11.07.24: Level 2; NLE 2012 (Latin 1): answers to questions 1 – 17 + Q27 with notes

What is the NLE looking for in its examination papers? The bullet points indicate the features of the language that they expect you at least to recognise at this level. Apart from question [3] all the points have been covered in the group. You can skim read through the bullet points which act as a kind of “check list” as to what areas you are confident in, and which need to be reviewed or studied; that was the approach I took when I started to learn the language and it helped me a lot. NLE thinks all of these are the foundation stones of the language and so I made sure that I knew all of this before I moved on.

[i] cases and prepositions; case usage

[Q2] Cicerō dē philosophiā scrīpsit. │ Cicero wrote (D) about philosophy

• dē + ablative: about; concerning

[Q4] Surge, (B) Rūfe! Nōlī sedēre! │ Get up, Rufus! Don’t sit!

• vocative case, addressing Rufus directly: -us > -e

[Q5] Mater prīncipis [genitive] erat bona. │ (C) The emperor’s mother [ = the mother ¦ of the emperor] was good.

• 3rd declension nouns (prīnceps, prīncipis)

[Q7] Calpurnia et Portia erunt (C) amīcae. │ Calpurnia and Portia will be friends.

• nominative case after the verb esse

[Q8] Vīdī templa deōrum in Forō Rōmānō. (I saw) (A) the temples of the gods in the Roman Forum.

• 2nd declension neuter nouns

[Q11] Vīta sine librīs est vacua. │ A life (B) without books is empty

• sine + ablative

[Q14] Dux [nominative] mīlitibus [dative] tubā [ablative] signum [accusative] dedit. │ (A) The leader [subject] gave (to) the soldiers [dative] a signal [accusative: direct object] [ = a signal to the soldiers] with a trumpet [ablative of means / instrument].

• 3rd declension nouns (mīles, mīlitis)
• 1st declension nouns (tuba, -ae)
• case usage: ablative; tubā │ with i.e. by means of a trumpet
• case usage: dative; militibus; indirect object │ he gave a signal to the soldiers

[Q17] Lupus ad (C) rīvum fūrtim et tacitē ambulāvit. │ The wolf walked secretly and silently to the stream.

• ad + accusative: to(wards)

[ii] Tenses:

[Q1] Canēs in hortō meō currunt! │ The dogs (C) are running in my garden!

• present tense
• 3rd conjugation verbs: currō, -ere [3]

[Q6] Rēx cīvēs monuit quod hostēs urbem oppugnābant. │ The king (A) warned the citizens because the enemy was approaching the city.

• perfect tense
• 2nd conjugation verbs: moneō, -ēre [2]

[Q9] "Semper tē amābō!" clāmāvit Pȳramus. │ I (B) will always love you!” shouted Pyramus.

• future tense
• 1st conjugation verbs: amō, amāre [1]

[Q12] "Cupiō canem tuum capere," dīxit Herculēs. │ I desire to capture your dog,” said Hercules.

• infinitive
• 3rd-iō conjugation: capiō, -ere [3-iō]

[Q13] Arborēs altae in silvīs erant. │ Tall trees (D) were in the forest.

• imperfect tense
• esse

[iii] Question words (interrogatives)

[Q10] Cūr multōs librōs legitis? │ (B) Why do you read many books?

[Q15] Quot pedēs habet equus? │How many feet does a horse have? > (C) quattuor

[iv] Adverbs

[Q3] Senātor ¦ cum īrā ¦ clāmābat. Quōmodo clāmābat? │ The senator was shouting ¦ with anger.

• How was he shouting? > (A) īrātē: angrily; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives form the adverb by removing the stem of the adjective and adding -ē: īrāt¦us (angry) > īrātē (angrily).
• Note Question 17: Lupus ad rīvum fūrtim et tacitē ambulāvit. │ The wolf walked secretly and silently to the stream.

[Q16] Vir malus filiōs numquam laudāvit. │ The bad / evil man (C) never praised (his) sons.

__________

Question 27: There must be a reason why they place this question later. I suppose it’s because they put several concepts together in the one sentence:

"Ubi estis? Nōn possum vōs invenīre! Redīte ad mē!" │ Where are you? I cannot find you! Come back to me! (C) hide-and-seek

• interrogative: ubi? where?
• esse: present tense
• irregular verb: possum, posse (be able)
• infinitive of 4th conjugation: invenīre (to find)
• compound of eō, īre (go) > redeō, redīre (return)

 

11.07.24: Level 2; NLE (Latin I) 2012 Questions 1 - 28

The National Latin Examination is divided into two sections, the first part being language and history / culture, the second a reading passage with multiple choice questions.

