| Subject | Date Asked |
|
| Use of Gerund | 11/19/2009 |
Q: Michael, First of all a big thank-you for all your work as a expert - what an amazing track record! ...
A: "Idoneus" admits of several constructions in Classical Latin. The "qui" clause of characteristic ...
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| Tattoo | 11/4/2009 |
Q: I am joining the military quite soon and i have just had a son. i am getting a tattoo of his hand ...
A: Sorry, I can't get involved with contributing to the dangerous practice of tattooing, which involves ...
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| First Declension | 11/1/2009 |
Q: Could you help me with the declension of the name Antiochia in the following sentence: (in general, ...
A: It is a normal feminine-gender noun of the first declension. If you look it up in a Latin ...
|
| Tattoo | 10/12/2009 |
Q: I have recently had my grandparents in the UK pass away and I didn't get the chance to say goodbye, ...
A: Sorry, I can't get involved with contributing to the dangerous practice of tattooing, which involves ...
|
| Past-tense Endings | 10/9/2009 |
Q: Could you please give me the past tense verbs and pronouns of the following short sentences, as a ...
A: Latin does not typically use pronouns for the subject of verbs unless there is some special reason ...
|
| John Chapter 21 (Vulgate) | 10/1/2009 |
Q: My questions are both linguistic and theological. Perhaps one of the most moving passages of the ...
A: There is a difference. Diligo here represents the Greek agapao; amo represents the Greek phileo. ...
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| Post Hoc | 9/27/2009 |
Q: I am writing a book, and within it I define a few principles for living an honorable life. These ...
A: "Post hoc ergo propter hoc," After this, therefore because of this, is the Latin expression for a ...
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| How to Get Proficiency in Reading Latin | 9/12/2009 |
Q: I am an amateur Latinist. I have been studying the Latin language (and I enjoy it) for about three ...
A: Like everything, practice makes perfect. You need to read as much as you can to become proficient. ...
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| Definition of Personal Responsibility | 9/8/2009 |
Q: What is the Latin word for the English word "responsibility" (as in the meaning of a personal ...
A: Putting oneself in the Roman mindset, the most appropriate expression of that concept would be ...
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| Word Order | 8/19/2009 |
Q: When it comes to the phrase: "All things for all people"...Is the correct word order "omnia omnibus" ...
A: In Latin, word order is used more often for emphasis, style, rhythm, etc., than for syntactical ...
|
| Grammar | 8/2/2009 |
Q: Could you please help me with the following two questions: (All sentences are from Bradley's Arnold ...
A: 1) Bradley may be using this sentence as an an example of a possessive dative with "sunt," but one ...
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| Bradley's Arnold | 7/19/2009 |
Q: Could you please help me with the following two questions: (1)"qua erat animi benignitate, omnibus ...
A: 1) Literally, "of what kindness of spirit he was, he gave pardon to all." That is very awkward in ...
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| Club Mottos | 7/1/2009 |
Q: This is for my hiking patches... what is the translation in latin for this motto "No Boundaries".. ...
A: Sorry, I mistyped. It would be "Nulli sint fines!" But you can leave out the "sint." Answer: You ...
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| Cicero De Oratore | 6/24/2009 |
Q: I wonder whether you can help me with the following two short questions (I put the whole Latin ...
A: (1) That is correct. The "is" is recapitulatory, to add the final descriptive clause. The subject ...
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| Perfect Passive Infinitive | 6/20/2009 |
Q: Could you please help me with the following1. Latin: Allatum est praedatores, dum latius vagantur, ...
A: The form, if supplied, would not be "sunt," but rather "esse," as "interceptos" is a perfect passive ...
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| Josue 1:15 | 6/15/2009 |
Q: I was trying to translate a part of the Bible verse Joshua 1:5, into Latin. The latter half in ...
A: Yes, that is St. Jerome's Vulgate Latin rendition of that passage. No pronoun is necessary as the ...
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| Word Order | 5/28/2009 |
Q: Michael, I was wondering what the Latin translation was for "Above all things, Freedom". I know ...
A: In Latin, word order is more flexible than in English because Latin is an inflected language (shows ...
|
| Ave regina caelorum | 5/17/2009 |
Q: i have found this prayer and i love it. i say it everyday but i dont know exactly what is means. i ...
A: It is a quite famous Gregorian hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary: Hail, queen of the heaven, Hail, ...
|
| Coin | 5/10/2009 |
Q: I found this Latin on a coin, military I think. I found several translations of individual words but ...
A: The first phrase is probably: Ad utrumque paratus - Prepared for both. Decepti - Caught. Veritas ...
|
| Seneca | 4/26/2009 |
Q: Could you please help me with the following two questions: (1) Non vitae, sed scholae, discimus. ...
A: 1) Literally: We study not for life, but for school. Of course, Seneca here is speaking ...
|
| meaning of words | 4/21/2009 |
Q: Could you help me with the following two questions: (1) Nympha Echo Narcissum diu amaverat, sed ...
A: 1) "Alterius" can be rendered "of the other," that is, Narcissus. Echo could not speak any word of ...
|
| Satanae | 4/11/2009 |
Q: In the bible, the phrase "synagoga Satanae" is used and this is one of very few instances where the ...
