Homework Quintus happily looks at pretty girls

Gamblingbear

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Location:
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Hi, I've been studying/dabbling with Latin off & on for a while, but I'm thinking it's time to finally seriously prepare for my university's required Latin exam. I'm aiming for the exam in October 2017.

The exam is based on a specific textbook and a selection of original Latin texts to be translated. My plan is to first work through the textbook and then the texts. I also have some past exams for practice.

As I prepare and to keep myself accountable, I'm going to post the translation exercises on a weekly basis. If anyone has the time to look at them and point out problems, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!



What I'm looking at with these 1st three chapters:
At this level, I think I'm alright with the declinations (1st & 2nd - though this text calls them a- & o-declinations), the accusative and vocative as well as the conjugations (1st & 2nd: a- and e-conjugations in this text) but mistakes are definitely possible especially with the plurals. Mostly I'm concerned about macrons because my textbook doesn't use them. I've been trying to add them in though as an extra learning exercise.

Chapter 1

Translate into Latin (Note: Exercises were originally in German. The English is my translation.)

1. Here is my (girl-)friend.
Hīc amīca mea est.

2. Quintus and Gaius are my friends.
Quīntus et Gaius amīcī meī sunt.

3. The friends (f.) are always happy.
Amīcae semper laetae sunt.

4. The good (female) students and (male) students are glad.
Discipulae bonae et discipulī bonī gaudent.


Fill in the blanks and translate:

Iulia et Claudia saepe diū labōrant. Itaque discipulae bonae sunt. Quīntus discipulus malus est. Nōn libenter labōrat. Saepe clāmat: "Cūr pensum magnum est?" Tum Iulia et Claudia, amīcae bonae, rīdent: "Pensa magna nōn sunt, sed nōnnūlli discipulī stultī sunt!"

My translation:
Julia and Claudia often work (for a) long (time). Therefore they are good students (f.). Quintus is a bad student (m). He doesn't study willingly. He often cries: "Why is the assignment big?" Then Julia and Claudia, good friends (f.), laugh: "The assignments aren't large, but some students are stupid."




Chapter 2
Translate

1. Quintus happily looks at pretty girls.
Quīntus libenter puellās pulchrās spectat.

2. He loves Julia.
Amat Juliam.

3. But Julia doesn't look at the boys.
Sed Julia puerī nōn spectat.

4. Therefore Quīntus thinks:
Itaque Quīntus cōgitat:

5. "Claudia is also a pretty girl!"
"Claudia etiam puella pulchra est!"


Translate from Latin
Puerī laetī sunt

Iam diū magister, quod linguam Graecam amat, laetus verba Graeca docet. Quīntus et Gaius, discipulī malī, linguam graecam nōn amant. Itaque nōn magistrum spectant, sed puellās. Laetī sunt et saepe rīdent. Sed magister laetus nōn est. Īrātus clāmat et puerōs monet. Etiam Claudia et Iulia, quod pensum magnum expectant, īrāte sunt. Sēcum cōgitant: "Cūr puerī semper rīdent?" Magister nun pensum magnum dat. Itaque nōn sōlum puerī, sed etiam puellae diū labōrant.

The boys are happy

Already (for a) long (time), the teacher, who loves the Greek language, happily teaches Greek words. Quintus and Gaius, bad students, don't love the Greek language. Therefore they don't look at the teache, but at the girls. They (Quintus & Gaius) are happy and often laugh. But the teacher isn't happy. He yells angrily and admonishes the boys. Claudia and Julia, who expect a large assignment, are also angry. They think to themselves: "why do boys always laugh?" The teacher now gives (out) a large assignment. Therefore not only the boys, but also the girls work (for a) long (time).



Chapter 3

1. Quintus sits in front of the school.

Quīntus ante scholam sedet.

2. Gaius sees the friend and asks:

Gaius amīcum videt et interrogat:

3. "Why do you sit here, Quintus?"

"Cūr hīc sedēs, Quīnte?"

4. "I expect Julia.

"Expectō Juliam.

5. After school, we are walking to the Forum."

Post scholam, ad forum ambulāmus."

6. Now the friend laughs:

Iam amīcus rīdet:

7. "Julia and Alexander are walking for a long time through the streets."
"Julia Alexanderque diū per viās ambulant."



Fill in the blanks and translate:

Quīntus per forum ambulat. Tum Claudiam Iuliamque videt.

Quīntus: "Salvēte, puellae! Spectātisne hīc templa clāra?"