This is the first section for 2012 (Latin 1) i.e. it is already one step up from the introductory level. If you've been following the posts in the group or the other site, or you're studying using your own resources, these are a good way of checking progress (and what may need to be reviewed). They also give you a good idea as to what is expected at this level.

Apart from, I think, Question [3], all the points tested here have been covered in the group.

The answers are at:

https://www.nle.org/.../2012%20NLE%20Answer%20Key%20rev.pdf

1. Canēs in hortō meō currunt!

A) am running B) is running C) are running D) to run

2. Cicerō dē philosophiā scrīpsit.

A) around B) out of C) under D) about

3. Senātor cum īrā clāmābat. Quōmodo clāmābat?

A) īrātē B) īrātam C) īrātō D) īrātī

4. Surge, _____! Nōlī sedēre!

A) Rūfus B) Rūfe C) Rūfō D) Rūfum

5. Mater prīncipis erat bona.

A) The mother was a good emperor. 

B) The emperor was good to his mother. 

C) The emperor’s mother was good. 

D) The emperor and his mother were good.

6. Rēx cīvēs monuit quod hostēs urbem oppugnābant.

A) warned B) to warn C) was warning D) will warn

7. Calpurnia et Portia erunt _____.

A) amīca B) amīcās C) amīcae D) amīcārum

8. Vīdī templa deōrum in Forō Rōmānō.

A) the temples B) in the temple C) of the temple D) to the temples

9. "Semper tē amābō!" clāmāvit Pȳramus.

A) Always love me! 

B) I will always love you! 

C) You will always love me! 

D) I have always loved you!

10. Cūr multōs librōs legitis?

A) How B) Why C) When D) Where

11. Vīta sine librīs est vacua.

A) for books B) without books C) because of books D) among books

12. "Cupiō canem tuum capere," dīxit Herculēs.

A) must capture B) I will capture C) I captured D) to capture

13. Arborēs altae in silvīs erant.

A) are B) have been C) will be D) were

14. Dux mīlitibus tubā signum dedit.

A) The leader gave the soldiers a signal with a trumpet. 

B) The soldiers gave a trumpet as a signal to the leader. 

C) The signal of the trumpet led the soldiers. 

D) The soldiers used the trumpet to signal their leader.

15. Quot pedēs habet equus?

A) duo B) trēs C) quattuor D) octō

16. Vir malus filiōs numquam laudāvit.

A) often B) however C) never D) still

17. Lupus ad _____ fūrtim et tacitē ambulāvit.

A) rīvus B) rīvī C) rīvum

18. The Roman numeral LIX represents the number

A) 29 B) 59 C) 69 D) 109

19. What structure in ancient Rome was used for chariot racing?

A) Pantheon B) Curia C) Basilica D) Circus

20. When a Roman matron left the house, she would cover her head and shoulders with a:

A) palla B) solea C) tunica D) bulla

21. Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae were all destroyed:

A) during the 2nd Punic War B) by the fire of A.D. 64 C) in an invasion by the Gauls D) by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79

22. His bird was the eagle, his tree was the oak. He punished mortals with his lightning bolt. Who was he?

A) Ares B) Zeus C) Hermes D) Apollo

23. A Roman merchant would have navigated down the Tiber River in order to set sail from the port of:

A) Carthage B) Ostia C) Pompeii D) Brundisium

24. Quis erat deus bellī et pater Rōmulī Remīque?

A) Mars B) Iuppiter C) Neptūnus D) Vulcānus

25. Ad astra per aspera and Labor omnia vincit are Latin sayings that encourage the value of:

A) being honest B) showing kindness C) working hard D) being humble

26. The English words regal, regent, and regime all derive from the Latin verb meaning:

A) plow B) rule C) build D) read

27. After 20 minutes of playing _____ with his classmates, the Latin student had to call out: 

"Ubi estis? Nōn possum vōs invenīre! Redīte ad mē!"

