Wednesday, September 2, 2026

03.09.26: Vincent in Colorado

Transcript / translation

Hodiē sōl nūbibus operītur. | Today the sun is covered by clouds.

Est diēs tertius noster in Colōrātō. | It is our third day in Colorado.

Est locus amoenissimus … | It is a most / very beautiful place …

… sed difficile est omnia vidēre. | … but it is difficult to see everything.

Cacūmina montium cernī nōn possunt nunc … |  The peaks of the mountains cannot be seen now …

… propter nūbēs imbremque. | … because of the clouds and rain.

Sed nihil refert. | But it doesn't matter.

Fruimur nihilōminus ambulātiōne. | Nevertheless, we are enjoying a walk.

Quid inest in casulā? | What is inside the cabin [literally: little cottage]?

Ūna intrēmus. | Let's go inside together.

Hīc metallicī habitābant atque labōrābant. | Here miners used to live and (used to) work.

Nunc autem dēsertae sunt hae casulae. | But now these cabins are deserted.

[Roccō, intrā!] | [Rocco, come in!]

Per hanc ipsam fenestram nunc cōnspicimus eōsdem montēs … | Through this very window we now look at the same mountains …

… quōs iī ōlim spectābant. | … which they once looked at / used to look at.

Tempora mūtantur. | Times change.

Montēs manent. | The mountains remain.

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Topical vocabulary

ambulātiō, -tiōnis [3/f]: walk; stroll

cacūmen, -inis [3/n]: peak; summit; top

casula (see note [6] below)

imber, imbris [3/m]: rain

locus, -ī [2/m]: place

metallicus, -ī [2/m]: miner; also: metallārius, -ī [2/m] < metallum, -ī [2/n]: [i] metal; [ii] mine

mōns, montis [3/m]: mountain

nūbēs, -is [3/f]: cloud

sōl, -is [3/m]: sun

Notes

Some key points. I only focus on those features which are common at the earlier stages of learning Latin.

[1] Look out for the imperfect sheep: -ba- / -bā-, indicating:

the imperfect tense: it refers to what somebody (i) was doing or (ii) used to do.

In the video, Vincent is describing what the miners used to do.

habitābant: they used to live

labōrābant: they used to work

spectābant: they used to look at

[2]

ipse, ipsa, ipsum: this has two functions

(i) himself, herself, itself etc. It is emphatic.

Magister ipse hoc dīxit. | The teacher himself [i.e. nobody else] said this.

Note: ipse etc. cannot be used to say, for example, he washed himself. Latin requires a different word to express that idea.

(ii)  the very / the actual; this is the sense which Vincent uses here:

per hanc ipsam fenestram | through the window itself; through this actual / very window

[3] -dem: īdem [masc.], eadem [fem.], idem [neut.]: the same

dem tempore: at the same time

dem annō: in the same year

[4] -issimus [masc.], -issima [fem.], -issimum [neut.]: creates the superlative form of the adjective, i.e. the biggest, the most beautiful. In Latin, however, it can also convey ‘very’:

locus amoenus: a beautiful place

locus amoenissimus: the most beautiful / a very beautiful place

[5] Vincent tells his dog to enter the cabin: Rocco, intrā! He uses an imperative, also known as a command form of the verb:

intrāre [1]: enter

> intrā: come in (used when speaking to one person – or dog!)

> intrāte: come in (when addressing more than one person)

[6] casa, -ae [1/f]: cottage > casula, -ae [1/f]: little cottage, cabin; -ul- is a common way of forming diminutives, i.e. smaller versions of the original noun

Exercise: complete the rewording of the original transcript by using the words listed below:

(1) Today is Vincent’s third day in Colorado. | __________ est diēs __________ Vincentiī in Colōrātō.

(2) He is walking in the mountains with his dog. | Cum cane suō in __________ __________.

(3) Vincent thinks that the place is very beautiful, … | Vincentius putat __________ __________ esse …

(4) … but he cannot see the tops of the mountains … | … sed __________ montium vidēre __________…

(5) … because it is raining … | quia __________ …

… and the sky is dark and cloudy. | … et __________ __________nebulōsumque est.

(6) He sees a cabin … | __________ videt …

(7) and asks what is in the cabin. | … et rogat __________ in eā casulā insit.

(8) Miners used to live and work in this cabin, … | In hāc casulā __________ et __________ metallicī, …

(9) … but this dwelling is now deserted. | … sed haec habitātiō nunc __________ est.

(10) He tells his dog to come into the cabin. | Canem suum iubet in casulam __________.

(11) He looks through the window … | __________ fenestram spectat …

(12) … and sees the same mountains … | … et __________ montēs cōnspicit …

(13) … which the miners once used to look at. | … quōs ōlim metallicī __________.

ambulat; amoenissimum; cacūmina; caelum; casulam; dēserta; eōsdem; habitābant; hodiē; intrāre; labōrābant; locum; montibus; nōn potest; obscūrum; per; pluit; quid; spectābant; tertius

____________________

Hodiē est diēs tertius Vincentiī in Colōrātō. Cum cane suō in montibus ambulat. Vincentius putat locum amoenissimum esse sed cacūmina montium vidēre nōn potest quia pluit et caelum obscūrum nebulōsumque est. Casulam videt et rogat quid in eā casulā insit. In hāc casulā habitābant et labōrābant metallicī, sed haec habitātiō nunc dēserta est. Canem suum iubet in casulam intrāre. Per fenestram spectat et eōsdem montēs cōnspicit quōs ōlim metallicī spectābant.

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