Questions tagged [grammar-identification]
Use this tag when asking about a grammatical structure you cannot name and want explained.
252 questions
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Direct object(s)? of "excutit" in Aeneid 12.470
What is the direct object of excutit in this sentence (Aen. 12.468–470)?
Hōc concussa metū mentem Iuturna virāgō
aurīgam Turnī media inter lōra Metiscum
excutit et longē lapsum tēmōne relinquit.
Is ...
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quamdiu with subjunctive?
Lots of materials assert that quamdiu is used with the indicative.
Quam diū, as long as, takes the Indicative only. (A&G's New Latin Grammar, 555.)
im Lateinischen dum, quamdiu, seltener quoad ...
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1
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Can someone identify this accusative + infinitive idiom?
I'm reading Ανάβασις, 4th book.
Could someone please explain how this present middle particle works to mean what it does?
"οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου ὁρῶμεν εἰ μὴ ὀλίγους τούτους ἀνθρώπους, καὶ ...
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Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri
This is a famous sentence from Horace's Epistle, if I can believe Wikipedia. It's first person speech in a letter.
I'm trying to understand the grammar and produce a translation that is a bit more ...
7
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1
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"... qui si iuvissent, se eodem loco quo Helvetios habiturum."
From De Bello Gallico, Book 1, Chapter 26:
Caesar ad Lingonas litteras nuntiosque misit, ne eos frumento neve
alia re iuvarent: qui si iuvissent, se eodem loco quo Helvetios
habiturum.
The ...
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2
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0
answers
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What is the explanation for this apparent non-matching inflection? [duplicate]
I'm reading Ανάβασις, 4th book.
"καὶ ἀριστῶντι τῷ Ξενοφῶντι προσέτρεχον δύο νεανίσκω•"
To me this seems to be a mistake: shouldn't the inflection of προστρέχω be 3rd dual imperfective active ...
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0
answers
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Naupactus xantographus
Naupactus xanthographus is a weevil that goes by the common name South American fruit tree weevil. Here is a photo:
Naupactus xanthographus
My question is about the specific name xanthographus. It ...
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2
answers
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Does this phrase makes sense: "hanc ego viam si asperam atque duram negem, mentiar"
I was wondering if the following phrase makes sense: "hanc ego viam si asperam atque duram negem, mentiar"
To my understanding this means: If you don't admit that
this journey is difficult, ...
- 69
7
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1
answer
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Meaning of "οἱ" in a passage from Xenophon
Reading Ανάβασις Ξενοφόντος. Here Xenophon is talking to Χειρίσοφος about what to do about some lurking non-Greeks (i.e. Persian adversaries) because the Greeks are in a bit of a tight spot.
ἀλλὰ ...
- 1,451
4
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1
answer
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Why is the title of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament "Novum Testamentum Graece" rather than "Novum Testamentum Graecum"?
The widely-used Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament is titled Novum Testamentum Graece. My understanding is that Graece is an adverb, but it is modifying a noun; shouldn't it be Novum Testamentum Graecum?...
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7
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1
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Why is 'piscem' wrong here?
I was asked to translate the English sentence
I throw fish onto the floor.
into Latin in Duolingo.
I answered
Piscem in pavimentum iacio.
But the correct answer was
Pisces in pavimentum iacio.
I ...
- 219
4
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2
answers
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translating exhibenda est
The words exhibenda est occur in Pliny's Letter XIX from book 5: cui tanto maior humanitas exhibenda est. I'm very rusty and I'm struggling with this verb. Is it passive, subjunctive, gerund?
5
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1
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Grammar of the incipit of the papal bull "Antiquorum habet fida relatio"
On 22 February 1300, Pope Boniface VIII published the bull Antiquorum habet fida relatio, declaring 1300 the first jubilee year of the Catholic Church, encouraging pilgrimages to Rome and promising a ...
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What is this accussative doing with a passive verb?
In the Pseudo-Ovidian Metamorphosis Flaminis in Gallo, we find this hexameter:
Induitur plūmās simul et vittāta sacerdōs.
And at the same time, the fillet-wearing priestess was wrapped(?) in feathers....
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2
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Can someone explain this case?
I'm reading Ανάβασις Ξενοφῶντος (slowly). This is where the Greeks are lost at the wrong end of Asia Minor and wondering what to do and Xenophon himself (according to his account at least) gets up and ...
- 1,451
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0
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Can I mix noun and verb objects with 'velle'?
As far as I know, the following two are grammatically valid:
Panem et aquam volo.
I want bread and water.
Edere et bibere volo.
I want to eat and drink.
In the first sentence the objects of velle are ...
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Why 'Caesar fertur dixisse' and not 'Caesarem fertur dixisse'?
