Expert: Maria - 10/29/2011

Question
Hello, I was wondering what never give up is in Ancient Greek and Latin. Could you answer this for me?

Answer
Hello,

Here’s the Ancient Greek and Latin translation for “Never give up”.

ANCIENT GREEK:

1- Μήποτε  ὕπεικε (transliterated as "Mépote úpeike"), if this command is addressed to only one person ( ancient Greek imperative in the 2nd.person singular).

2- Μήποτε  ὑπείκετε (transliterated as  "Mépote upéikete"), if this command is addressed to many persons ( ancient Greek  imperative in the 2nd.person plural).

LATIN:

1-“Noli umquam cedere” or “Numquam cede”, if this command is addressed to only one person ( Latin  imperative in the 2nd.person singular).

2-“Nolite umquam cedere” or “Numquam cedite”, if this command is addressed to many persons( Latin imperative in the 2nd.person plural).

Note that, while in English the command “Never give up” can be addressed to either  only one person (2nd.person singular) or to many persons (2nd.person plural), as the imperative  “give up” does not change ending, in ancient Greek and Latin the imperative has different endings, if it is related to many persons (2nd.person plural) or to only one person (2nd.person singular).

See below for grammatical analysis.

Best regards,
Maria

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Please note that in Ancient Greek:

-Never = Μήποτε (adverb transliterated as “mépote”)  

-give up = ὕπεικε (transliterated as  “upeike”. 2nd. person singular, present  imperative active of the verb ὑπείκω, I give up) or  ὑπείκετε “ (transliterated as  “ upéikete", 2nd.person plural present  imperative active of the verb ὑπείκω).


As for Latin, note that:

-Never = NUMQUAM or UMQUAM with the negative verb  NOLI / NOLITE as  two negatives  in Latin destroy each other and are equivalent to an affirmative, and thus  the negative adverb NUMQUAM (never) becomes UMQUAM, as there is the negative imperative NOLI /NOLITE.

-give up = NOLI (2nd.person singular, imperative of the verb  NOLO, "I do not want" ) or NOLITE (2nd.person  plural) + CEDERE (infinitive of the verb CEDO, "I give up") or simply CEDE (2nd.person singular, imperative of CEDO) / CEDITE (2nd.person plural).

Note that NUMQUAM  CEDE / NUMQUAM CEDITE  are an  adaptation of a Virgil’s line which reads: ”Tu ne cede “ (Aeneid, book VI, line 95) just meaning “Do not give up”.