A) soccer B) basketball C) hide-and-seek D) tag

28. The common Latin abbreviation P.S. stands for:

A) per silvās B) post scientiam C) per stylum D) post scrīptum

  

11.07.24: quī, quae, quod: nominative and accusative singular

11.07.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; A First Latin Reader (Vincent) [4]: MORE ON RELATIVE CLAUSES AND PRONOUNS QUĪ, QUAE, QUOD

Translation in the comments

Alba Longa, quam Aenēās aedificāvit, erat in Latiō. Incolae Latiī erant agricolae et nautae. Numitor erat rēx Albae Longae, sed Amūlius rēgnum occupāvit. Rōmulus et Remus, quī erant fīliī Silviae, erant puerī parvī. Puerōrum patruus, quī nunc erat rēx Latiī, puerōs paene necāvit. Sed lupus Rōmulum et Remum servāvit. Post annōs multōs puerī et agricolae Amūlium superāvērunt et oppidum occupāvērunt.

Rōmulus et Remus, quī erant fīliī Silviae, postquam Amūlium superāvērunt, oppidum novum aedificāre voluērunt. Sed erat discordia magna. Inde Rōmulus caelum ab Aventīnō spectāvit; Rēmus caelum ā Palātiō spectāvit. Rēmus sex avēs vīdit, posteā Rōmulus bis sex vīdit. Sed agricolae Rōmulō fāvērunt. Rōmulus, quī nunc erat rēx, mūrōs aedificāvit. Remus rīsit mūrōs, quod nōn erant altī, et Rōmulum irrītāvit. Inde Rōmulus, īrātus, Remum necāvit.

bis: twice; two times

fāveō, -ēre, fāvī [2]: favour; the verb is followed by the dative case

Agricolae Rōmulō fāvērunt. │ The farmers favoured Romulus. [Engl: favoured / were favourable to(wards) Romulus]

rideō, -ēre, rīsī [2]: laugh (at); ridicule; mock

More on relative clauses and pronouns quī, quae, quod; some examples:

[A]

[1]

[i] Rōmulus, ¦ [ii] quī nunc erat rēx, ¦ [i] mūrōs aedificāvit. │ Romulus, who was now the king, built walls.

[i] Main / principal clause: Rōmulus … mūrōs aedificāvit. │ Romulus … built walls.

[ii] Relative clause: …quī nunc erat rēx,… │ … who was now the king …

[2]

Rōmulus [antecedent], ¦ quī [relative pronoun] nunc erat rēx, ¦ … │ Romulus, ¦ who was now the king, ¦ …; the antecedent is the person / thing which the relative pronoun (quī) refers to.

[a] quī is masculine singular agreeing with Romulus

[b] quī is in the nominative case because it refers to the subject of the relative clause i.e. Romulus ¦ who was now the king.

[B]

[1]

[i] Rōmulus et Remus, ¦ [ii] quī erant fīliī Silviae, ¦ [i] erant puerī parvī. │ Romulus and Remus, who were the sons of Silvia, were little boys.

[i] Main / principal clause: Rōmulus et Remus … erant puerī parvī. │ Romulus and Remus … were little boys.

[ii] Relative clause: … quī erant fīliī Silviae … │ … who were the sons of Silvia …

[2]

Rōmulus et Remus [antecedent], ¦ quī [relative pronoun] erant fīliī Silviae ¦ … │ Romulus and Remus, ¦ who were the sons of Silvia ¦ …; Romulus and Remus is the antecedent to which quī refers.

[a] quī is masculine plural agreeing with Romulus et Remus

[b] quī is in the nominative case because it refers to the subject of the relative clause i.e. Romulus and Remus ¦ who were the sons of Silvia …

[C]

[1]

[i] Alba Longa, ¦ [ii] quam Aenēās aedificāvit, ¦ [i] erat in Latiō. │ Alba Longa, which Aeneas built, was in Latium.

[i] Main / principal clause: Alba Longa … erat in Latiō. │ Alba Longa … was in Latium.

[ii] Relative clause: … quam Aenēās aedificāvit … │ … which Aeneas built …

[2]

Alba Longa [antecedent], ¦ quam [relative pronoun] Aenēās aedificāvit ¦ …│ Alba Longa, ¦ which Aeneas built ¦ …; Alba Longa is the antecendent to which quam refers.

[a] quam is feminine singular agreeing with Alba Longa

[b] quam is in the accusative since it is the direct object of the relative clause: Alba Longa ¦ which [direct object: accusative] Aeneas [nominative] built...

