Expert: Maria - 6/15/2009

Question
Hi Maria,

I was wondering if there is a verb form of the Latin noun desiderium, for regret.


I would like to title a piano piece "I regret nothing" in Latin, or in the imperative, "Regret Nothing", (or even just something similar in meaning),  but I was terrible in Latin and it was a long time ago, so I don't know how to say it correctly.

Would "Sentio desiderium nullus" be right for "I feel no regret"?

Thanks for your time!

Amy


(PS I previously posted this in the wrong category. I am sorry, I had been reading your Latin forum but got sidetracked reading a some of your interesting Italian translations. I forgot to go back to the Latin  link to ask this question. Apologies for wasting your time there!)

Answer
Hello Amy,

The Latin noun for “regret” is “desiderium” if “regret” means  “feeling of loss”/”regret for what is absent”, while if “regret” means “repentance  for something“,  the Latin noun  is  “paenitentia” .

As for the verb form for “desiderium” in the sense I’ve just said, i.e. “feeling of loss”/”regret for what is absent”, Latin uses the verb “desidero”(I regret), while in the meaning of “repentance”  Latin uses the impersonal verb  “ me paenitet” (I  feel repentant / I repent  of something /I regret).


So, if you want to say “I regret nothing”  or “Regret nothing” in the sense that you repent of nothing, you must translate the above phrases as follows:

-“Nihil me paenitet” (I regret nothing)
-“Nihil te paeniteat!” (Regret nothing)

If on the contrary you want to say “I regret nothing”  or “Regret nothing” in the sense that you don’t  regret a lost opportunity or  don’t  feel regret for anything, you have to say as follows:

-“Nihil desidero” (I regret nothing)
-“Ne quicquam  desideraveris!” or “Noli quicquam desiderare!” (Regret nothing)

Finally “Sentio desiderium nullus” is incorrect as you should have written “Nullum sentio desiderium” with a different word order and especially with NULLUM in the accusative neuter agreed with DESIDERIUM which is a neuter noun in the accusative case.

Anyway the correct sentence ”Nullum sentio desiderium” (I regret nothing)  means that you  regret nothing in the sense that you don’t  regret a lost opportunity or  don’t  feel regret for anything, NOT in the meaning that you don’t  repent of anything which would be “Nullam sentio paenitentiam”.
See below for grammatical analysis.

Hope I made myself understood. Feel free however to ask me again.

With regard to your Post Scriptum, no problem at all, though I had to invite you to post your question in the appropriate category.

All the best,
Maria
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Note that:

-I regret = ME PAENITET  / DESIDERO. The impersonal verb PAENITET takes the accusative of the person, i.e. ME (accusative of EGO meaning  “I”)

-nothing =NIHIL (accusative neuter singular)


-Regret (imperative, 2nd.person singular)  = TE PAENITEAT (this impersonal verb don’t have the imperative and then uses the hortatory subjunctive)/ NE ... DESIDERAVERIS or NOLI...DESIDERARE (negative imperative)

-nothing = NIHIL /QUICQUAM (accusative neuter of the pronoun QUISQUAM). Note that QUICQUAM is equivalent to "anything" in a negative phrase.