Expert: Maria - 1/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello Maria. I'm trying to translate "I am second to none", or "I am second to no-one" into Latin. Your help would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

ANSWER: Hello,

here  is the translation you asked me:

“Nulli secundus”.

Best,
Maria
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Note that:

-NULLI (dative of NULLUS ) = to none / no one

-SECUNDUS (nominative masculine) = second

As for “I am” in Latin it would be SUM, but it’s better to omit it, as it is implied.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your quick response. I was previously told that "ego sum secundus et nullus" was also an option. Is this true, and if so, how does it translate back into english.?
Thanks again,
Karl

Answer
I’m sorry, but the translation you mention does not correspond to “I am second to none"  or "I am second to no one" and then it is not at all an option.

In fact “Ego sum secundus et nullus” would mean :“I am second and none”, i.e. “I am always second  to someone and then  I am none as I am worth a penny”(See below for grammatical analysis).

To sum up, the only one correct translation of “I am second to none"  or "I am second to no one" is: NULLI SECUNDUS which is also the title of a painting by Hans Hofmann, an American painter of German birth emigrated to the U.S.A where he  set up an art school in New York and  died in 1966.

Hope all is clear enough.Feel free however to ask me again.
Best regards,
Maria
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-Ego = I
-sum = am
-secundus (nominative singular masculine) = second
-et = and
-nullus (nominative singular masculine ) = none / no one / nobody, i.e. ‘a person of no importance’/ 'a person who is  worth a penny’.