[D]

[1]

[i] Templum, ¦ [ii] quod Rōmānī aedificāvērunt, ¦ [i] magnum erat. │ The temple, which the Romans built, was large.

[i] Main / principal clause: Templum …erat magnum. │ The temple … was large.

[ii] Relative clause: … quod Rōmānī aedificāvērunt … │ … which the Romans built …

[2]

Templum [antecedent], ¦ quod [relative pronoun] Rōmānī aedificāvērunt ¦ … │ The temple, ¦ which Aeneas built ¦ …; templum is the antecedent to which quod refers.

[a] quod is neuter singular agreeing with templum

[b] quod is accusative because it is the direct object in the relative clause: The temple ¦ which [direct object: accusative] the Romans [nominative] built.

__________

Watch out for misreading a word:

Remus rīsit mūrōs, quod nōn erant altī; quod can be the neuter singular of the relative pronoun i.e. which, but it has the other meaning of because which is being used here:

Remus rīsit mūrōs, quod nōn erant altī. │ Remus laughed at the walls, because they were not high.

____________________

Alba Longa, which Aeneas built, was in Latium. The inhabitants of Latium were farmers and sailors. Numitor was the king of Alba Longa, but Amulius usurped the kingdom. Romulus and Remus, who were the sons of Silvia, were little boys. The boys' uncle, who was now king of Latium, almost killed the boys. But the wolf saved Romulus and Remus. After many years the boys and farmers conquered Amulius and occupied the town.

Romulus and Remus, who were the sons of Silvia, after they overcame Amulius, wished to build a new town. But there was a great disagreement. Then Romulus looked at the sky from the Aventine (Hill); Remus looked at the sky from the Palatine (Hill). Remus saw six birds, then Romulus saw six twice. But the farmers favored Romulus. Romulus, who was now king, built the walls. Remus laughed at the walls because they were not high, and he annoyed Romulus. Then Romulus, enraged, killed Remus.

____________________

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

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

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

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

 

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

Palatine Hill; Palātium

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

Aventine Hill; Aventīnus / Aventīnum

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

A schematic map of Rome showing the seven hills and the Servian Wall.

By Renata3 - Self-made using Inkscape. Based on a map by Orangeowl from German Wikipedia (File:Die sieben Hügel Roms de.png), CC BY-SA 4.0

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3909635

11.07.24: level 2; is, ea, id [6]; the “table”: how to handle it – step by step [1]

Take a look at the image

[1] At first sight, it looks like there are thirty of these to learn. Note the ones that are repeated in the table because they apply to all three genders: eius, eī and eīs (which is used for two cases)

[2] A couple of them in red ‘sunk in’ very quickly because, most often, they mean:

• eius: his / her(s) / its i.e. possession
• eōrum / eārum: their

They don’t agree in gender, number or case with the noun possessed.

• pater eius │ his / her father
• fīlia eius │his / her daughter
• pedēs eius │ his / her feet

• Saxum super caput eius ingēns pendēbat. │ A huge rock was hanging above his head.

• Neptūnus igitur in agrōs eius mare mīsit. │Neptune, therefore, sent the sea into his fields.

• Fortasse Eurydicēn ad virum eius remittent. │ Perhaps they will send Eurydice back to her husband.

• cibus eōrum │ their food
• casa eōrum │ their cottage
• oppidum eōrum │ their town
• in librīs eōrum │ in their books
• Ducem eōrum vīcit │ He conquered their leader.

[3] The others that immediately “hit” were eum: him and, by extension, eam (her) and [4] ‘id’: i.e. ‘id est’

 

How eum and eam translate depends on the noun they agree with; if the noun is ‘animate’ i.e. referring to a living human being they will translate as ‘him’ or ‘here’; if they agree with a noun that does not refer to a human being e.g. an object, they will translate as ‘it’:

• Dominus adest, sed eum vidēre nōn vultis. │The master is here but you don’t want to see him.
• Puerī puellaeque innūptae circum equum saltāre et canere gaudēbant et flōribus eum ōrnāre. │ The boys and unmarried girls enjoyed singing and dancing around the horse and decorating it with flowers.

• "Fortasse vōbīs Anna quoque aliquid nārrābit. Eam rogāte." │ Perhaps Anna will tell you something too. Ask her.

