Lesson Sixty-Four : Post Meridiem

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Today’s lesson is a short one, although it does introduce four new words.. Let’s begin with the two new prepositions, which are both followed by an acūsātīvus - ante and post. The margin tells us that they are opposites, and if you are familiar with the expressions ante meridiem (am) and post meridiem (pm) you may already know their meanings.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 42.

Then we have two question words - quō? and unde?. The margin tells us that these are opposites as well.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 42.

Now READ Capitulum Sextum, lines 31-36. Use the illustration and think about the characters’ journey to deduce the meanings of the new words. If necessary, you can check your deductions after the reading.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 42.

• Click here to check the meanings of the new words.

  ante : before/in front of

  post : after/behind

  quō? : to where?

  unde? : from where

from Handy Latin Tables Pars Secunda

Satis est. See you again soon.

Lesson Sixty-Three : Relative Pronouns

Salvēte, sodāles.

Back in Lesson 37 we met quī and quae, which both mean who.

Puer quī Aemiliam vocat Marcus est. Puella quae Aemiliam vocat Iūlia est. The boy who is calling Aemilia is Marcus. The girl who is calling Aemilia is Julia.

Quī and quae are examples of relative pronouns. And quī Aemiliam vocat and quae Aemiliam vocat are examples of relative clauses. Quī and quae are both the subjects of their relative clause (who is calling Aemilia) and are therefore nōminātīvus.

Then in Lesson 38 we met the accūsātīvus relative pronouns quem and quam. These relative pronouns mean whom and are the object of a verb in their own relative clauses (whom Aemilia is calling).

Puer quem Aemilia vocat est Marcus. Puella quam Aemilia vocat est Iūlia. The boy whom Aemilia is calling is Marcus. The girl whom Aemilia is calling is Julia.

Quī and quem are masculine and quae and quam are feminine. In Lesson 46 we met the neuter relative pronoun, quod. We use quod for the nōminātīvus AND accūsātīvus.

nōminātīvus : Aemilia baculum quod in mēnsā est videt. Aemilia sees the rod which is on the table. accūsātīvus : Baculum quod Aemilia videt in mensā est. The rod which Aemilia sees is on the table.

Apologies if that is too much revision, but we can now move on to a small amount of new material. The relative pronouns quī and quōs are the plurals of the masculine quī and quem. The textbook introduces them while discussing Syrus and Leander carrying two sacks. In Latin, a sack (saccus) is masculine.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 42.

Servī quī saccōs portant sunt Syrus et Lēander. Saccī quōs servī portant sunt magnī. The enslaved men who are carrying the sacks are Syrus and Leander. The sacks which the enslaved men are carrying are large.

Now read Capitulum Sextum lines 27-30. Enjoy seeing tam/quam in action once more. The margin tells us that vehit/vehunt means the same thing as portat/portant.

Satis est. See you back here soon.

Lesson Sixty-Two : it/eunt

Salvēte, sodālēs.

In Lesson 56 we learnt that the vast majority of Latin verbs fit into one of four categories. Here is the table to jog your memory. We call any verb that fits into one of the categories a regular verb. The verb est/sunt doesn't fit any of these patterns, so we call it an irregular verb.

Today you will meet another irregular verb, it/eunt (go).

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 42.

In the illustration above, Julius is going to his villa. Iūlius ad vīllam suam it. Of course, it’s more accurate to say that Julius and the men he enslaves are going to their villa. Iūlius et servī ad vīllam suam eunt.

You probably deduced that ad means to or towards and is followed by the accūsātīvus. Indeed, the margin has an excellent diagram showing movement from town to the villa, ab oppidō ad vīllam. And (+acc) indicates that the preposition is followed by the accūsātīvus, (+abl) that it is followed by the ablātīvus.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 42.

Finally, take a look at the map and locate Roma, the Porta Capēna, Tusculum (parvum oppidum) and villa Iūliī et Aemiliae. Today’s reading is set on a road between Tusculum and the villa.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 41.

Now READ lines 18-26. The meaning of umerus is provided through an illustration in the margin. Try to deduce the meanings of portat/portant, ambulat/ambulant, saccus and lectīca from the text and illustrations. You’ll be able to check your understanding after the reading.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 42.