In Living Latin: A Graded Reader (The Paideia Institute), Chapter XXXIX contains the following sentence:
Et deinde Caesar ultima voce fertur Marco Bruto dixisse 'Et tu Brute'
I parse it as:
(Et ...
user16189
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0
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How to understand "excusare Baeticis contra unum hominem advocationem"?
Pliny writes letter 1.6 to Octavius Rufus, who has asked him to appear in court against the Baetici, which he declines to do:
Etenim, sicut fas est mihi, praesertim te exigente, excusare Baeticis ...
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1
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Can someone explain this grammar feature?
I'm reading Ανάβασις by Ξενοφών. I came across this sentence:
ἱκανὸς μὲν γὰρ ὥς τις καὶ ἄλλος φροντίζειν ἦν ὅπως ἔχοι ἡ στρατιὰ αὐτῷ
τὰ ἐπιτήδεια καὶ παρασκευάζειν ταῦτα, ἱκανὸς δὲ καὶ ἐμποιῆσαι τοῖς
...
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1
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What does *qui* mean in a non-defining relative clause?
I've been reading the novella "Pons tironum" and came across this sentence: "Calculīs, quippe quī tālōs nōn habērem, hunc in modum lūdēbam."
I interpret it as "I was playing ...
user15883
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1
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"Nam sī qua alia urbs, est īnsalūbris Rōma."
I'm currently reading "Pons Tironum" and came across a sentence I don't understand:
Nam sī qua alia urbs, est īnsalūbris Rōma.
I can understand "Rōma est urbs īnsalūbris", but ...
user15883
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2
answers
860
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What does "ad tempus tantum" mean?
I am reading a short story on the Legentibus app and I am not sure that I correctly understand the grammar of the following sentence:
[Nātūra] dat nōbīs juventūtem, sed ad tempus tantum.
From ...
user15883
3
votes
1
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Is anyone having trouble with Perseus?
I started learning Ancient Greek about a year ago.
I discovered that Wiktionary is pretty useful for this, although pretty often it doesn't find the word you're looking for.
Then someone here pointed ...
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How do I properly state that “the time has come to be bolder”?
I am working to poetically convey that “the time has come to be bolder,” and I’ve written “tempus advenit audacius.” I am beginning to question whether a preposition belongs and whether “venit” should ...
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Can someone explain this unexpected construction?
I'm reading Ανάβασις by Ξενοφών. I came across this sentence:
ἐν δὲ τούτῳ ἧκε Τισσαφέρνης ἔχων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ὡς εἰς οἶκον ἀπιὼν καὶ Ὀρόντας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν: ἦγε δὲ καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα τὴν ...
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What does "quod" refer to in Vulgate in Matthew 26:75?
In Vulgate:
Et recordatus est Petrus verbi Jesu, quod dixerat : Priusquam gallus cantet, ter me negabis. Et egressus foras, flevit amare.
https://www.bible.com/bible/823/MAT.26.75
What does "...
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What does "Tris dies" mean in "Ritchie's Fabulae Faciles"?
From Ritchie's Fabulae Faciles:
Tris dies per totam insulam matrem quaerebat; tandem quarto die ad templum Dianae pervenit.
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/ritchie.html
What does "Tris dies"...
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Is there any potential ambiguity in this phrase from Xenophon?
I'm (still) reading Ανάβασις by Ξενοφών. I came across this sentence:
οἱ μὲν οὖν πρῶτοι ὅμως τρόπῳ τινὶ ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, οἱ δὲ ὕστεροι σκοταῖοι προσιόντες ὡς ἐτύγχανον ἕκαστοι ηὐλίζοντο, καὶ ...
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1
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Reason for ablative case in "praesidioque decorique parentibus esse"
In Lucretius II 641–643
"aut quia significant divam praedicere ut armis
ac virtute velint patriam defendere terram
praesidioque parent decorique parentibus esse."
I am not very comfortable ...
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1
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What is this grammar and how should I interpret this?
εἰσὶν δὲ οὗτοι οἱ οὐδὲν ἄλλο οἰόμενοι εἶναι ἢ οὗ ἂν δύνωνται ἀπρὶξ τοῖν χεροῖν λαβέσθαι, πράξεις δὲ καὶ γενέσεις καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἀόρατον οὐκ ἀποδεχόμενοι ὡς ἐν οὐσίας μέρει.
I don't understand the bold ...
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0
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Absurdum est, affirmare, re credendum esse non judici
I have trouble understanding the grammar of this sentence, especially re:
Absurdum est, affirmare, re credendum esse non judici.
It is absurd to affirm, that we must not give credit to a judge.
from ...
user14839
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1
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Does studeo take the dative?
In their Latin course, Duolingo likes to use the post-classical meaning of studeo of "to study". Does this meaning usually take a dative rather than using an accusative?
The course regularly ...
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Grammar of motto "Sancte et Sapiente"
The motto of King's College is "Sancte et Sapiente", which is translated "With Holiness and Wisdom". Am I correct in understanding that two of the three words are adverbs, so a ...
