Expert: Maria - 1/24/2008

Question
Hello,

Could you possibly tell me how the following phrase would be translated into latin.
Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you will die today.

Thank you

Michelle

Answer
Hello,

Here’s the translation of “Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you will die today”:

-“Magna specta tamquam semper victurus, vive tamquam hodie moriturus”, if the pronoun ‘you’ is related to a male person.

-“Magna specta tamquam semper  victura, vive tamquam hodie moritura”, if the pronoun ‘you’ is related to a female person.

Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:
-Dream= MAGNA SPECTA [literally meaning “have great aspirations” as MAGNA(accusative neuter pural) is ‘great aspirations’ and SPECTA (2nd.person singular, imperative of SPECTO) is ‘have’]. In Latin in fact the verb ‘somniare’ (to dream) is related only to a dream in sleep, not  to the idea of having  a deep, great aspiration, as you mean when you use “Dream”.

-as if = TAMQUAM  

-you will live = VICTURUS (nominative masculine, future participle of VIVO, I live)/ VICTURA (nominative feminine)
 
-forever= SEMPER

-Live = VIVE (2nd.person singular, present imperative of VIVO, I live)

-as if =TAMQUAM  

-you will die=MORITURUS (nominative masculine, future participle of MORIOR, I die)/ MORITURA(nominative feminine)

-today = HODIE