• Click here to check your understanding of portat/portant, ambulat/ambulant, saccus and lectīca.

  portat/portant : is carrying/are carrying

  ambulat/ambulant : is walking/are walking

  saccus : sack

  lectīca : the ‘vehicle’ that Davus and Ursus are carrying and Julius is sitting within.

Satis est. See you soon.

Lesson Sixty-One : Mūrus et Porta

Salvēte, sodālēs.

A short reading today, but introducing a good deal of new vocabulary. Our verbum prīmum (this might just mean first word, but prīmum can also mean most important) is another preposition that is followed by the accūsātīvus : circum around.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 41.

Next we have mūrus and porta, illustrated together in the margin. Porta is also defined in the margin as magnum ōstium. To put all this together: Circum oppidum mūrus longus est. In mūro magna porta est.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 41.

Finally, we have the number duodecim XII (12). This number is formed from two numbers you have already met, duo II (2) and decem X (10).

Now READ lines Capitulum Sextum 14-17. If you need a refresher on the tam/quam combination, see Lesson 60.

Satis est. See you next lesson, in which we will join Julius on the road back from Tusculum.

Lesson Sixty : Tam/Quam

Salvēte, sodālēs.

In the previous lesson we saw that the accūsātīvus is used to indicate an object and following certain prepositions. The first such preposition was inter between. Today we will see the accūsātīvus following the preposition prope. At the same time, you will meet the adverb procul far, which will be used together with ā/ab to mean far from. The margin tells us that prope Rōman is the opposite of procul ab Rōmā.

Ōstia est prope Rōmam. Brundisium nōn est prope Rōmam, sed procul ab Rōmā: via Appia longa est.

I’m guessing that you have already deduced the meaning of longa.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 40.

Now let’s look at a useful pair of words - tam and quam. We’ll take some the roads (viae) described in the previous lesson and stretch them each out into a straight line to compare their lengths.

Read these three sentences, and see whether you can deduce the meanings of tam and quam. You can check your understanding afterwards. Via Latīna nōn est tam longa quam via Appia. Quam longa est via Flāminia? Via Flāminia nōn tam longa est quam via Appia.

• Via Latīna nōn est tam longa quam via Appia. Quam longa est via Flāminia? Via Flāminia nōn tam longa est quam via Appia. (Click for translation).

  The Via Latina is not as long as the Via Appia. How long is the Via Flaminia? The Via Flaminia is not as long as the Via Appia.

Now READ Capitulum Sextum, lines 8-13.

Satis est. See you soon.

Lesson Fifty-Nine : The Case for Cases

Salvēte, sodālēs.

In Lesson 51 we saw the following table. It presents the different endings that are placed on nouns, depending on the role they are playing in their sentence (subject, object, ‘of’ or after in and cum), the noun type they belong to (-a, -us/-r or -um), and whether they are singular or plural. (It also shows the form of she/he/it that would replace that noun when needed). The only thing that has changed since Lesson 51 is the list of prepositions in the final line: it would now read ‘after in, cum, sine, ā/ab and ē/ex’.

The time has come to introduce the concept of cases. While we could go on saying that fēmina, vir, oppidum, fēminae, virī and oppida are all in their subject forms, most grammarians would say that they are all nōminātīvus (in the nominative case), and that the nōminātīvus is the case used to indicate a subject. Likewise, we could continue to say that fēminam, virum, oppidum, fēminās, virōs and oppida are all in their object forms, but most grammarians would say that they are accūsātīvus (in the accusative case), and that the accūsātīvus is used to indicate an object. The case used for ‘of’ is genitīvus and after the pronouns in, cum, sine, ā/ab and ē/ex we use the ablātīvus.

All of this begs questions; Why use these fancy grammatical terms at all? Isn’t it simpler just to refer to these sets of endings by the role they play? Well, that only works to a point. The problem is that these cases can often perform more than one role. For example, here are two things that we already know:

The accūsātīvus is used to show that a word is an object.

The ablātīvus is used with certain prepositions (in, cum, sine, ā/ab and ē/ex).

But, the accūsātīvus has more than one role:

The accūsātīvus is used with certain prepositions (inter, ad, ante, post, prope, circum, apud and per).

