Expert: Maria - 7/6/2008

Question
hi Maria
I was hoping you could translate the latin phrase: In Somnis Veritas (in
dreams there is truth), to ancient greek for me.
I am aware that it sounds like a tatoo thing, but in truth I am writing a
fanfiction, and need the greek phrase for my story.
hope you can help

shaeleigh

Answer
Hello,

The Latin phrase “In somniis veritas “ translates into ancient Greek as follows:

-“En onéirois alétheia” (Latin transliteration)
-“Εν  ονεíροις  ἀλήθεια “ (ancient Greek alphabet).


Note that the Latin transliteration is nothing but the Greek text written in Latin alphabet we use still today.
I don’t know in fact if you can read the letters of the ancient Greek alphabet as the system often does not allow the use of Greek alphabet & diacritic marks.

All the best,
Maria
___________________________________________________
GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS

-En / Εν (preposition which takes the dative case) = in

-onéirois / ονεíροις  (dative plural of ‘oneiros’, 2nd.declension)=dreams

-alétheia / ἀλήθεια (nominative, 1st.declension) = the truth

Note that either in Latin “In somniis veritas” or in ancient Greek the verb is omitted.

Finally the correct Latin sentence is “In somniis veritas”, not “In somnis” (in dreams) as the noun “somnium” (dream) in the ablative plural  is “somniis” with a double “i”.