• "Mox iterum," inquit, "fābulam legam quod multum eam amō." │ “I’ll read the story again soon,” she said “because I like it a lot.”

10.07.24: Level 2: Sentence structure [3]; [i] relative / adjectival clauses [ii] relative pronoun [iii] antecedent

Image #1

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car [2] which was very expensive.

“which was very expensive” is also a subordinate clause; it too cannot stand alone. However, clauses that are introduced by ‘who’, ‘which’ or ‘that’ are called relative clauses or adjectival clauses because they give additional information about a person or a thing in the main / principal clause. More will be done on this in later posts. What matters here is to become familiar with the terms used when this clause type is being discussed.

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car [principal / main clause] ¦ [2] which was very expensive [relative clause].

The words ‘who / which / that’ are all used in English as relative pronouns, the word that refers to the person or thing in the main clause. There is a lot more to that which will be discussed in later posts. The main aim here is to become familiar with the terms used.

1. The girl who is crying caused the problem herself.

2. Yesterday I bought a car which was very expensive.

3. The dog that’s been barking all night is getting on my nerves.

Image #2

In Latin, those English relative pronouns are all expressed by quī, quae and quod.

Image #3: antecedent

The term ‘antecedent’ refers to the person(s) or thing(s) to which the relative pronoun refers.

I bought a new car ¦ whichwas very expensive.

The film ¦ that you’re watching ¦ looks interesting.

I saw a man ¦ who was acting suspiciously.

[1] Aequī [antecedent] ¦ [2] quī [relative pronoun] in parte Latiī habitābant, [1] bellum contrā populum Rōmānum gerēbant. [principal clause].

• [1] The Aequi, ¦ [2] who lived in a part of Latium, ¦ [1] were waging war against the Roman people.

[1] Equum [antecedent] magnum et ligneum aedificant, ¦ [2] quem [relative pronoun] virīs complent.

• [1] They build a large and wooden horse ¦ [2] which they fill with men.

10.07.24: Level 2: Sentence structure [2]; terminology (2)

[i] sentence: simple sentence; compound sentence; complex sentence

[ii] clause: principal / main clause; subordinate clause

[iii] conjunction; coordinating conjunction; subordinating conjunction

In the previous post we looked at two sentence types:

Yesterday I bought a new car. [simple sentence]

Yesterday I bought a new car. [simple sentence] It was very expensive. [simple sentence]

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car and [2] it was very expensive. [compound sentence]

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car [principal / main clause] and [2] it was very expensive [principal / main clause].

Here are examples of a third type:

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car ¦ [2] because the old one couldn’t be repaired.

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car ¦ [2] when I was in town.

The second parts of those sentences cannot stand alone; they need to be connected to another piece of information. When this happens the clause is known as subordinate. These subordinate clauses have different names depending on the type of information being given. These are only two examples, but there are many more.

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car [principal / main clause] ¦ [2] when I was in town [subordinate clause of time].

[1] Yesterday I bought a new car [principal / main clause] ¦ [2] because my old car couldn’t be repaired [subordinate clause of reason].

‘when’ and ‘because’ are conjunctions i.e. they join the two parts of the sentence but they are specifically known as subordinating conjunctions because they introduce a subordinate clause.

Images #1 and #2

[1] Cincinnātus in fundō parvō arābat.│ Cincinnatus was ploughing on a small farm. [simple sentence]

[2] Nūntiī pervēnērunt. │ The messengers arrived. [simple sentence]

[2] Ubi nūntiī pervēnērunt [subordinate clause of time] ¦ [1] Cincinnātus in fundō parvō arābat [principal / main clause]. │ [2] When the messengers arrived, [1] Cincinnatus was ploughing on a small farm [principal clause].

[1] Populus Rōmānus Coriolānum cōnsulem nōn creāvit. │ The Roman people did not make Coriolanus consul. [simple sentence]

[2] Coriolānus erat superbus. │ Coriolanus was arrogant. [simple sentence]

A principal / main clause can surround a subordinate clause:

[1] Populus Rōmānus Coriolānum [principal / main clause] ¦ [2] quia erat superbus [subordinate clause of reason] ¦ [1] cōnsulem nōn creāvit [principal / main clause].

[1] The Roman people did not make Coriolanus consul [2] because he was arrogant.