Claudia: "Templa nōn spectāmus, sed Iulia amīcās exspectat."

Quīntus: "Libenter vobiscum amīcās exspectō! Suntne pulchrae?"

Iulia: "Cūr nōn labōrās? Pensum magnum habēmus!"

Quīntus: "Pensum magnum nōn est. Itaque hīc ambulō."

Claudia: "Vidē, Iulia! Ibi amīcās tuās videō." Quīntus et Claudia et Iulia ad amīcas ambulant. Puer nunc puellās spectat; tum clāmat: "Quam libenter vobiscum maneō!"


Quintus walks through the forum. Then he sees Claudia and Julia.
Quintus: "Greetings, girls! Are you looking at this famous temple?"
Claudia: "We aren't looking at the temple, but Julia is waiting for girlfriends."
Quintus: "I gladly wait for the girlfriends with you. Are they pretty?"
Julia: "Why aren't you working? We have a large assignment."
Quintus: "The assignment isn't large. Therefore I'm walking here."
Claudia: "Look, Julia! I see your girlfriends there." Quintus, Claudia and Julia walk to the friends. The boy now see the girls; then he exclaims: "How willingly I remain with you!"
 

Pacifica

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Location:
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declinations
Declensions.
1. Here is my (girl-)friend.
Hīc amīca mea est.
This is literally correct, but it isn't really how you would say it in Latin. Most of the time, "here is my (girl)friend" would be said either to introduce her to someone, with you pointing to her and informing someone that she is your (girl)friend, in which case in Latin you would say haec est amica mea (literally "this (f.) is my (girl)friend") or in more of an exclamative tone like "look! here's my (girl)friend!", in which case the Latin woud be ecce amica mea. In hic amica mea est, the point is the place where she is—"here": you're informing someone that she is here, or that here is the place she is. "Here is my (girl)friend" can also mean this in English, in some contexts, but it isn't the most usual meaning and not the first interpretation that springs to mind when you see the sentence out of context.
2. Quintus and Gaius are my friends.
Quīntus et Gaius amīcī meī sunt.

3. The friends (f.) are always happy.
Amīcae semper laetae sunt.

4. The good (female) students and (male) students are glad.
Discipulae bonae et discipulī bonī gaudent.
These are correct.
Laborare means "to work" in general, not specifically "to study".

The rest of that translation is good.
1. Quintus happily looks at pretty girls.
Quīntus libenter puellās pulchrās spectat.

2. He loves Julia.
Amat Juliam.
Correct.
3. But Julia doesn't look at the boys.
Sed Julia puerī nōn spectat.
Pueri is in the wrong case.
5. "Claudia is also a pretty girl!"
"Claudia etiam puella pulchra est!"
I think quoque would be better than etiam here.
Iam diū magister, quod linguam Graecam amat, laetus verba Graeca docet.
Already (for a) long (time), the teacher, who loves the Greek language, happily teaches Greek words.
Quod isn't "who". "Who" would have to be qui, in agreement with the gender and number of magister.

You should also try to reformulate the sentence in more normal English ("already for a long time, the teacher teaches" isn't normal English, notably regarding tenses).
Claudia et Iulia, quod pensum magnum expectant
Claudia and Julia, who expect a large assignment
Same mistake here regarding quod. "Who" would have to agree in gender and number with Claudia et Iulia, quae.
why do boys always laugh?
Maybe "why are the boys always laughing" would be more natural.
Chapter 3

1. Quintus sits in front of the school.

Quīntus ante scholam sedet.

2. Gaius sees the friend and asks:

Gaius amīcum videt et interrogat:

3. "Why do you sit here, Quintus?"

"Cūr hīc sedēs, Quīnte?"

4. "I expect Julia.

"Expectō Juliam.

5. After school, we are walking to the Forum."

Post scholam, ad forum ambulāmus."

6. Now the friend laughs:

Iam amīcus rīdet:

7. "Julia and Alexander are walking for a long time through the streets."
"Julia Alexanderque diū per viās ambulant."
Good.
Spectātisne hīc templa clāra?
Are you looking at this famous temple?
Templa clara is plural.
Hic doesn't agree with it.
Templa nōn spectāmus
We aren't looking at the temple
Here again, templa is plural.
Ibi amīcās tuās videō.
Not your fault if it was given to you that way, but it seems to me illic would be more normal here than ibi.
spectat
see
"Looks at."
 