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What is μέγεθος referring to in Jewish War 3.4
In the Jewish War chapter 3.4, it says:
μόνον [οὖν] εὑρίσκει Οὐεσπασιανὸν ταῖς χρείαις ἀναλογοῦντα καὶ τηλικούτου πολέμου μέγεθος ἀναδέξασθαι δυνάμενον
"He found only Vespasian a match for the ...
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Deceptum is the ablative singular?
I saw a paradigm of the adjective deceptus -a -um (which is the participle of decipio) in which the neuter single ablative form is deceptum rather than decepto as we would expect. So, if this is true, ...
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0
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Is it permissible to use "dum" with the pluperfect subjunctive?
Is it ever permissible to use dum with the pluperfect subjunctive?
Here is an example of this construction from Victor of Vita's Historia persecutionis Africanae provinciae:
qui lapides dum ...
2
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1
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What is the difference between me and mihi?
I'm studying Latin on Duolingo and am trying to find out more about parts that I don't understand. One of those words is me and mihi because Duolingo and any other sites I check says they both mean &...
3
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1
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Why ablative "natu" is used in these expressions?
In the novella Filia regis et monstrum horribile, by Andrew Olimpi, I have read (emphasis mine):
Fīlia prīma nātū est puella pulchra. Sed fīlia secunda nātū pulchrior est quam soror sua. [...] Fīlia
...
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2
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Questions for Regulus
I am recently trying to read Regulus, the Latin version of the Little Prince translated by Augusto Haury, and I met some problems in Chapter 4. It may be somewhat troublesome to make several threads ...
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Unusual grammar in Ars Amatoria 1.509 f: 'a nulla tempora comptus acu'
I'm reading the Ars Amatoria in Hans Ørberg's annotated edition, this is book 1.509 f:
Forma viros neglecta decet. Minoida Theseus
abstulit, a nulla tempora comptus acu;
I get the sense: "It ...
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1
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Why would an accusative become the subject in Tacitus, Annales 1.28?
I am translating Tacitus's Annales 1.28 and the first line is "noctem minacem et in scelus erupturam fors leniuit: ..."
When looking at other people's translation they have said "The ...
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2
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2
answers
248
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Usage of ablative in a sentence by Curtius
This text comes from Quintus Curtius Rufus Historiae Alexandri Magni, book 3, chapter 5 (emphasis mine):
Mediam Cydnus amnis, de quo paulo ante dictum est, interfluit. Et tunc aestas erat, cuius ...
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1
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Why ablative "corporibus" and "funeribus" are used in this excerpt from Tacitus "Annals" XVI?
In Tacitus Annals XVI, 13, one can read (emphasis mine on the words that cause me difficulty):
Vastata Campania turbine ventorum, qui villas arbusta fruges passim disiecit pertulitque violentiam ad ...
- 2,172
5
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1
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On meaning and syntactic structure of "usque eo quoad his sex annis"
I am reading the Latin version of the Little Prince, namely Regulus, translated by Auguste Haury. In the beginning of Chap. 2, I saw this sentence a little hard for me:
Sic aetatem solus egi nec ...
- 3,756
4
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1
answer
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aestus immanes -- parsing a sentence from Augustine's Confessions
Please consider this passage from Book III, chapter 2 of Augustine's Confessions:
Ut quid decurrit in torrentem picis bullientis, aestus immanes taetrarum libidinum, in quos ipsa mutatur et vertitur ...
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2
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Grammar of rogatum auxilium, askee modified instead of asker
In the following passage from De Bello Gallico 11, I do not understand why rogatum apparently agrees with Caesar (or maybe modifies auxilium?) instead of legatos:
Aedui, cum se suaque ab eis defendere ...
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8
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1
answer
925
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Why "quod" and not "quo" is used here?
In chapter XXII of Lingua latina per se illustrata: Colloquia Personarum, I have read the following sentence (emphasis mine in the word I find difficult to understand):
Hic anulus ex auro puro factus ...
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3
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1
answer
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Use of the passive in Caesar "agros populabantur" to indicate state of action
At first there seemed to me to be a grammar error in De Bello Gallico I.11:
Helvetii iam per angustias et fines Sequanorum suas copias traduxerant et in Aeduorum fines pervenerant eorumque agros ...
- 8,436
6
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1
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Should these "vellus" be "vellerum"?
I read the following text in the book Método de Latín I by Santiago Segura Munguía, published by the University of Deusto (emphasis mine on the words that cause me difficulty):
Multas fabulas a ...
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2
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Is "impossibile" an adjective in "ad impossibile nemo tenetur"?
In "ad impossibile nemo tenetur", is "impossibile" a noun derived from the adjective impossibilis, or just an adjective with the word rem implied?
user13971