A: It appears that in the Latin Vulgate Old Testament, the indeclinable "Satan" is used. In the New ...
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| Wheelock's Text | 4/5/2009 |
Q: I have started to do the exercises from his book, "Latin, An Introductory Course Based on Ancient ...
A: Yes, the last edition of the book, the Sixth Revised Edition (2005), includes a new section entitled ...
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| Latin Fluency | 2/13/2009 |
Q: Patricius Michaelo salutem dat plurimam, potesne quaestionem resolvere? Sed vernacula Anglico ...
A: Latin is no different from any other language in this regard. Your teacher is right about that. ...
|
| English Hymn into Latin | 1/15/2009 |
Q: I'm Ra, a Divinity student. I'm only beginning to study Latin, so I'm not sure whether my rendering ...
A: There are a few errors. These are corrected below (I am assuming that this is not a homework ...
|
| Latin Pronunciation | 1/11/2009 |
Q: my question today is how to pronounce a few phrases. the first is "Mi gladius, fiat iustitia et ...
A: Pronunciations given are classical academic, broadly representing the period around the turn of B.C. ...
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| Superciliaris | 1/10/2009 |
Q: Can you tell me the grammatical difference between superciliaris, superciliosus and superciliosa. ...
A: "Superciliaris" and "superciliosus" are both masculine singular nominatives of the respective ...
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| Latin Pronunciation | 12/21/2008 |
Q: hey! can you please explain to me how you would pronounce these phases: "Omnibus locis fit caedes" ...
A: The first translation is okay. The Latin would be pronounced (in the academic classical ...
|
| Declension | 12/12/2008 |
Q: My question is: how can I know what declension the latin word is? Can I see it in word itself or is ...
A: Dictionaries give the nominative and genitive and the gender for each noun listed. From the ...
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| Cases in Latin | 12/1/2008 |
Q: I am in Latin one and have been out due to appendicitis for about two weeks. I'm just starting to ...
A: This topic is complicated, and your teacher will obviously have to explain to you the details, but ...
|
| Biblical Quotation | 11/27/2008 |
Q: Good evening sir, I've tried other sites to translate "I am what I am" from English to Latin and was ...
A: The phrase, from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 15:10, is rendered by St. Jerome in the ...
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| Constructions with Volo | 11/5/2008 |
Q: I recently read a few lines from one of Plautus' comedies, which included the well known pun on ...
A: In classical Latin "volo" takes several different constructions: (1) accusative and infinitive, (2) ...
|
| Latin Exercise | 10/28/2008 |
Q: I am trying to learn latin the old fashioned way (books) but I have no one to check and make sure I ...
A: Close. Try: "Est nunquam molestum lupo quot oves exsistant." The indirect question "quot oves ...
|
| Latin Pronunciation | 10/22/2008 |
Q: When I took Latin in high school my teacher told us to pronounce the Latin "v" as a "w", apparently ...
A: There are a number of pronunciation systems for Latin. The one commonly used in schools, known as ...
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| Adjective Endings in Comparatives | 10/21/2008 |
Q: Why do comparative adjectives have the e for ablative singular endings rather than the i which is ...
A: Actually, both "i" and "e" are found in the ablative singular of comparatives, as they are in many ...
|
| History | 10/5/2008 |
Q: WHAT IS THE OLD LATIN OR CLASSICAL LATIN WORD FOR HISTORY?
A: In classical Latin, the word "historia" can mean *a* history, that is an account of some event, an ...
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| Use of the Present/Perfect Tenses | 10/1/2008 |
Q: The French use the present tense to express an action for which the English language uses the ...
A: The French construction is directly analogous to the Latin, from which it derives. For the perfect ...
|
| Translation English - Latin | 9/17/2008 |
Q: My father has passed away and I was wondering whether there was anything in the Latin language that ...
A: If you are looking for an epigrammatic phrase, as for a headstone inscription, perhaps Cicero's ...
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| Marks above Words in Latin | 9/2/2008 |
Q: I have a question about those marks above words in Latin. (The lines above some letters in the ...
A: The macron, or long mark, indicates that the vowel above which it stands is long in quantity. All ...
|
| Roman Dates in Time of Augustus | 8/26/2008 |
Q: how were dates expressed in latin at the time of augustus I mean how would it be writting out?
A: Dates, according to the Roman Calendar, are reckoned as follows:-- The first day of the month was ...
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| What are the cases? | 8/21/2008 |
Q: Hey I'm Amber I'm in my Schools Latin class, and my teacher is always so busy i can't ask him for ...
A: Cases are inflexions, or variations in the endings of words, that are used to show the relationship ...
|
| Beauty | 8/18/2008 |
Q: I've been working on writing some latin for a project and i think i've got most of it right. ...
A: That will work. "Pulchritudo" ends in "o" because it is a feminine singular noun of the third ...
|
| Latin Names of Fungi | 8/3/2008 |
Q: Good afternoon! I would like to ask you to answer my question regarding some special examples of ...
A: Yes, that is correct. The "-i" ending often denotes the genitive, or possessive, case. Two "i"'s ...
|
| Black | 7/17/2008 |
Q: Greetings Michael. I know you do not perform translations, but I hope you can possibly assist me? I ...
