Expert: Maria - 7/19/2006

Question
Can you help me translate the word "good" and the word "evil" each separate.  From english into latin please.

Thank You
Jessica

Answer
Hello Jessica,

For ‘good’ and “evil” there are three different translations according to three different grammatical roles, i.e. adjective, adverb, noun, and moreover there are different endings of the noun / adjective depending on the term to which ‘good’  or ‘evil’ (noun/ adjective) are related.
Therefore it is impossible to give you a correct Latin translation, if I do not know the phrase where ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are placed.

Anyway, generally speaking, here are three translations for ‘good’/’evil’:
-“good” as an adverb = BENE (e.g. . “se BENE gerere”= to behave WELL).
-“good” as a noun = BONUM ( “Fragile est summum BONUM” = The highest GOOD is fragile).
-“good” as an adjective = BONUS ( “BONI  sunt” = They are  GOOD men).

-“evil” as an adverb = MALE (e.g. “se MALE gerere”= to behave BADLY).
-“evil” as a noun = MALUM ( “MALI sensum ignorat”= he doesn't know the meaning of EVIL.
-“evil” as an adjective = MALUS ( “MALA tempora “= EVIL days).

As you can see, Latin is an inflected language where the words change ending according to their grammatical role.

Best regards,
Maria