Expert: Maria - 10/10/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi Maria, Please could you help me and give me the latin translation for "Everything happens for a reason"
thank you

ANSWER: Hello,

If you want a literal translation of “Everything happens for a reason”, here it is:

“Quadam de causa omnia eveniunt”.

Anyway the best translation into Latin for "Everything happens for a reason” is the following  quotation from Cicero, ‘De Natura Deorum’ [On the Nature of the Gods], Book I, chapter 33, paragraph 92:

“Nihil sine causa“   

This phrase, meaning literally “Nothing without a reason” , corresponds in fact to “Everything happens for a reason”.


Best,
Maria
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Grammatical analysis:

-Everything = OMNIA (lit.'all things'. Nominative neuter plural of OMNIS)

-happens = EVENIUNT (from EVENIRE, to happen)

-for = DE (preposition which takes the ablative)

-a = QUADAM (ablative feminine agreed with CAUSA)

-reason = CAUSA (ablative)

As for “Nihil sine causa” note that:

-NIHIL = ‘nothing'

-SINE (preposition which takes the ablative)  = ‘without'

-CAUSA (ablative) = a reason.
In this Latin phrase  the verb ‘evenit'(happens) is understood, because it is not necessary to the comprehension.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much Maria! I now you must be very busy but if you could help me once more. its my brother's 21st birthday and I need a short quote or phrase in latin that I can use for engraving, any suggestions? Is there a single latin word for 'big brother'?

Answer
Hi Colin,

The two phrases I can suggest for your brother's 21st birthday are the following:

-“Ave, frater  mi carissime!” meaning “Hello, my dearest brother!”.

-"Die natali gaude, frater!“ meaning  "Happy birthday, my brother!".

As for "big brother", there is no single Latin word for this.

Have a nice day,
Maria