A: You seem to be translating word by word from a dictionary, but that doesn't work. If you think ...
|
| Pronunciation of "s" in Church Music | 6/28/2008 |
Q: i teach diction courses in the music school at northwestern university in evanston, illinois ... in ...
A: A good source for questions of this kind is Robert S. Hines' "Singers Manual of Latin: Diction and ...
|
| Uva | 6/17/2008 |
Q: I believe I copied this correctly. I do not know the language. UVA UVAM VIDENDOU VARIA FIT. I ...
A: UVA UVAM VIDENDO VARIA FIT. A grape by seeing a grape becomes varied [in color]. The sense is that ...
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| Italian Is just Vulgar Latin | 6/14/2008 |
Q: Why did Latin die and Italian take over as the main language of Italy? Regards Sergio
A: First of all, Latin never died. It remains as a living language to this day. Nor did Italian "take ...
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| Oregon Motto | 6/4/2008 |
Q: I have several questions regarding the phrase "Alis volat propiis," interestingly the state motto of ...
A: These mottoes tend to be quite pithy, and including a feminine pronoun subject such as "illa" would ...
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| Latin Prayer | 5/22/2008 |
Q: I have come across seven different translations of the Fatima prayer: O my Jesus, forgive us our ...
A: For such matters we refer you to the Traditio.com site, the earliest and most authoritative such ...
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| "Ad Caelos" in the Apostles Creed | 5/16/2008 |
Q: how are you? May I ask you something about the Apostles Creed in Latin? It goes " Credo in ...
A: "Caelum" as a neuter second-declension noun is the most common classical form. However, there is an ...
|
| Placement of "Est | 3/24/2008 |
Q: I was hoping you could help me clear up a question I have...it's not technically a "translation" ...
A: Actually, the Biblical phrase, from St. Jerome's Vulgate, is "Deus caritas est. "Caritas" rather ...
|
| Latin Pronunciation | 3/6/2008 |
Q: How to correctly pronounce the ending of words like meditatio; oratio; comtemplatio
A: In the pronunciation system known as "Classical," which is the one generally used in secular schools ...
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| Military Unit Crest with Latin | 3/3/2008 |
Q: 'Undique Venimus' These are the words included on the US Army unit crest: 2nd Battalion, 71st Air ...
A: That is what it means. "Venimus" can be either present ("we come") or past ("we came") tense. The ...
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| Grammar | 2/29/2008 |
Q: I know that you don't do translations but I think this question is more about grammar and ...
A: The second person singular imperative is Vive, the plural is Vivite, so the three English phrases ...
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| Justice | 2/24/2008 |
Q: I took latin several years ago and now I'm an trying to brush up on my skills alone. I am curious ...
A: Justitia (sometimes spelled justicia in later Latin) denotes a generic concept of justice. Aequitas ...
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| Si Clauses Tense Use | 2/22/2008 |
Q: When translating from English to Latin, how do I know if I should the future or future perfect tense ...
A: If the time of the action in the protasis (condition) occurs (is perfected) before the action in the ...
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| Use of the Infinitive | 2/21/2008 |
Q: The lion in Erasmus' dialogue says, after the bear tells him of some errors in the pronunciation of ...
A: You have the meaning. The infinitive is not being use adverbially, but in apposition to "rem." ...
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| Time Expressed in Latin | 1/30/2008 |
Q: Good Day Michael, How would the Romans express time, give that they didn't have wristwatches. But ...
A: In classical Rome, the period between sunrise and sunset was divided into twelve equal parts called ...
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| Dative Case | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I had a sentence to translate in Latin class that was "We carried much grain to our friends." I ...
A: In Latin the dative is not used in prose to indicate place to which. In Latin that is indicated by ...
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| Intercession | 1/3/2008 |
Q: 1. What is the Latin word for intercession? 2. The meaning of the Latinwwdml word intercession
A: In classical Latin, "intercessio" has a legal meaning, deriving from its components "inter" ...
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| Subjunctive Mood | 12/21/2007 |
Q: I know that this is sort of a vague question- but could you provide me a description of the ...
A: Whereas the indicative is the mood of what is real and factual, the subjunctive is the mood of the ...
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| Imperatives | 12/11/2007 |
Q: I have some questions concerning Latin imperatives. I would first like to know how common it is to ...
A: 1) Passive imperatives are regularly used if the sense calls for it -- which is not nearly as often ...
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| Ovid's Metamorphoses | 11/19/2007 |
Q: I'm having trouble parsing Metamorphoses IV.154-157 (Pyramus and Thisbe), in particular the word ...
A: It is a bit strange to be sure. The nominative (meus) for the vocative (mi) in classical poetry is ...
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| Vergil | 11/8/2007 |
Q: Taylor
A: The Roman epic poet Vergil [I.195] expressed exactly that thought in Book I of the Aeneid, when he ...
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| Vergil | 10/25/2007 |
Q: I was thinking of using a phrase from the aenied book VI as a motto line 95 in particular Tu ne cede ...
A: Many editions would place a comman after "malis." Punctuation was not used originally and is ...