Take these two sentences: Iūlia Iūlium et Aemiliam amat. Iūlia inter Iūlium et Aemiliam dormit. Julia loves Julius and Aemelia. Julia sleep between (inter) Julius and Aemilia. In both sentences Iūlium and Aemiliam are accūsātīvus. In the first they are accūsātīvus to show that they are the object. In the second it is to show that they are following inter. And that is why we need to talk about cases.

Speaking of inter, in today’s reading you are going to learn about some of the major roads (viae) of Italy and the towns they run between. Take the time to locate each town and each road on the map as you are reading.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 40.

READ Capitulum Sextum, lines 1-7.

Satis est. See you again shortly.

Lesson Fifty-Eight : Quid agunt puerī?

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Believe it or not, you now have almost everything you need to complete your reading of Capitulum Quīntum.

The only word left to introduce is agit/agunt - a versatile verb that more or less means do. Quid agit puer? means What is the boy doing? Quid agunt puellae? means What are the girls doing?

This verb can also be used in the imperative form (the form of the verb used for giving orders) to mean something like Come on! Here are two examples, one singular and one plural:

Age, Mārce! carpe rōsās. Come on, Marcus! pick roses.

Agite, puerī! carpite rōsās et eās in aquā ponite! Come on, boys! pick roses and put them in water.

Now READ lines 77-105.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, pages 36 & 37.

Well, congratulation on completing Capitulum Quīntum. If you have any questions at all, please leave them in the comments. And if you are following the lessons, I’d love to hear how you are finding them.

Satis est. See you shortly.

Lesson Fifty-Seven : Carpe Rosās

Salvēte, sodālēs.

If there is a top-five of Latin maxims, then Carpe Diem! is surely among them. It is usually translated - not quite correctly - as Seize the Day! Today you’ll learn that Carpe Rosās! means Pick the Roses!, and that Pluck the Day! is probably a better translation of Carpe Diem.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 35.

Today’s reading is focused on showing you more imperative verbs - both singular and plural (see Lesson 56) - and on giving you more experience with prepositions. Added to our list of in in/on, cum with, sine without and ā/ab from is ē/ex, which means out of. (ē is used before a consonant and ex before a vowel or h.)

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 35.

Besides the above, there is tantum ūnum novum verbum in today’s lengthy reading - dēlectat/dēlectant. Try to deduce the meaning of dēlectat/dēlectant for yourself, then check your understanding afterwards if necessary.

Now READ lines 56-76.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 35.

• Click here to check your understanding of dēlectat/dēlectant.

  dēlectat - delights (Rōsa Aemiliam dēlectat.)

  dēlectant - delight (Rōsae Aemiliam dēlectant.)

Satis est. See you next time.

Lesson Fifty-Six : All About Verbs

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Latin verbs can be grouped based on their endings. In Lesson 50 we saw that there are verbs that end in -at when they are singular (puer cantat the boy is singing) and -ant when they are plural (puerī cantant the boys are singing). And that there are verbs that end in -et when they are singular (puella rīdet the girl is laughing) and -ent when they are plural (puellae rīdent the girls are laughing). The time has come to meet the other two groups of verbs:

Verbs like discēdit end in -it and -unt. Other verbs you’ve met that end in -it and -unt are pōnit and sūmit.

from Handy Latin Tables Pars Prīma, page 25.

Verbs like dormit end in -it and -iunt. Other verbs you’ve met that end in -it and -iunt are audit and venit.

from Handy Latin Tables Pars Prīma, page 26.

You may be wondering what this term indicātīvus means. At the moment that’s not important - you can just think of them as ‘normal’ verbs. What is important, however, is that you understand what is meant by imperātīvus. Imperātīvus is the form of the verb that you use to tell somebody to do something. You met imperative verbs (that’s their name in English) for the first time in Lesson 41 (Capitulum Quartum, line 23). Here are some imperative verbs from Capitulum Quartum, along with their meanings:

Dāvum vocā! Call Davus! Venī! Come! Salūtā dominum! Greet the master! Salvē, domine! Be well, master!* Tacē et audī! Be silent and listen! Respondē, Dāve! Respond, Davus! Interrogā Mēdum! Ask Medus! Respondē, serve! Answer, slave! Sacculum tuum in mēnsā pōne! Put your purse on the table! Vidē! Look! Sūme sacculum tuum et discēde! Take you purse and leave! *Used as a greeting.

