintain self-control and for that he must pay the ultimate price. The father must show to other young soldiers that he will always be consistent in upholding military discipline irrespective of the offender and irrespective of the personal distress his decision will cause:

trīste exemplum erimus, sed reliquīs iuvenibus ūtile

The father is so secure in his own judgement that there is no time for reflection or appeal, the son led straightaway to his punishment in the concisely and dramatically expressed conclusion, the use of the historic present tense (dūcitur) adding to the sense of immediacy:

statim patris iussū fīlius ad supplicium dūcitur

09.04.25: Level 2; grammar revision; verbs [3b]; 3rd-iō conjugation

Level 2; grammar revision; verbs [3b]. 3^rd-iō conjugation

Match the English with the Latin verbs in the word cloud; an example of a third-iō conjugation verb in full is given for reference

[1] you (plu.) capture (are capturing) / take (are taking)

[2] you (plu.) were capturing / used to capture

[3] you (plu.) will capture

[4] you (plu.) (have) captured

[5] you (plu.) had captured

[6] you (plu.) will have captured

[7] you (plu.) are being captured

[8] you (plu.) were being captured

[9] you (plu.) will be captured

You, soldiers, … │ Vōs, mīlitēs …

[10] … have been captured

[11] … had been captured

[12] … will have been captured

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capitis; capiēbāminī; captī estis; capiēminī; captī eritis; capiēbātis; cēperitis; capiminī; captī erātis; capiētis; cēpistis; cēperātis

09.04.25: Level 2; grammar revision; verbs [3a]; third conjugation

 Match the English with the Latin verbs in the word cloud; an example of a third conjugation verb in full is given for reference

1. he leads / is leading
2. he was leading / used to lead
3. he will lead
4. he (has) led
5. he had led
6. he will have led
7. he is being led
8. he was being led
9. he will be led
10. he was / has been led
11. he had been led
12. he will have been led

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dūcēbat; dūcet; dūcit; dūxit; ductus erat; ductus erit; ductus est; dūcēbātur; dūxerat; dūxerit; dūcētur; dūcitur