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| Great Seal of the United States | 8/15/2007 |
Q: please translate...is from the usa dollar bill "annuit coeptis" "novus ordo seclorum" thank you, ...
A: The reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, found on the reverse of the dollar bill, has two ...
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| Pronunciation of "g" | 7/26/2007 |
Q: I conduct a choir in Brazil, and I'm in doubt about the spelling of the "ge" phoneme in certains ...
A: By "spelling," I assume that you mean "pronunciation." In the Italianate pronunciation, which is ...
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| Will | 6/27/2007 |
Q: I would like to know the translation for "Will" in Latin. Many thank´s! / Christopher
A: As English is a relatively imprecise language, the word "will" can mean several different things, or ...
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| Tombstone | 6/17/2007 |
Q: My family has a long history going back from the early colonies of America back to the Scottish ...
A: It means: "Here lies the body of Angustius, the son of Lord Angus[i]us of Lla." That last is ...
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| “neve … neve” | 3/16/2007 |
Q: Sorry, an encoding problem: I tried to write long E and it seems to have come out like C cedilla. ...
A: "Neque ... neque" is used in situations were a "non" is used (generally with the indicative mood). ...
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| Virtues | 1/22/2007 |
Q: I am interested in translating Dante's 7 virtues into Latin. They are: Prudence Justice Temperance ...
A: They are: prudentia, iustitia, temperantia, fortitudo, fides, spes, caritas. "Peace" is "pax." ...
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| Strength of Will | 12/20/2006 |
Q: I'm trying to translate a phrase into latin but I keep getting different answers from different ...
A: You would likely get different renders of that though, as translations are always deficient, because ...
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| Spelling of Latin | 11/22/2006 |
Q: I would like to know about the way spelling rules of Latin were fixed in classical times. In the ...
A: There are other sources for this sort of thing than only later manuscripts. For example, there are ...
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| Heart | 10/12/2006 |
Q: Im trying to translate 'follow your heart' into classical latin. I have been given various ...
A: No, that makes no grammatical sense in Latin. You could render that: "Sequere cor tuum." ...
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| Endurance | 10/11/2006 |
Q: endurance into latin
A: In its usual English significance, one could render that thought by "perseverantia." ...
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| Protected | 10/7/2006 |
Q: please can you translate the two phrases "always loved" and "forever protected" regards robbie
A: You could render those concepts as: "Semper amatus" (of a female beloved: "amata") and "In ...
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| Novus Ordo | 10/5/2006 |
Q: Do you think the one dollor bill is trying to tell us something? I do but I just can't figure it ...
A: No, the two are separate phrases and do not go together. ANNUIT COEPTIS. He favors (our) ...
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| Live Today | 10/1/2006 |
Q: . . can you tell me what the latin is for Live for today as tomorrow is never promised i have ...
A: You could render that thought: "Hodie vive, crastinus enim dies tibi non detur." ...
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| Anytime | 9/29/2006 |
Q: The F-14 Tomcat's motto is "Anytime, Baby". Can you provide a Latin translation for that motto. ...
A: You could render that thought by "Aliquando, dilecta." ...
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| Saying For Class | 9/28/2006 |
Q: I am a student-teacher at an elementary school in my area and we have been encouraged to add our own ...
A: The Roman poet Horace's (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) well-known phrase, "Carpe diem" (seize or, ...
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| Strong | 9/27/2006 |
Q: I'm looking for a phrase that helps to convey "Strength in heart" or strength in love... I've heard ...
A: Perhaps the phrase that you are trying to recall is "fortes in fide," which means "strong in heart" ...
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| No Regrets | 9/25/2006 |
Q: How do you translate "No Regrets" into Latin?
A: You could render that thought: "Me non paenitet." ...
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| Latin Vulgate Bible | 9/24/2006 |
Q: I'm not sure if I am breaking the "no personal translation projects/tattoos" rule, but I was trying ...
A: That is the traditional (Sixto-Clementine) Vulgate version, except that it lacks punctuation. The ...
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| Believe in Yourself | 9/23/2006 |
Q: I am trying to get an accurate translation and pronounciantion for the affirmation "Believe in ...
A: "Credo" with this meaning in classical Latin takes the dative rather than the accusative. Although ...
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| Dare to Dream | 9/22/2006 |
Q: I'm putting the finishing touches to a documentary on Iroman Triathlons in Australia. I felt I need ...
A: That thought could be represented in Latin by "Aude concipere." ...
|
| Plague | 9/21/2006 |
Q: Is there any way someone could translate the following title into Latin: The Day The Plague Was ...
A: You could render that: "Illo die quo pestis serebatur." ...
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| Strength | 9/20/2006 |
Q: i was wondering if you could translate "find strength in your moments of weakness"
A: You could render that: "Virtutem in temporibus infirmitatis inveni." ...
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| In Death | 9/19/2006 |
Q: For the phrase "In death may our souls be together", would "in mortis enim nostri anima absum arto" ...
A: No, that makes no sense in Latin. If you want to keep as closely to that locuation as possible, you ...
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| Revelation | 9/17/2006 |
Q: Please can you tell me the Latin word for Revelation, as in the Book of Revelation from the Bible, ...
