Expert: Maria - 1/29/2010

Question
Hi,

I read you answer to Shan, who asked about the phrase "She flies with her own wings" And I was just curios is "Suis volat alis" meaning exactly the same?

Take care.
Em

Answer
Hello,

It is so: “Suis volat alis” means exactly "She flies with her own wings",  since SUIS corresponds to “her own”, VOLAT  means “she flies” and ALIS corresponds to “with... wings”, just as I wrote in my answer to Shan on 9/29/2004.

I have however to point out that in Latin the possessive SUIS in the  ablative plural of the adjective SUUS agreed with ALIS (ablative plural of ALA, wing) as well as VOLAT can refer either to a male person (he) or to a female person (she).

Therefore, if you want to make clear that both VOLAT and SUIS refer to a female person (she / her),  you should say “Suis illa volat alis”, where there is the feminine pronoun ILLA (she) in the nominative case as a subject of the sentence.

Otherwise, if you want to make clear that both VOLAT and SUIS refer to a male person (he / his ) you should say “Suis ille volat alis”, where there is the masculine pronoun ILLE (he) in the nominative case as a subject of the sentence.

Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:

-She flies= VOLAT ( from the verb VOLO) or ILLA VOLAT). Note that ILLE VOLAT means “he flies”

-with her own = SUIS (ablative of mean in the plural of the possessive SUUS agreed with ALIS)

-wings = ALIS (ablative of mean in the plural of ALA, 1st.declension)