12.06.26: Level 1 (review); asking for directions; places in a town [5] Traupman [ii] notes

[1] Pōtesne … ? Can you…?

possum, posse [irr.]: to be able

This verb is irregular, but it is a “fusion” of potis (able) + the verb you already know i.e. sum, esse [irregular]: to be

possum: I am able; I can

potes: you (sg.) can

potest: (s)he / it can

possumus: we can

potestis: you (pl.) can

possunt: they can

[2] What you are able to do is expressed by an infinitive:

Potesne mē audīre? │ Can you hear me? [Are you able to hear me?]

Ignōsce mihi, tē audīre nōn possum. │ Forgive me / I’m sorry, I can’t hear [I am unable to hear] you.

Potesne mē adiuvāre? │ Can you help me?

Certē tē adiuvāre possum. │ Of course I can help you.

[3] volō, velle [irregular]: want

volō: I want

vīs: you (sg.) want

vult: (s)he / it wants

volumus: we want

vultis: you (pl.) want

volunt: they want

[4] Again, what you want to do is expressed by the infinitive:

Quid vīs facere ¦ in oppidō? │ What do you want to do ¦ in town?

In forō dēambulāre volō. │ I want to take a walk in the market place.

Quid vīs emere? │ What do you want to buy?

Cibum emere volō. │ I want to buy food.

[5] exadversum [either an adverb or a preposition with the accusative]: opposite; facing e.g. other side of the street

Priusquam ad portam veniās, apud ipsum lacum est pistrilla et exadversum est fabrica (Terence)

• Before you come to the gate, near the lake itself there is a small bakery and opposite there is a workshop.

[6] A nice – and polite – phrase to use when you’re completely lost, or possibly desperate:

Ubi terrārum est …? │ Where in the world is …?

Ubi terrārum est lātrīna?!! │ Where in the world is the toilet?!!

Tacitus makes a derogatory remark concerning a gladiatorial show put on by Vatinius:

…inter foedissima eius aulae ostenta fuit, sūtrīnae tabernae alumnus, …

• … one of the most conspicuously infamous sights in the imperial court, the product of a shoemaker's shop,…

Image #1: a taberna sūtrīna, a shoemaker or shoe repairer’s workshop

Image #2: Ubi terrārum est Argīlētum? │ Where in the world is the Argiletum?

The image shows you where in the world the Argiletum actually is.

11.06.26; Level 3+; Subjunctive [51]; imperfect subjunctive; passive / deponent; anatomy of a sentence; Livy

As you progress through this Level, you will notice that quotations become more involved: they are longer, feature more complex word order, and—crucially—the translations you may consult do not always render the original Latin exactly. This is not necessarily a problem, since fluent and idiomatic translation is often required; however, when analysing how the Latin itself is functioning, it is important that a “first stage” literal translation be examined.

Here is the original passage from Livy:

Ratem ūnam ducentōs longam pedēs, quīnquāgintā lātam ā terrā in amnem porrēxērunt, quam, nē secundā aquā dēferrētur, plūribus validīs retināculīs parte superiōre rīpae religātam pontis in modum humō iniectā cōnstrāvērunt ut bēluae audācter velut per sōlum ingrederentur.

[1] We begin with a literal translation:

Ratem ūnam ducentōs longam pedēs, quīnquāgintā lātam ā terrā in amnem porrēxērunt, quam, … │ They pushed out into the river one raft 200 feet long and 50 feet broad which …

nē secundā aquā dēferrētur, │ so that it would not be carried off by the downstream current

plūribus validīs retināculīs parte superiōre rīpae religātam, │ secured by several strong hawsers / fastenings to the upper part of the bank

pontis in modum ¦ humō iniectā ¦  cōnstrāvērunt │ they covered, with earth having been thrown (on it), in the manner of a bridge [ = they covered with earth like a bridge]

ut bēluae audācter ¦ velut per solum ¦ ingrederentur │ so that the beasts might boldly advance ¦ as if over solid ground.

They pushed out into the river one raft 200 feet long and 50 feet broad which, so that it would not be carried off by the downstream current,  secured by several strong hawsers / fastenings to the upper part of the bank, they covered, with earth having been thrown (on it), in the manner of a bridge so that the beasts might boldly advance ¦ as if over solid ground.

[2] Now we can look at a “second stage” translation from a reliable source that rephrases the passage and divides it into separate sentences, whereas the original Latin consists of a single main clause followed by a series of subordinate clauses.

They pushed out into the river a raft 200 feet long and 50 feet broad, and to prevent it from being carried down-stream, one end was secured by several stout hawsers to the bank. It was covered with earth like a bridge in order that the animals, taking it for solid ground, would not be afraid to venture on it.

Compare [i] original and literal with [ii] a “second stage” rephrased translation that is idiomatic and more fluent, but still conveys the original ideas

[1]

[i] plūribus validīs retināculīs parte superiōre rīpae religātam │ secured by several strong hawsers / fastenings to the upper part of the bank

[ii] one end was secured by several stout hawsers to the bank, i.e. that is what is implied rather than specifically stated in the original

[2]

[i] original and literal

ut bēluae audācter ¦ velut per solum ¦ ingrederentur │ so that the beasts might boldly advance ¦ as if over solid ground.

[ii] in order that the animals, taking it for solid ground, would not be afraid to venture on it i.e. the original positive statement is reworked into a negative one

11.06.26; Level 3+; Subjunctive [50] imperfect subjunctive of deponent verbs

The imperfect subjunctive of deponent verbs is formed in exactly the same way as the passive verbs, the only difference being that deponent verbs have an active meaning.

The image shows [i] the imperfect subjunctive of a passive verb, and [ii] the imperfect subjunctive of a deponent verb.