A: The Latin word "revelatio" is pronounced, in Church Latin, revel-AH-tsee-oh. However, this is not ...
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| Bias and Interference | 9/16/2006 |
Q: How do you say in Latin "Free from interference. Free from bias."?
A: You could render that thought: "Liber intercessione, liber inclinatione." ...
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| Unity | 9/14/2006 |
Q: How do you say Unity and Brotherhood in Latin?
A: You could render that thought: "Concordia et sodalitas." ...
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| Fate | 9/9/2006 |
Q: Hey michael, Im after the translation for "fate is the essence of life", im just checking my ...
A: "Fato" should be "Fatum," as subject in the nominative case. "Essentia" is a Late Latin word, but ...
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| Wedding | 9/6/2006 |
Q: If K is feminine and M is masculine would that change anything? ThanksHi there, I'm a Roman ...
A: Letters of the alphabet do not have any inflexional endings for gender. That is why I suggested the ...
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| Fate | 8/30/2006 |
Q: Hey im tryig to find a latin tutor. My tutor says that this is how you say 'fate is in no ones ...
A: You have Latin and English mixed in your sentence. You could render that thought: "Fortuna est in ...
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| Dilemma | 8/29/2006 |
Q: What is the latin word for "Dilemma"?
A: In the usual English meaning of the Greek word, you could use "confusio." ...
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| Song Lyrics | 8/28/2006 |
Q: I am a songwriter and wish to title a song "The Sea of Peace". I thought the translation was "Mare ...
A: There are several difficulties here. "Mare" is neuter, the ablative case is inappropriate, and ...
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| Two Hearts | 8/11/2006 |
Q: I'm currently doing a history paper, homework subject is to come up with a unique phrase in an ...
A: You could render that: "Dua corda, amor una, semper." The rendition above won't work. It has ...
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| Latin Imperative | 8/5/2006 |
Q: I have two questions for you. One might be too tedious or annoying to answer and the other might be ...
A: The command form, or imperative, in Latin is the root of the present system (drop "-re" from the ...
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| Vatican Hill | 8/4/2006 |
Q: First of all how are u doing. I was wondering the latin translation of the word VATICAN. I don't ...
A: That would be "Vaticanus." The Vatican Hill, or Collis Vaticanus, the area between the Janiculum ...
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| Latin Phrases | 7/24/2006 |
Q: I was hoping that you could help me with the translations of some phrases. The online translators ...
A: Those online "translators" are worthless. They're bad enough for the Romance languages, but when it ...
|
| Word Order | 7/4/2006 |
Q: In latin, do you place the adjective before the noun or is it the other way around.
A: Because Latin is a highly inflected language, that is, the endings of words carry much of the ...
|
| Roman Numerals | 6/20/2006 |
Q: Sir, I was wondering if you could translate the date (20 May 2006) into Roman numerals for a ...
A: The full modern form would be: Die XXa mensis Maii anni MMVI (on the 20th day of the month of ...
|
| Inter vs. Intra | 6/18/2006 |
Q: I would really like some help with a text I am trying to understand. My Latin is very, very basic. ...
A: "Inter" denotes "among" or "between," so "between boys" or "among the boys" is a reasonable meaning. ...
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| latin translation | 5/27/2006 |
Q: i saw this on a flyer for a service and i want to know if it is a correct translation Et si ...
A: The transcription is a bit inaccurate. The Vulgate version of the fourth verse of Psalm 22 (Dominus ...
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| Permissum vestri complector rector vos | 5/18/2006 |
Q: I'll bet you've gotten a number of these requests from, alas, fans of the TV show "Lost." But could ...
A: No, yours is the first. That sentence is not real Latin, neither in the words nor the syntax. It ...
|
| general phrases... | 4/27/2006 |
Q: I am learning latin for a while already and i was wondering how you put together simple, now-a-day, ...
A: Certainly you can use Latin for conversational purposes. After all, it has been used for 2500 years ...
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| latin phrase | 3/23/2006 |
Q: Please can you advise on the translation of 'fortes furtuna adiuvat' into English for me. Can you ...
A: You must mean: "Fortes fortuna adiuvat," literally, Fortune helps brave men. "Fortes" is masculine ...
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| cicero, de senectute | 3/22/2006 |
Q: Morrison, Someone wrote me a letter which contained a piece of cicero's the senectute but I am not ...
A: Ah, Cicero, all too many lack his practical Roman wisdom these days. The "De Senectute" (On Old ...
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| Latin translation | 3/4/2006 |
Q: I have a Latin text used by the Austrian composer, Michael Haydn entitled "Gradual" and composed in ...
A: This is used in the Common Mass and Office for a Confessor Pontiff. It is based loosely upon ...
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| strength and honour - followup | 1/22/2006 |
Q: I appreciate your prompt reply. The question was a latin form for 'Strength and Honour'for which ...
A: "Vires" is a plural form, which has the meaning "strength," and is the most common word in Latin ...
|
| Translation | 1/14/2006 |
Q: Hmmm...well I am definitely taking your word for it given your credentials...I looked up crow/ raven ...