Image #3: A sentence that contains [1] a principal clause and [2] one or more subordinate clauses is called a complex sentence.

 

10.07.24: Level 2: Sentence structure [1]; terminology (1)

10.07.24: Level 2: Sentence structure [1]; terminology (1)

[i] sentence: simple sentence; compound sentence

[ii] verb: finite verb

[iii] conjunction: coordinating conjunction

[iv] clause: main / principal clause

simple and compound sentences

Image #1

[i] simple sentence: John goes to the shops every day.

The sentence stands alone and makes sense.

It contains one finite verb, a verb that has [a] a subject [b] number and [c] a tense.

Rōmānī nūntiōs ad Cincinnātum mīsērunt. │ The Romans sent messengers to Cincinnatus.

Image #2: [ii] compound sentence.

John goes to the shops every day. He buys bread.

Two simple sentences. Both have a single finite verb and both can stand alone and make sense. Now join them:

[1] John goes to the shops every day and [2] (he) buys bread.

A compound sentence comprises two or more simple sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction e.g. ‘and’ or ‘but’.

[1] Coriolānus cōpiās redūxit. │ Coriolanus brought back his troops. [simple sentence]

[2] Oppidum erat tūtum. │ The town was safe. [simple sentence]

[1] Coriolānus cōpiās redūxit [finite verb] ¦ et [2] oppidum erat [finite verb] tūtum. │ Coriolanus brought back his troops andthe town was safe. [compound sentence]

Image #3: However, now that the two separate sentences are joined to form one sentence, those original sentences are described as clauses i.e. those “blocks” of information mentioned at the beginning of the post. This is where a range of different terms can be used.

The clauses here are called principal or main clauses because they both originally could stand alone. A principal clause is the main idea in a sentence.

10.07.24: level 1; Ora Maritima [4](2); cloze

book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/445400638071210/

[7] In angulō hortī sunt __________. In __________ __________ nīdificant. __________ libenter spectō, cum circum __________ suōs volitant. Magnus est numerus __________ in hortō patruī meī; multī __________ super ōceanum volitant. Vōs, __________, libenter spectō, cum super ōceanum volitātis et praedam captātis. Ōceanus __________ cibum dat. Patruum meum hortus et agellus suus dēlectant; in agellō sunt equī et vaccae et __________  et __________  gallīnaeque. Lȳdia __________ gallīnāsque cūrat. Nōn procul ab agellō est vīcus, ubi __________ habitant. Nōnnullī ex __________  agellum cum __________  et vaccīs et __________ cūrant.

corvī; corvōrum; corvōs; equīs; gallī; gallōs; mergī; mergī; mergīs;

nīdōs; porcī; porcīs; rūsticī; rūsticīs; ulmī; ulmīs

 

09.07.24: level 1; 10 at a time; writing [2]

Match the Latin words with the images

ātrāmentum, -ī [2/n]

capsa, -ae [1/f]

charta, -ae [1/f]

liber, librī [2/m]

lībrārium, -ī [2/n]

papȳrus [2 m or f]

scrīptor, scrīptōris [3/m]

stilus, -ī [2/m]

tabula, -ae [1/f]

volūmen, volūminis [3/n]

Who did the ink belong to?

What was the Egyptian schoolboy learning 1,800 years ago?

08.07.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; A First Latin Reader (Vincent) [3]

Translation in the comments

Graecī Troiānōs multōs necāvērunt, sed Aenēam nōn superāvērunt. Aenēās et sociī ad Siciliam et inde ad Āfricam nāvigāvērunt. Ibi Dīdō erat rēgīna oppidī magnī et dōna multa Aenēae dedit. Aenēās fābulam Troiae et victōriam Graecōrum nārrāvit. Inde Aenēās ad Ītaliam nāvigāvit, ubi Turnum et sociōs superāvit. Aenēās Turnum necāvit et oppidum aedificāvit. Oppidum erat Alba Longa.

Greek-type nouns

Nouns that are borrowed from Greek can decline differently from what you might expect although there are patterns. Many nouns, especially proper nouns, can have full Latin declensions. Others, however, either keep their Greek forms entirely, or have the Greek and Latin forms side by side.