 

Dantius

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Not your fault if it was given to you that way, but it seems to me illic would be more normal here than ibi.
What's the difference?
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

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Location:
Belgium
I think ibi is more usually used with reference to a place previously mentioned or implied rather than for pointing out to some place "over there". So a similar difference to that between is and ille.
 
 

Dantius

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I think ibi is more usually used with reference to a place previously mentioned or implied rather than for pointing out to some place "over there". So a similar difference to that between is and ille.
Ah.
 

Gamblingbear

Active Member

Location:
Austria
Declensions.
:( That was German overriding my English.


This is literally correct, but it isn't really how you would say it in Latin. Most of the time, "here is my (girl)friend" would be said either to introduce her to someone, with you pointing to her and informing someone that she is your (girl)friend, in which case in Latin you would say haec est amica mea (literally "this (f.) is my (girl)friend") or in more of an exclamative tone like "look! here's my (girl)friend!", in which case the Latin woud be ecce amica mea. In hic amica mea est, the point is the place where she is—"here": you're informing someone that she is here, or that here is the place she is. "Here is my (girl)friend" can also mean this in English, in some contexts, but it isn't the most usual meaning and not the first interpretation that springs to mind when you see the sentence out of context.
Good to know. So far this textbook hasn't introduced haec or ecce so I'm pretty certain they wanted hic here. Though the German sentence has the same problems that you pointed out as the English one.


Laborare means "to work" in general, not specifically "to study".
Ah, yes, I need to be a bit more exact.


Pueri is in the wrong case.
Hopefully fixed:
3. But Julia doesn't look at the boys.
Sed Julia puerōs nōn spectat.

I think quoque would be better than etiam here.
I know quoque from other texts and understand how it would fit in this sentence, but this text hasn't used it yet and etiam was a new vocab word for this chapter. To be honest, I don't completely understand what etiam means. Is there a rule for when to use quoque and when to use etiam or is it something that one gets a feel for from reading more Latin?


Quod isn't "who". "Who" would have to be qui, in agreement with the gender and number of magister.
:eek: What was I thinking? Obviously wasn't.

You should also try to reformulate the sentence in more normal English ("already for a long time, the teacher teaches" isn't normal English, notably regarding tenses).
Hopefully fixed:
Iam diū magister, quod linguam Graecam amat, laetus verba Graeca docet.
Literally: Already (for a) long (time), the teacher, because (he) loves the Greek language, happily teaches Greek words.
Cleaned up a bit: Because he loves the Greek language, the teacher has been happily teaching Greek words for a long time already.


Same mistake here regarding quod. "Who" would have to agree in gender and number with Claudia et Iulia, quae.
:oops:

Claudia et Iulia, quod pensum magnum expectant
Claudia and Julia, because (they) expect a large assignment

Maybe "why are the boys always laughing" would be more natural.
Agreed.

Templa clara is plural.
Hic doesn't agree with it.
Oh of course...neuter.

Hopefully fixed:
Spectātisne hīc templa clāra?
Are you looking at the famous temples here?

and
Templa nōn spectāmus
We aren't looking at the temples.

Not your fault if it was given to you that way, but it seems to me illic would be more normal here than ibi.
"Looks at."
And thank you for the explanation below. This might be a case of them trying to create easier Latin, because again illic hasn't been introduced yet.

Thank you Pacifica!
 

Pacifica

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Location:
Belgium
Hopefully fixed:
3. But Julia doesn't look at the boys.
Sed Julia puerōs nōn spectat.
Yes.
I know quoque from other texts and understand how it would fit in this sentence, but this text hasn't used it yet and etiam was a new vocab word for this chapter. To be honest, I don't completely understand what etiam means. Is there a rule for when to use quoque and when to use etiam or is it something that one gets a feel for from reading more Latin?
Etiam can mean "even", "also", or "still" (in a temporal sense, like "still now" or "still then").

Now, we'll be concerned with how it differs from quoque when it means "also". What I'm about to say is perhaps a bit of an overgeneralization, but I believe it holds true in many cases: quoque usually modifies a specific word or phrase (more often than not a noun, pronoun, or adjective rather than a verb, though it can be found with verbs too) and is placed after this specific word or phrase (or sometimes after the first element of a phrase). E.g. "I am brave too" (that is, someone else is brave, and I am too): ego quoque fortis sum; "My mother is brave too": mater quoque mea fortis est or mater mea quoque fortis est. Etiam, on the other hand, often applies to the verb or the general idea of a clause. E.g. edo, ambulo, cano, librum lego, etiam litteras scirbo: "I eat, I walk, I sing, I read a book, I write a letter, too". By contrast, litteras quoque scribo would rather mean "I write (something else and) a letter too", and litteras scribo quoque could mean the same as etiam litteras scribo, but it would be less usual.