A: You are apparently confusing a Latinized version of the Greek word for crow, "korax," but that word ...
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| Translation | 1/13/2006 |
Q: I have a couple questions. I know 'Corvx' means crow in Latin but I was wondering how you would ...
A: There seems to be a transcriptional error here. The Latin word for "crow" is "corvus." Assuming ...
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| help with translation please. | 1/4/2006 |
Q: I am currently teaching myself latin at home, and am reading (or trying to read) Caesar. However, as ...
A: "Quot spectatores heri in theatro fuistis?" "How many spectators were you yesterday in the theatre?" ...
|
| quick question | 12/19/2005 |
Q: What would be the feminine equivalent of "Ecce Homo" ? Many thanks!
A: In Latin, "homo" (which is etymologically unrelated to the combining form "homo-", which comes from ...
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| Translate bible quote | 12/9/2005 |
Q: Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes with the morning. Could you please translate this ...
A: In St. Jerome's Vulgate, it is: "Ad vesperum demorabitur fletus et ad matutinum laetitia," ...
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| Translation verification and beginner text suggestions... | 11/16/2005 |
Q: Mr. Morrison: First off, kudos to you in your PhD studies in Latin. I'm definitely jealous ...
A: 1) "In termino" is fine. "Incipit" and "incohat" are synonymous. "Init" would require a different ...
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| Making it up.... | 10/4/2005 |
Q: Sir, I was hoping get the Latin phrase for the term: 'Making it up as we go along' or 'We make it ...
A: Yes, "ad hoc" gets the sense. It indicates that something is done "for this (purpose)." For an ...
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| Translate to latin, 2 words. | 10/3/2005 |
Q: I have read on a sword the phrase, Leofric me fec I was told that this means, Leofric made me. ...
A: Whoever told you that was correct. That is what it means. This is a common inscription on goods ...
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| meaning of a phrase | 9/17/2005 |
Q: What is the meaning of this phrase in English: terminus post quem ? and what is the meaning of this ...
A: The "terminus post quem" is the "boundary after which" something takes place. For example: "The ...
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| eia and o | 9/8/2005 |
Q: I was reading a poem in French and the poems used "eia" and "o", not knowing what eia was I searched ...
A: "O" is typically used with the vocative (case of direct address), with a person being addressed: "O ...
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| Latin phrase | 9/6/2005 |
Q: While I understand that this is not a spot for "personal translation", I wonder if you could help ...
A: ILLEGITIMIS NIL CARBORUNDUM. Don't let the bastards grind you down. From the mediaeval jingle, ...
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| He and She | 8/25/2005 |
Q: Is there a common form of telling he or she in English instead of writing he/she is there a word ...
A: "He/she" is not stylistic English. It is awkward and unnecessary. Traditionally -- and this ...
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| Latin motto | 8/19/2005 |
Q: What is the source and meaning of the motto "Uva uvam vivendo varia fit" ? This motto was used by ...
A: UVA UVAM VIDENDO VARIA FIT. A grape by seeing a grape becomes varied [in color]. The sense is ...
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| Benedictus and/or Benedictum? | 8/10/2005 |
Q: I notice that the new Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is referred to in Latin as both Benedictus and ...
A: Latin is an inflected language; that is, the endings of the words denote the syntactical ...
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| Bea ti in xto | 7/3/2005 |
Q: I understand the beati as 'blessed' but what is 'inxto' or 'in xto'? The motto appears on a ...
A: The phrase is "Beati in Christo" [Blessed in Christ]. "Xto" is an abbreviation for "Christo," with ...
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| Translation: Latin to English / English to Latin | 6/23/2005 |
Q: M. Morrison, I previously sought your advise on a phase that I was attempting to determine the ...
A: That question was already answered yesterday. Apparently, AllExperts did not forward the answer to ...
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| cambridge latin course question. | 6/21/2005 |
Q: I am studying the clc at home, and i'm just stuck with something. As part of an exercise, i have to ...
A: Well, you got all of the rest of the sentence, which was more difficult! Actually, it should be ...
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| latin translation | 5/15/2005 |
Q: but i do have one more question for you...i was also given the translation, "sola stare", would this ...
A: No, it wouldn't. "Sola" would not be grammatical, and use of the infinitive introduces additional ...
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| website menu in latin | 5/13/2005 |
Q: I decided to have the site menu of my website in latin, so I tried to translate the following ...
A: You're right; it's not correct. Dictionaries give you only words (and you have to know their ...
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| Translation needed please | 4/21/2005 |
Q: i have a very old medal that has come into my possesion and on the front of it it says "nunquam non ...
A: It means "Never not new." These mottoes are difficult to fathom without some context, and even then ...
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| Latin annotation | 3/30/2005 |
Q: "Quae de hac questione...possunt" This sentence , as it is, was written in the margin of a copy of ...
A: With a such a small fragment, it is impossible to know the context, but it is likely that "quae" is ...
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| schools... | 3/19/2005 |
Q: Do you know of any schools in the Chicago area that teach Latin as a spoken language?
A: No, I don't. The University of Louisville sponsors several spoken Latin courses. Then there are ...
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| Latin (?) spelling help | 3/12/2005 |
Q: In court the judge asked the attorney for a (phonetic) "pray see" of the case -- as in, give me a ...