Aenēās [1/m] (Greek-type); from Ancient Greek Αἰνείᾱς, Αἰνέᾱς (Aineíās, Ainéās)

Nominative: Aenēās

Genitive: Aenēae

Dative: Aenēae

Accusative: Aenēān / Aenēam

Ablative: Aenēā

Vocative: Aenēā (note the existence of a vocative case ending which is not the same as the nominative)

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The Greeks killed many Trojans, but they did not overcome Aeneas. Aeneas and (his) companions sailed to Sicily and from there to Africa. There Dido was the queen of a large town and she gave many gifts to Aeneas. Aeneas told the story of Troy and the victory of the Greeks. From there Aeneas sailed to Italy, where he overcame Turnus and his allies. Aeneas killed Turnus and built a town. The town was Alba Longa.

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

Castel Gandolfo on a long ridge overlooking Lake Albano, the most likely site of ancient Alba Longa

By George McFinniganFrom Italian Wikipedia (uploaded by Gaucho) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=477706

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

Aeneas kills Turnus, king of the Rutuli

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

Dido and Aeneas

Dido’s Lament from Dido and Aeneas (Henry Purcell), performed at Josias Priest's girls' school, London in 1689

08.07.24: is, ea, id [5]; the “table”: how will you handle it?

There’s no purpose in pretending that Latin is a ‘push button’, “all your problems are solved in an instant” language.

Image #1:  One member – quite rightly – talked about the difficulty of remembering the “small” words, and they don’t come much smaller than the ones in “the table”  because, when you see them like this, it looks challenging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74R9hHFr0JI

In the video link, the presenter himself refers to the table as being ‘daunting’ but goes on to say that students “everywhere have memorised this through rote, repetition …”. His videos are very good and very detailed. However, I would say one thing:

I can recite that table now – but I couldn’t at first and, more than that, I didn’t even try.

Image #2: The declension of is, ea, id: how will you deal with them? If you threw your hands up in despair, that wouldn’t be surprising, and the problem is that these words are “fired” at you – often without much explanation – and with the impression that it’s the only way to learn them. Alternatively, take it apart, see connections, learn short sentences and / or phrases, find ways of remembering them – any way that suits you –  and, as always see them in context. In other words, you can play it cool.

Image #3: the only way to “crack” a block of Latin case endings is to chip away at it.

07.07.24: level 1; Ora Maritima [4](1)

book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/445400638071210/

In angulō hortī sunt ulmī. In ulmīs corvī nīdificant. Corvōs libenter spectō, cum circum nīdōs suōs volitant. Magnus est numerus corvōrum in hortō patruī meī; multī mergī super ōceanum volitant. Vōs, mergī, libenter spectō, cum super ōceanum volitātis et praedam captātis. Ōceanus mergīs cibum dat. Patruum meum hortus et agellus suus dēlectant; in agellō sunt equī et vaccae et porcī et gallī gallīnaeque. Lȳdia gallōs gallīnāsque cūrat. Nōn procul ab agellō est vīcus, ubi rusticī habitant. Nōnnullī ex rusticīs agellum cum equīs et vaccīs et porcīs cūrant.

___________________

In the corner of the garden there are elm trees. The crows make (their) nests in the elm trees. I like watching the crows when the fly around their nests. There’s a large number of crows in my uncle’s garden; many seagulls fly over the ocean. I like watching you, seagulls, when you fly over the ocean and capture prey. The ocean gives food to the seagulls. The garden and his plot of land delight my uncles; on the plot of land are horses and cows and pigs and roosters and chickens. Lydia looks after the roosters and the chickens. Not far from the land is a village where the countryfolk live. Some of the countryfolk look after the land together with the horses and the cows and the pigs.

06.07.24: level 1; 10 at a time; writing [1]

Match the English with the Latin words in the image

1. book
2. book case; library
3. cylindrical container for books
4. ink
5. instrument used for writing on wax tablets
6. map (Mediaeval)
7. paper
8. scroll
9. wax tablet for writing
10. writer

____________________

ātrāmentum, -ī [2/n]: ink

capsa, -ae [1/f]: cylindrical container for books

charta, -ae [1/f]: (Mediaeval) map 

liber, librī [2/m]: book

librārium, -ī [2/n]: book case; library

papȳrus, -ī [2 m/f]: paper

scrīptor, scrīptōris [3/m]: writer

stilus, -ī [2/m]: instrument used for writing on wax tablets

tabula, -ae [1/f]: wax tablet for writing

volūmen, volūminis [3/n]: scroll