Expert: Maria - 3/26/2007

Question
Hi Maria! Writing from sunny Sweden. Have a phrase in English that I would like to have translated into Latin. "Never forget". Studied som basic Latin but cannot seem to figure it out. Thanks!

Answer
Hello Sofie,

The negative imperative "Never forget” can be translated as follows into Latin:

1-“Numquam oblitus sis”, if you are addressing to a male person.
If on the contrary you are addressing to a female person, you must say:
"Numquam oblita sis".
Both 'oblitus sis'(masculine) and 'oblita sis' (feminine)are the 2nd.person singular of the perfect subjunctive.
(See below)

2-“Noli umquam oblivisci” (in the 2nd.person singular)
[See below].

Anyway you could use also the antonym “Memento semper” just meaning “Remember always”.
In fact MEMENTO (imperative, 2nd.pers.sing. of MEMINI, I remember) means ‘Remember’ and SEMPER means ‘always’.

Greetings from Italy.
Maria
________________________________________________________
Note that the Latin negative imperative can be formed usually  in two ways:

1-NE , NUMQUAM+ Perfect Subjunctive, when the command is in  the 2nd. person singular and plural.Otherwise we must use  Ne / Numquam + the present subjunctive.

For example “Numquam oblitus/oblita sis” where NUMQUAM means ‘never’ and OBLITUS/OBLITA SIS (2nd. person singular, Perfect Subjunctive of the deponent verb OBLIVISCOR, I forget) means ‘forget’.


2-NOLI (2nd.person singular) / NOLITE (2nd. Person plural ) + the infinitive .
Please note that NOLI /NOLITE are the 2nd.person singular /plural  of the verb NOLO, ‘I do not want’.

For example, “Noli umquam oblivisci” where NOLI is the 2nd.person singular of the imperative from NOLO, and OBLIVISCI is the infinitive of OBLIVISCOR.

As for UMQUAM meaning ‘never’, it cannot have the N (numquam) because NOLO is a negative verb just meaning ‘I do not want’.

Hope this is clear enough. Feel free however to ask me again.