You will note that these imperative verbs have four different endings (-ā, -ē, -e and -ī) These relate to the same four groups discussed above. But before saying more about that, you need to understand that ALL of the imperatives in Capitulum Quartum were used to tell only one person to do something. This is called the imperātīvus singulāris. If we want to tell more than one person to do something (imperātīvus plūrālis) we use a different set of endings. You will see these endings in today’s reading.

The good news is that this can all be displayed in one handy table. Here are all of the regular verb endings that you will need to know for quite a while. I hope you find it helpful.

from Handy Latin Tables Pars Prīma, page 27.

Now READ Capitulum Quīntum lines 51-55. Remember, eōs means them, and in this reading refers to the boys.

Satis est. See you again soon.

Lesson Fifty-Five : In Peristylō

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Back in Lesson 52 we saw this table of prepositions.

from Handy Latin Tables, Pars Prīma, page 18

Up to this point, we have met two of these prepositions - in and cum. In today’s reading we will meet two more - sine and ā/ab. (You may be wondering why I’ve written ā/ab. It is because there are two forms of this word. Similar to a/an in English, ā is used before a consonant and ab before a vowel.)

We are told that sine is the opposite of cum.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 34.

Then we are given two diagrams to help us visualise cum and ā/ab. (Discēdit was introduced in Capitulum Quartum).

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 35.

Lastly, remind yourself where Tūsculum is. Ubi est Tūsculum? Tūsculum est in Italiā.

Now READ lines 43-50. If you forget the meanings of any words, use the Index Vocābulōrum. If you forget adest/adsunt or abest/absunt, you will find them listed under adesse and abesse. If you still have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments.

Satis est. See you soon.

Lesson Fifty-Four : Ōstia et Fenestrae

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta really shines meā sententiā (in my opinion) when discussing aspects of Roman culture in Latin. Today’s lengthy reading is a particularly satisfying introduction to a villa typical of a wealthy Roman family. It begins with this floorpan.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 33.

Starting at 1. and 6., the margin provides an illustration of not only an ōstium, but also a fenestra.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 33.

The next illustration is of 2. and 3., the ātrium and the impluvium. By looking carefully at image as you read, you’ll also discover the meaning of aqua.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 33.

Our final image is of 4., the peristylum (there should be a macron over the y, but my computer refuses to cooperate).

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 34.

The remainder of the labeled spaces (5.) are listed only as cubicula (singular : cubiculum). You’ll learn about these as you read the text.

There are MANY pronouns in today’s reading. The margin will help by identifying which noun the pronouns refer to. You may also find it useful to revisit lesson 51. Otherwise, the only other new word is etiam. We are told that it has the same meaning to quoque, although the word order is different.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 34.

There are two examples of etiam in today’s reading. The last sentence begins Etiam ancillae multae in ūnō cubiculō dormiunt… This could instead have been written Ancillae multae quoque in ūnō cubiculō dormiunt…

Now READ Capitulum Quīntum, lines 25-42.

Satis est. See you soon.

Lesson Fifty-Three : Nāsus Foedus

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Today’s reading is a low point in the Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta narrative. The method of introducing the four new words - foedus, nāsus, amat and sōlus - is as strong as ever. But the decision to declare Syra, an enslaved women, to be not beautiful because she has a large and ugly nose is unfortunate, meā sententiā (in my opinion). If you look beyond this, however, you will find that the reading will continue to challenge and develop your Latin reading skills.

Foedus is introduced as the opposite of pulcher. Nāsus is clearly drawn and labelled in the margin. The meanings of amat/amant and sōlus, on the other hand, must be deduced from the text itself. There will be an opportunity to check your understanding after the reading.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 33.

READ Capitulum Quīntum lines 17-24 now.

• Click here to check your understanding of the new words.

  foedus : ugly

  nāsus : nose

  amat : loves (with a singular subject)

  amant : love (with a plural subject)

  sōlus : alone

Satis est. Return soon to learn about the room of an ancient Roman villa - in Latin!

