Expert: Maria - 6/24/2008

Question
is there a latin translation for the phrase "respect must be earned"
Thanks

Answer
Hello,

In Latin you can say as follows:

-“Merenda est reverentia”

or with a different word order  which in Latin can be variable:

-“Reverentia merenda est”.

Both these translations are correct, of course.

Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:

-Respect = REVERENTIA (nominative feminine, 1st.declension)

-must be earned = MERENDA EST ( passive periphrastic of the verb MEREO, I earn)

The passive periphrastic, composed in this context by MERENDA (gerundive in the feminine, nominative singular agreed with REVERENTIA) plus EST (from ESSE, to be), expresses the idea of obligation / necessity  in Latin.
See for example the famous  phrase attributed to Cato the Elder (died in 149 BC), who was bent on destroying Carthago, and then is said to always end his speeches in the Roman  senate  with the phrase “Carthago delenda est”  just meaning “Carthage must be destroyed.”