From what you're saying, it seems very possible that you were expected to use etiam in your translation, but it seemed to me a somewhat unusual way to use it.
Hopefully fixed:
Iam diū magister, quod linguam Graecam amat, laetus verba Graeca docet.
Literally: Already (for a) long (time), the teacher, because (he) loves the Greek language, happily teaches Greek words.
Cleaned up a bit: Because he loves the Greek language, the teacher has been happily teaching Greek words for a long time already.
Good.
Claudia et Iulia, quod pensum magnum expectant
Claudia and Julia, because (they) expect a large assignment
Good.
Oh of course...neuter.

Hopefully fixed:
Spectātisne hīc templa clāra?
Are you looking at the famous temples here?

and
Templa nōn spectāmus
We aren't looking at the temples.
Good.
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Now, we'll be concerned with how it differs from quoque when it means "also". What I'm about to say is perhaps a bit of an overgeneralization, but I believe it holds true in many cases: quoque usually modifies a specific word or phrase (more often than not a noun, pronoun, or adjective rather than a verb, though it can be found with verbs too) and is placed after this specific word or phrase (or sometimes after the first element of a phrase). E.g. "I am brave too" (that is, someone else is brave, and I am too): ego quoque fortis sum; "My mother is brave too": mater quoque mea fortis est or mater mea quoque fortis est. Etiam, on the other hand, often applies to the verb or the general idea of a clause. E.g. edo, ambulo, cano, librum lego, etiam litteras scirbo: "I eat, I walk, I sing, I read a book, I write a letter, too". By contrast, litteras quoque scribo would rather mean "I write (something else and) a letter too", and litteras scribo quoque could mean the same as etiam litteras scribo, but it would be less usual.
A notable exception to this "rule" ("rule" is probably too strong a term) is in the expression non solum... sed etiam... ("not only... but also/even..."), where the thing after etiam is just as frequently a single noun, pronoun or adjective as a verb or a complete clause.
 

Gamblingbear

Active Member

Location:
Austria
Now, we'll be concerned with how it differs from quoque when it means "also". What I'm about to say is perhaps a bit of an overgeneralization, but I believe it holds true in many cases: quoque usually modifies a specific word or phrase (more often than not a noun, pronoun, or adjective rather than a verb, though it can be found with verbs too) and is placed after this specific word or phrase (or sometimes after the first element of a phrase). E.g. "I am brave too" (that is, someone else is brave, and I am too): ego quoque fortis sum; "My mother is brave too": mater quoque mea fortis est or mater mea quoque fortis est. Etiam, on the other hand, often applies to the verb or the general idea of a clause. E.g. edo, ambulo, cano, librum lego, etiam litteras scirbo: "I eat, I walk, I sing, I read a book, I write a letter, too". By contrast, litteras quoque scribo would rather mean "I write (something else and) a letter too", and litteras scribo quoque could mean the same as etiam litteras scribo, but it would be less usual.

A notable exception to this "rule" ("rule" is probably too strong a term) is in the expression non solum... sed etiam... ("not only... but also/even..."), where the thing after etiam is just as frequently a single noun, pronoun or adjective as a verb or a complete clause.
That makes sense. Thank you. Quoque will appear in a few chapters.

Chapter 4

exercise 3 - Add endings, mark the grammatical objects as either dative or accusative & translate.

1. Puellae Quīntō (ms dat.) pensa (np acc.) suanōn monstrant.
The girls don't show Quintus their assignments.

2. Discipulī malī saepe magistrō (ms dat.) nōn respondent.
Bad students often don't answer the teacher.

3. Quid puellīs(fp dat.) donātis, amīcī?
What did you (2cp) give the girls, friends?

4. Magister discipulīs (mp dat.) de terrīs alienīs (fp abl) narrat.
The teacher tells the students of foreign lands.

5. Spectacula multīs virīs (mp dat) et feminīs (fp dat) placent.
The shows please many men and women.

6. Quīntus amīcō Graecō (ms dat) nunc forum (ns acc) et viam pulchram (fs acc) monstrat.
Quintus points out the forum and the beautiful street to a Greek friend.



exercise 4 / Add in the correct form of the names and translate.