Lesson Fifty-Two : Prepositions

Salvēte, sodālēs.

On page 18 of Handy Latin Tables, Pars Prīma you will find a handy introduction to prepositions. We met our first preposition - in - way back in Capitulum Prīmum. Back then we commented on how words that followed in changed their endings. Let’s revisit that now with vīlla and hortus. A new adjective - pulcher (beautiful) - will help us out.

Vīlla Aemiliae et Iūliī est pulchra. Trēs līberī in vīllā pulchrā habitant.

Hortus Aemiliae et Iūliī quoque est pulcher. Vīlla in hortō pulchrō est.

All nouns that end in -a change their ending after in exactly like vīlla does. While nouns that end in -us or -r or -um change their ending after in just like hortus. (You may have guessed that the Latin word for dinosaur is actually dīnosaurus.) The same thing happens after the prepositions cum (with), sine (without), e/ex (out of) and a/ab (from). But for now, you only need to know about in and cum. Note: The proposition in can mean in or on ; Pecūnia est in sacculō. Sacculus est in mēnsā.

In yesterday’s reading we saw cum followed by a list of plural nouns. Iūlius et Aemilia in vīllā habitant cum līberīs et servīs et ancillīs. After in and cum the plural ending is -īs. This is true for nouns that end in -a, -us, -r and -um.

Okay, you are almost ready for today’s reading. You just need to remember pulcher and learn the Latin name of two beautiful flowers.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 32.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 32.

Now READ lines 12-16. Note that in eō means in it, and here it refers to the hortus.

Satis est. Hope to see you back here again soon.

Lesson Fifty-One : A Pronoun Deep Dive

Salvēte, sodālēs.

It’s time to stop and take stock of pronouns. Pronouns, as the name suggests, are words that can stand in for (pro) nouns. Let’s take a look at all of the pronouns that you have met so far, and a few that you haven’t met yet. One new word before we get started - cum, which means with.

It’s a lot to take in. If the sentences seem overwhelming, take a look at the table near the end of the lesson.

Masculine Singular Pronouns

Iūlius est vir Rōmānus. Julius is a Roman man. Is est vir Rōmānus. He is a Roman man.

Mārcus est fīlius Iūliī. Marcus is Julius’s son. Mārcus est fīlius eius. Marcus is his son.

Mārcus Iūlium vocat. Marcus calls Julius. Marcus eum vocat. Marcus calls him.

Iam Mārcus cum Iūliō est. Now Marcus is with Julius. Iam Mārcus cum eō est. Now Marcus is with him.

Masculine Plural Pronouns

Mēdus et Dāvus sunt virī Graecī. Medus and Davus are Greek men. Iī sunt virī Graecī. They are Greek men.

Iūlius est dominus virōrum. Julius is the master of the men. Iūlius est dominus eōrum. Julius is their master.

Iūlius vīrōs vocat. Julius calls the men. Iūlius eōs vocat. Julius calls them.

Iam Iūlius cum virīs est. Now Julius is with the men. Iam Iūlius cum eīs est. Now Julius is with them.

Feminine Singular Pronouns

Aemilia est fēmina Rōmāna. Aemilia is a Roman woman. Ea est fēmina Rōmāna. She is a Roman woman.

Mārcus est fīlius Aemiliae. Marcus is Aemilia’s son. Mārcus est fīlius eius. Marcus is her son.

Mārcus Aemiliam vocat. Marcus calls Aemilia. Marcus eam vocat. Marcus calls her.

Iam Mārcus cum Aemiliā est. Now Marcus is with Aemilia. Iam Mārcus cum eā est. Now Marcus is with her.

Feminine Plural Pronouns

Dēlia et Syra sunt fēminae Graecae. Delia and Syra are Greek women. Eae sunt fēminae Graecae. They are Greek women.

Iūlius est dominus fēminārum. Julius is the master of the women. Iūlius est dominus eārum. Julius is their master.

Iūlius fēminās vocat. Julius calls the women. Iūlius eās vocat. Julius calls them.

Iam Iūlius cum fēminīs est. Now Julius is with the women. Iam Iūlius cum eīs est. Now Julius is with them.