A: The word is not Latin, but French, although the root is Latin. The pronunciation you gave is ...
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| if you were e.g. a junior... | 2/24/2005 |
Q: if you were e.g. a junior officer in the roman military circa 753AUC, discussing with another of ...
A: In such a case, Latin would more likely use the perfect tense: "Sic imperatum est" ("impero" would ...
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| Tatoo | 2/20/2005 |
Q: So I got a tatoo with the words Abbas, Filius, and Flamen on them. I thought this meant Father, son, ...
A: One has to be very careful about online "translations." Language is a much more complex entity than ...
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| latin translation | 2/8/2005 |
Q: i need help understanding reletive clauses. thanx.
A: Relative clauses are those that (in English) begin with the words "who, whose, whom, that, or ...
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| Carpe Diem | 1/8/2005 |
Q: Morrison, I am looking to use the term 'Carpe Diem' and would like to use it written in Latin. I do ...
A: You write it in Latin the same way you do in English. In fact, the written English alphabet is ...
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| Correct translation? | 12/30/2004 |
Q: Would you please tell me if these phrases (prayers) have been translated correcty? Domine, nos ...
A: They stand in need of some correction. I have indicated the correct phrase in capital letters ...
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| virgil's eclogues | 12/13/2004 |
Q: I was wondering about your interpretation of Virgil's Eclogues, especially numbers 1 and 4. Also, ...
A: The Eclogues should the advance of Latin poetry in the hands of Vergil, who equals the Greek ...
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| translation of a Seneca quoation | 11/26/2004 |
Q: My wife found the following as a prefix to a Wordswoth poem: iam non consilio bonus, sed more eo ...
A: "He was not already good by design, but was led by the habit that not only could he act rightly, but ...
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| classical / mediaeval | 11/19/2004 |
Q: Morrison, I did Latin O level at school, so have a basic understanding. Some humanist scholars in ...
A: Although Latin has been quite flexible to meet the needs of 2500 years, it did have a "classical" ...
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| latin to english | 11/9/2004 |
Q: could you translate a phrase for me. latin to english, thanks STAT FORTUNA DOMUS
A: That looks like one of those mediaeval mottoes on a family crest. Often the Latin is different from ...
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| Need help with a small quote | 11/8/2004 |
Q: i was just wondering if you could translate the phrase "we live as we dream alone" I know this ...
A: That rendition is fine. Feel free to use it. Just remember that any translation is an ...
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| Definition: Barbarian | 10/31/2004 |
Q: Morrison, In ancient Rome, what did the Romans call Barbarians; and what did it mean in ancient ...
A: Essentially, "barbarians" were those outside the civilized gamut of the world, originally including ...
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| What is the correction pronunciation... | 10/7/2004 |
Q: What is the correction pronunciation of "lectio divina?"
A: I assume that you are using this phrase in its usual ecclesiastical context. Therefore, I will ...
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| Latin | 10/3/2004 |
Q: "i am alone, left wondering, forever." ive had a bit of trouble and a few different ones so i need ...
A: There is no one-to-one relationship between any one language and another. The notion of a ...
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| in latin | 10/2/2004 |
Q: I have to do a project for school and would like to have words written in Latin in it. Since I ...
A: For the first, you could use: "Abundantius vitam vive" (after John 10:10 in the Latin Vulgate). ...
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| I heard a saying on the radio... | 9/12/2004 |
Q: I heard a saying on the radio the other day, " Don't let the bastards grind you down ". I think it ...
A: The expression is: "Illegitimis nil carborundum," meaning, a bit loosely: "Don't let the bastards ...
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| Enlgish to Latin | 9/11/2004 |
Q: Would you please translate "Lost Soul" to latin. I've found translations around on the net but don't ...
A: Probably that is because you have to go behind the ambiguity of the English expression. Such a soul ...
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| Pig Latin | 9/6/2004 |
Q: Is pig latin considered a language?
A: "Language" in the broadest sense of the term, but it is a completely "derivative" language because ...
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| English Translation | 8/19/2004 |
Q: E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), Annuit Coeptis (He has favored our undertakings), Novus Ordo ...
A: The first three expressions are all found on the Great Seal of the United States, so they were all ...
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| quick translation query | 7/30/2004 |
Q: Morrison: I wonder if you can assist me with what I hope is a very quick medieval Latin question. ...
A: In the text, you quote "infantulus," but in your commentary you quote "infantulos," so I'm left ...
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| sword inscription | 7/24/2004 |
Q: I was referred to your site by Mr. Mackay of Yuni Words of Wisdom. Several years ago during ...
A: The meaning is: "Difficulties help me." There is a similar meaning in a common Latin saying: "Ad ...
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| Latin Translation | 7/22/2004 |
Q: I was tasked to come up with a new squadron motto and came up with "Mobility brings victory". I ...
A: Yes, those "translators" are pretty worthless, aren't they? Language and thought are much too ...
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| Latin translation | 7/20/2004 |
Q: My friend would like to have her son's name engraved in latin on a ring for his 18th birthday and we ...