Alexander, puer Graecus, cum Quīntō et puellīs per forum ambulat.
Iulia Quīntum interrogat: " Gaium nōn videō. Ubi est?"
Quīntus Iuliae respondet: "Gaius ad amphitheatrum est." Tum Gaius ab amphitheatro ad amīcōs ambulat.
"Salve, Gaī!", Iulia clamat. "Narrasne Alexandrō de templīs clarīs?" Ita puer amīcīs de templīs narrat. Tum etiam magister per forum ambulat et discipulōs videt.
"Salvēte, discipulī! Quid hīc spectātis?", magister interrogat.
Iulia respondet: "Alexandrō, amīcō Quīntī, forum monstrāmus."
Magister nunc diū de deīs Romanīs et Graecīs narrat. Tum interrogat: "Ubi est templum Iovis, Quīnte?"
Sed puer nōn respondet. Ubi est Quīntus Iam diū post statuam sedet et dormit. [I assume a question mark is missing from the original text; right after Quintus.]


Translation:
Alexander, a Greek boy, walks with Quintus and the girls through the forum.
Iulia ask Quintus, " I don't see Gaius. Where is he?"
Quintus answers Iulia, "Gaius is at the amphitheater." Then Gaius walks from the amphitheater to the friends.
"Hello, Gaius!" Iulia shouts. "Can you tell Alexander about the famous temples?" So the boy tells the friends about the temples. Then the teacher also walks through the forum and sees the students.
"Hello, students! What are you looking at here?" the teacher asks.
Julia answers, "We are showing Alexander, Quintus' friend, the forum."
The teacher now talks [tells] for a long time about Roman and Greek gods. Then he asks, "Where is Jupiter's temple, Quintus?"
But the boy doesn't answer. Where is Quintus? He is now sitting behind a statue and sleeping.
 
 

Dantius

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Location:
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1. Puellae Quīntō (ms dat.) pensa (np acc.) sua nōn monstrant.
The girls don't show Quintus their assignments.

2. Discipulī malī saepe magistrō (ms dat.) nōn respondent.
Bad students often don't answer the teacher.

Good.
3. Quid puellīs(fp dat.) donātis, amīcī?
What did you (2cp) give the girls, friends?

Check the tense.

4. Magister discipulīs (mp dat.) de terrīs alienīs (fp abl) narrat.
The teacher tells the students of foreign lands.

5. Spectacula multīs virīs (mp dat) et feminīs (fp dat) placent.
The shows please many men and women.

Good.

6. Quīntus amīcō Graecō (ms dat) nunc forum (ns acc) et viam pulchram (fs acc) monstrat.
Quintus points out the forum and the beautiful street to a Greek friend.

You missed a word in your translation.

Translation:
Alexander, a Greek boy, walks with Quintus and the girls through the forum.
Iulia asks Quintus, " I don't see Gaius. Where is he?"
Quintus answers Iulia, "Gaius is at the amphitheater." Then Gaius walks from the amphitheater to the friends.
"Hello, Gaius!" Iulia shouts. "Can you tell Alexander about the famous temples?" So the boy tells the friends about the temples. Then the teacher also walks through the forum and sees the students.
"Hello, students! What are you looking at here?" the teacher asks.
Julia answers, "We are showing Alexander, Quintus' friend, the forum."
The teacher now talks [tells] for a long time about Roman and Greek gods. Then he asks, "Where is Jupiter's temple, Quintus?"
But the boy doesn't answer. Where is Quintus? He is now sitting behind a statue and sleeping.
"narrasne" is literally "are you telling", not "can you tell". It seems rather strange though because given the context of the next sentence, "can you tell" would make more sense.

"iam diu sedet" is not "he is now sitting", but "he has been sitting for a long time now".
 

Gamblingbear

Active Member

Location:
Austria
Thank you for the help and especially for being so detailed. I can see that Latin is going to help me be a bit more exact in my translations...something I could probably be more of in all of my language studies.

3. Quid puellīs(fp dat.) donātis, amīcī?​
What did you (2cp) give the girls, friends?
Check the tense.
What are you (2cp) giving the girls, friends?


You missed a word in your translation.
6. Quīntus amīcō Graecō (ms dat) nunc forum (ns acc) et viam pulchram (fs acc) monstrat.​

Quintus points out the forum and the beautiful street to a Greek friend.
Quintus now points out the forum and the beautiful street to a Greek friend.


"narrasne" is literally "are you telling", not "can you tell". It seems rather strange though because given the context of the next sentence, "can you tell" would make more sense.