Neuter Singular Pronouns

Brundisium est oppidum Rōmānum. Brundisium is a Roman town. Id est oppidum Rōmānum. It is a Roman town.

Brūtus est dux oppidī. Brutus is the town’s leader. Brūtus est dux eius. Brutus is its leader.

Brūtus oppidum amat. Brūtus loves the town. Brūtus id amat. Brūtus loves it.

Nonnumquam Brūtus in oppidō habitat. Sometimes Brutus lives in the town. Nonnumquam Brūtus in eō habitat. Sometimes Brutus lives in it.

Neuter Plural Pronouns

Brundisium et Tūsculum sunt oppida Rōmāna. Brundisium et Tusculum are Roman towns. Ea sunt oppida Rōmāna. They are Roman towns.

Brūtus est dux oppidōrum. Brutus is the towns’ leader. Brūtus est dux eōrum. Brutus is their leader.

Brūtus oppida amat. Brūtus loves the towns. Brūtus ea amat. Brūtus loves them.

Nonnumquam Brūtus in oppidīs habitat. Sometimes Brutus lives in the towns. Nonnumquam Brūtus in eīs habitat. Sometimes Brutus lives in them.

This table offers a handy summary of the sentences above.

Now READ Capitulum Quīntum, lines 5-11.

Satis est. See you shortly.

Lesson Fifty : Villa et Hortus

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Congratulations on reaching Capitulum Quīntum. Let’s begin with the picture that starts the chapter. Use it to deduce the meanings of villa and hortus.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 32.

• Click here to check the meanings of villa and hortus.

  villa : villa

  hortus : garden

The textbook cleverly places two verbs side by side that you might otherwise confuse, habet and habitat. One means has and one means lives. I’m sure you’ll be able to determine which is which. Aemilia magnam vīllam habet. Aemilia in magnā vīllā habitat.

The first paragraph also shows us what happens to these verbs when the subject is plural. Pay attention to the underlining.

Iūlius in magnā vīllā habitat. Iūlius et Aemilia in magnā vīllā habitant.

Iūlius magnam vīllam habet. Iūlius et Aemilia magnam vīllam habent.

There are a few different types of verbs in Latin. Verbs like habitat end in -at and -ant. Other verbs you’ve met that end in -at and -ant are cantat, pulsat, plōrat, vocat, interrogat, verberat, numerat, salūtat and accūsat.

from Handy Latin Tables Pars Prīma, page 23.

Verbs like habet end in -et and -ent. Other verbs you’ve met that end in -et and -ent are rīdet, videt, respondet and tacet.

from Handy Latin Tables Pars Prīma, page 24.

Now READ lines 1-4.

Satis est. See you again soon.

Lesson Forty-Nine : Digitābulum Infīnītīvum (The Infinity Gauntlet)

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Today’s lesson is an entirely optional second comic set in the Lego Marvel Universe (see Lesson Thirty for the first). If you have seen the movies Infinity War and End Game, then you know that Thanos needs all of the Infinity Gems in his Gauntlet in order to carry out his plan. This comic follows the plot of Capitulum Quartum very closely indeed, but with Gemmae Infīnītīvae instead of nummī.

Click on this link to open the Digitābulum Infīnītīvum comic in a new window. Click on the + in the top right corner of any picture to expand it. Now you can read the comic using everything you have learnt from Capitulum Quartum. The English name of Rictus Habenius, by the way, is Ebony Maw.

Satis est. See you again soon.

Lesson Forty-Eight : Another Side

Salvēte, sodālēs.

Much has been written on the representation of marginalised groups in Latin textbooks. With some notable exceptions, the stories of the poor, of girls and women, and of the enslaved are told only at the service of these textbooks’ real heroes - upperclass free Romans. I’m pleased to say that Medus returns to Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta later in the book with his own narrative. But rather than wait that long, I have written my own story that tries to tell Medus’s reasons for stealing Julius’s money, and for accusing Davus for the theft.

Mēdus

Quis est Mēdus? Mēdus est vir Graecus. Estne Mēdus amīcus Iūliī? Mēdus nōn est amīcus sed servus Iūliī. Iūlius est eius dominus. Dominus est vir quī servum habet. Vir quī servum habet est vir improbus!