A: Luke -> Lucas (Latinized Greek) Julian -> Julianus (a Roman emperor's name) Craig -> This derives ...
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| translation | 7/13/2004 |
Q: can you give me any latin words you know that convey the general idea of calm, stillness, ...
A: Although cognates are not always the best translation, in this case, the Latin word "tranquillitas" ...
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| English to latin phrase translation | 6/29/2004 |
Q: I'm having trouble translating the phrase, "Only in dreams". So far I've come up with 'solum in ...
A: Yes, translations require a good knowledge of the language, which a dictionary alone cannot provide, ...
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| Latin in law | 5/28/2004 |
Q: I've noted that legal writing and even speech is liberally peppered with Latin phrases and I've ...
A: Latin is used because our western legal tradition is based in Roman Law. These phrases have an ...
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| English Phrase to Latin | 5/24/2004 |
Q: I hate to do this, due to the fact that in the instructions it says that I'm not supposed to use ...
A: It could be rendered as follows: Ille solus est beatus, qui intra securus dicere possit: "Fac ...
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| pronunciation | 5/16/2004 |
Q: I would like to ask if there are several pronunciations of the word 'totius.' Some pronounce it as ...
A: You are hearing two different types of pronunciations for two different contexts. The first is the ...
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| latin inscription on grave | 5/3/2004 |
Q: My mother, named Vita, died of heart attack at the age of 50, and we want to write a Latin phrase on ...
A: The second epitaph doesn't make Latin sense, so let's stick with the former: VADE MECUM VIA VITAE ...
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| latin FONT | 5/3/2004 |
Q: ! I hope you can help me.I've recently asked Maria this question,but she missunderstood me !I've ...
A: I'm not aware that the Roman themselves had names for these styles. Rather, the names were applied ...
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| having trouble translating this... | 5/2/2004 |
Q: As would be used in this short pararaph: "She would be forever, now, a vampyre; a creature of the ...
A: Whereas "immortalis" is what is called a two-termination adjective in its form, that is, the ...
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| Help with my novel | 4/30/2004 |
Q: I am currently writing a novel for juveniles, set in ancient Rome. I need the following English ...
A: I would render it: "O Iustiniane, intra. Transi ad illud tempus praeteritum et caliginosum." The ...
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| Help Translating | 4/24/2004 |
Q: I am trying to translate the phrase "A man's best friend is his duck" into Latin, but seeing as I ...
A: I would correct the first to: "Hominis amicus optimus anas est." On the second, sometimes ...
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| Latin | 4/14/2004 |
Q: ------------------------- Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I know that the verb is ...
A: Word order is quite flexible in Latin because most of the syntactical information is contained in ...
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| use of locative | 4/9/2004 |
Q: In a very funny scene from "The Life of Brian", a Monte Python movie, Brian has his Latin corrected ...
A: Perhaps the original version was meant to be a Pythonesque joke. It is not correct Latin. "Romani, ...
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| English to Latin translation | 3/18/2004 |
Q: Sorry to bother you with such a silly thing but I belong to a group called the 'League of ...
A: You could turn it something like: "Honestorum Foedus Virorum." It all depends what you mean by ...
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| Translating the Pope's statement | 2/29/2004 |
Q: I have two questions: 1. Would you be so kind to translate the Pope's now famous statement ( "It is ...
A: 1) "Est sicut erat" would be a literal rendering. 2) Your teacher was speaking of what is known as ...
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| English to Latin Phrase | 2/24/2004 |
Q: There's a latin phrase on my class ring which is a motto I live by. Unfortunately, the writing is so ...
A: I don't know how it is exactly rendered on your ring, but generally "Scientia, potestas" would be a ...
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| Is this Latin | 2/19/2004 |
Q: I have an old paper from my forefather an there is the text "pro consessionibus nuptarium" can ...
A: Yes, it is Latin. It is hard for me to interpret, because I do not have any of the context, but it ...
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| Latin adverb construction | 2/11/2004 |
Q: We're studying time clues and find the discussion on the use of "post" confusing. What is the ...
A: Both constructions are common in Classical Latin. The difference is somewhat subtle (as Latin often ...
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| Science Rules | 2/10/2004 |
Q: Morrison, Yesterday I asked the other Latin expert what "In Science We Trust" would be in Latin, ...
A: In the first instance, I assume that you are referring to the motto of the United States, "In God We ...
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| verb conjugation | 2/9/2004 |
Q: "ignoramus ignorabimus" is a phrase attributed to a French (German?) philosopher (Dubois-Reynoud?). ...
A: The verb is "ignorare" (first conjugation), meaning "to be ignorant." The stem is, therefore, ...
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| Translation from english to latin | 1/9/2004 |
Q: I would like to get tattoos that says 1. 'Brothers in Arms' and 2. 'Forever remembered' Could you ...
A: Brothers in Arms: Fratres in armis. Forever Remembered: Semper commemoratus (if the remembrance ...
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| Latin translation, please | 1/6/2004 |
Q: I am reading a line from "Dracula" which says, "In manus tuas, Domine!" Translation? Thank you! ...
A: In manus tuas, [Domine, commendo spiritum meum, et haec dicens expiravit] Into thy hands, [Lord, I ...
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