From the authors:

[i] … Rōmam est profectus, ut senātum ad excidendum Antium hortārētur (Livy) │ He set out for Rome in order to urge [ = so that he might urge] the Senate to destroy Antium

[ii] Nūdāvit sē in sānctissimō templō … ut eō tacente rēs ipsa loquerētur (Cicero) │ He exposed himself in the most sacred temple, … so that, with him silent, the act itself would speak.

[iii] Subitō ā rēge litterae sunt* eī missae, ut Aspim aggrederētur (Nepos) │ Suddenly, a letter was sent to him by the king, so that he might attack Aspis [desiring him to attack …].

*A quick reminder: litterae, although plural, frequently refers to a single letter

[iv] Tēctus montibus substitit Nerō nē ante noctem castra ingrederētur (Livy) │ Nero, concealed by the mountains, halted so that he might not enter the camp before nightfall…

[v] Two imperfect subjunctives in the same sentence, one of which is deponent:

cōnor, cōnārī, cōnātus sum [1/deponent]: attempt

Inde tantus terror pavorque omnēs occupāvit ut nōn modo alius quisquam arma caperet aut castrīs pellere hostem cōnārētur, sed etiam ipse rēx…vix decōrō habitū ad flūmen nāvēsque perfūgerit (Livy)

Then such great terror and fear seized everyone that not only would no one else take up arms or attempt to drive the enemy from the camp, but even the king himself … had barely reached the river and the ships in decent attire.

10.06.26: Comenius (1658) XXXV; Sea-fish and Shell-fish … and fish that ‘flie’ (4) from the authors; Pliny the Elder’s Natural History [3]

[iv]  Aquātilium tegumenta plūra sunt. alia coriō et pilō integuntur ut … hippopotamī, alia coriō tantum ut delphīnī, cortice ut testūdinēs, silicum dūritiā ut ostreae et conchae, crustīs ut locustae, crustīs et spīnīs ut echīnī, squāmīs ut piscēs, asperā cute ut squātina, … mollī ut mūrēnae, alia nūllā ut polypī.

Aquātilium tegumenta plūra sunt. │ The coverings of aquatic animals are of many kinds.

aquātilis, -e: living / growing in water > adjective used as noun: aquātilia i.e. things living in the water = aquatic animals 

alia coriō et pilō integuntur ut … hippopotamī │ Some are covered with skin and hair, like … hippopotamuses; note: this is unlikely to have been stated based upon his own observation but from earlier accounts i.e. Egyptian, or Greek e.g. Herodotus or Aristotle; a hippo does have short, coarse bristles scattered sparsely over the body, especially around the mouth, tail, and ears, but it isn’t a distinctive feature

corium, -ī [2/n]: (here) skin

pilus, -ī [2/m]: hair

alia coriō tantum ut delphīnī, │ others with skin only, like dolphins;

cortice ut testūdinēs │ with shell, like turtles,

cortex, corticis [3 m/f]: [i] bark (of a tree); [ii] shell

testūdō, -tūdinis [3/f]: tortoise; turtle

silicum dūritiā ut ostreae et conchae, │ with hardness of flint, like oysters and mussels;

silex, silicis [3 m/f]: stone; pebble; flint

crustīs ut locustae, │ with crusts, like lobsters;

crusta, -ae [1/f]: hard surface of a body e.g. shell, rind, bark; Engl. deriv. crustacean

crustīs et spīnīs ut echīnī, │ with crusts and spines, like sea urchins;

echīnus, -ī [2/m]: sea urchin

squāmīs ut piscēs, │ with scales, like fish;

squāma, -ae [1/f]: scale (of a fish)

asperā cute ut squātina, │ with rough skin, like the skate

cutis, -is [3/f]: (living) skin; hide; leather

mollī ut mūrēnae, │ with soft skin like moray eels,

alia nūllā ut polypī. │ and some with none at all, like octopuses.

Image: alia coriō et pilō integuntur … │ Some are covered with skin and (with) hair; note the use of the ablative case to describe what each is covered with …

10.06.26: Level 3 (review); a Second Latin Reader (Vincent) [12]: the preparations made by Caesar

Language focus: accusative and infinitive

Propter eās causās ea mūnītiō quae facta erat ā T. Labiēnō tenēbātur; Caesar in Italiam magnīs itineribus profectus duās legiōnēs ibi conscrībit et trēs ex hibernīs dūcit et in ulteriōrem Galliam* cum hīs quīnque legiōnibus īre contendit. Helvētiī iam per fīnēs Sēquanōrum suās cōpiās trādūxerant atque in fīnēs Aeduōrum pervēnerant. Aeduī sē cīvitātem dēfendere nōn posse arbitrātī lēgātōs ad Caesarem mittunt.

*Divisions of Gaul

Gallia Ulterior: Farther Gaul i.e. Gaul beyond the Alps; roughly modern France, Belgium, western Switzerland

Gallia Citerior: Nearer Gaul; Cisalpine Gaul i.e. northern Italy, south of the Alps; already Roman territory by Caesar’s time

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For these reasons, the fortification which had been constructed was being held by Titus Labienus; Caesar, having set out for Italy by rapid marches [ = with great speed], levies two legions there and leads three from winter quarters, and presses on into farther Gaul with these five legions. The Helvetii had already led their forces through the territories of the Sequani and had reached the lands of the Aedui. The Aedui, having judged that they were not able to defend the state, send envoys to Caesar.

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Aeduī (1) sē cīvitātem dēfendere (2) nōn posse ¦ arbitrātī

The Aedui, having judged ¦ [that] (1) they (2) were not able to defend the state

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LINKS

All posts: https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/indirect%20statement

Present active infinitive:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/10/311225-level-3-indirect-statement.html