Mēdus sacculum suum in mensā pōnit et pecūniam suam numerat: “Ūnus nummus, duo nummī, trēs nummī.” Numerus nummōrum in sacculō Mēdī est trēs. Nōn multī sed paucī nummī in sacculō eius sunt. Mēdus pecūniam videt et plōrat.

Syra venit et Mēdum salūtat. Dēlia quoque venit et eum salūtat. Mēdus Syram et Dēliam salūtat.

Syra Dēliam interrogat: ‘Cur Mēdus plōrat?’

Dēlia respondet: ‘Mēdus plōrat quia dominus eum rūrsus verberat.’

Syra: ‘Iūlius est vir improbus, quī quoque mē verberat.’

Dēlia: ‘Domina Aemilia mē verberat. Iūlius ...’ Dēlia tacet.

Dāvus Mēdum vocat: ‘Mēde!’ Mēdus audit et venit. Dāvus Mēdum salūtat.

Mēdus: ‘Quid est, Dāve?’

Dāvus: ‘St! Tace, amīce! Tacē et audī! Sacculus Iūliī hīc in mensā est, sed Iūlius nōn adest. Aemilia quoque abest. Sacculus plēnus est. Iūlius multōs nummōs habet. Sūme pecūniam Iūliī et discēdē! Accūsā mē et discēdē!’ Dāvus rīdet. Mēdus baculum in mensā videt. Servus nullum verbum respondet sed multōs nummōs sūmit et in sacculō suō pōnit.

Satis est. See you tomorrow.

Lesson Forty-Seven : Scaena Tertia

Salvēte, sodālēs.

After a run of lessons with very short readings, I’m happy to tell you that today you’ll be reading the entirety of Capitulum Quartum, Scaena Tertia. There is only one new word that needs to be learnt : is, which is a pronoun meaning he. You’ll see it a number of times throughout.

And a heads up, the end of the reading contains hints of violence.

Now READ lines 79-98.

Satis est. See you soo.

Lesson Forty-Six : Quod

Salvēte, sodālēs.

In Lesson 37 we met the the relative pronouns quī and quae. Both pronouns can be translated as ‘who’. Allow me to refresh your memory:

Quī is masculine (referring to nouns that end in -us or -r).

Quis est puer qui rīdet? Puer quī rīdet est Mārcus. Who is the boy who laughs? The boy who laughs is Marcus.

Quae is feminine (referring to nouns that end in -a).

Quae est puella quae plōrat? Puella quae plōrat est Iūlia. Who is the girl who cries? The girl who cries is Julia.

In today’s reading we will meet quod. Quod is the equivalent of quī or quae for neuter nouns (nouns that end in -um). It appears in the sentence : Mēdus baculum, quod (which) in mēnsā est, videt.

Now READ lines 75-78, in which you will finally learn the answer to that all important question : Quis habet pecūniam Iūliī? Apologies for all these short readings. I promise you that Lesson 47 will provide a much longer passage for you to enjoy.

from the Legonium website.

Satis est. See you back here again soon.

Lesson Forty-Five : Two Antonyms and A Synonym

Salvēte, sodālēs.

To make sense of today’s short reading, you will need to have a good understanding of three words; pōnit, venit and probus. This is because the book is going to define three new words - sūmit, discēdit and bonus - in relation to pōnit, venit and probus. I’ll put all three in a few short sentences to jog your memory.

Marcus est puer improbus. Puer improbus puellam pulsat. Quīntus est puer probus. Puer probus cantat et rīdet neque pulsat puellam. Quīntus sacculum Aemiliae habet. Aemilia Quīntum vocat : ‘Quīnte, ubi est meus sacculus?’ Quīntus venit et sacculum Aemiliae in mēnsā pōnit.

Let’s begin with the two antonyms (words that mean the opposite). The double arrows in the margin tell us that sūmit means the opposite of pōnit, and discēdit means the opposite of venit.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 29.

Now let’s look at the synonym (word that means the same). The equal sign in the margin tells us that bonus means the same as probus. Quīntus est puer bonus. = Quīntus est puer probus.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 29.

Now READ lines 68-74.

from the Legonium website.

Satis est. I hope to see you again soon.