"iam diu sedet" is not "he is now sitting", but "he has been sitting for a long time now".

okay.
 

Gamblingbear

Active Member

Location:
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I'm a bit late for this chapter due to an Akkadian exam this week...

This week's chapter is all about pronouns, both personal and possessive, and the infinitive of verbs. I have some questions about the chapter's text before I even get to the exercises.


So the text starts out with Lydia complaining that she doesn't like Roman shows spectacula. There are a few other comments from her companions and then Alexander says: "Ego spectacula amo, sed multis Graecis non placent."

I'd translate that as "I love shows, but (they) don't please many Greeks." My question is about ego. It's obviously here to teach us about pronouns. Since Latin uses them for emphasis, could I translate it as "I, for one, love shows, but (they) don't please many Greeks."?

"Ita est", Lydia inquit, "et tu, Gai? Num tibi spectacula vestra placent?"

My attempt at a translation:

"So it is," Lydia says, "and you Gaius? Do your (pl.) shows please you (sing)?"

Firstly, did I translated Ita est and inquit correctly? Then why is it vestra here? She's directing the question at Gaius so shouldn't it be tua?

They end up in the thermal baths and get yelled at:

"In aquam saltare vobis non licet. Otium nostrum turbatis!"
It is not allowed for you to jump into the water. You (pl) are disturbing our relaxation.
 
 

Dantius

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"I, for one, love shows, but (they) don't please many Greeks."?
I think that's a pretty good way of expressing it.

"Ita est", Lydia inquit, "et tu, Gai? Num tibi spectacula vestra placent?"

My attempt at a translation:

"So it is," Lydia says, "and you Gaius? Do your (pl.) shows please you (sing)?"

Firstly, did I translated Ita est and inquit correctly? Then why is it vestra here? She's directing the question at Gaius so shouldn't it be tua?
I think "spectacula vestra", "your (pl.) shows" generally refers to Roman spectacles (you all = the Romans), as opposed to Greek ones (Alexander and Lydia seem to be Greek, based on their names).

They end up in the thermal baths and get yelled at:

"In aquam saltare vobis non licet. Otium nostrum turbatis!"
It is not allowed for you to jump into the water. You (pl) are disturbing our relaxation.
Yes.
 

Gamblingbear

Active Member

Location:
Austria
I think "spectacula vestra", "your (pl.) shows" generally refers to Roman spectacles (you all = the Romans), as opposed to Greek ones (Alexander and Lydia seem to be Greek, based on their names).

Ah okay. I guess that makes sense, sort of like the Texan "all your all's" or "y'all's". :) I find myself sometimes mixing up the different versions of you/r in different languages...making it plural because the object is plural and not necessarily the person or people being addressed. I managed to get my brain all twisted up about this sentence.


One more sentence that gave me some difficulty, though I understand the main sense of it:

Lydia speaking: "Mihi spectacula gaudio non sunt."

Shows don't make me happy.

What form is gaudio in this sentence? I've learned it as a verb, but only in the simple present or infinitive. That's obviously not what's happening here. With the o ending, I think it might be a dative or ablative noun.
 

Pacifica

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Location:
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It's a dative noun (dat. of gaudium). Does the term "double dative" ring any bell to you?

There's no such verb as gaudio. There is gaudeo.
 
 

Dantius

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Location:
in orbe lacteo
It is the dative of "gaudium", meaning "joy". You will often find a dative used in this way with words like "auxilium", "cura", "impedimentum", etc.
For instance:
"Caesari legiones auxilio venerunt" — literally "the legions came for an aid for Caesar", i.e. "the legions came to help Caesar"
"Haec mihi res curae magnae est" — literally "this matter is for a great care for me", i.e. "this matter is an object of care/attention for me".
"Mihi spectacula gaudio non sunt" — literally "shows are not to/for joy for me", i.e. "shows are not a source of joy for me".
 

Gamblingbear

Active Member

Location:
Austria
It's a dative noun (dat. of gaudium). Does the term "double dative" ring any bell to you?
Not at all. I looked it up in Wheelock's and Wikipedia. They say it's a combination of dative of reference with dative of purpose. So do I have this right?

mihi in this sentence would be the dative of reference, or something like who is affected. And gaudio is the dative of purpose?

There's no such verb as gaudio. There is gaudeo.
:D Exactly what made me wonder what was going on in this sentence! I was trying to slow down and be a bit more exact in my translation and realised something was funny. I'm glad to see my thinking wasn't way off.
 
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