Chapters 7–81. Caesar’s Triumph (the perfect tense)
2. The flavor of the perfect
3. The Trojan War retold (again!) in past tenses
4. Third-declension nouns
5. Sum: imperfect and future indicative (and meet possum)
6. Old MacDonald (dative of possession)
7. Infinitive as noun
1. Caesar’s Triumphs
Suetonius, Divus Iulius 37:
On the day of the triumphal procession over Gaul, … he was almost thrown from his chariot when the axle broke. He climbed the Capitol by torch-light, with forty elephants bearing lamps to the right and to the left. …
1. Caesar’s Triumphs (the perfect tense) …
In his triumph over Pontus, one of the carts in the processions had on the front of it a placard (titulus) with the words “I came, I saw, I conquered”, not detailing the events of the campaign, as was the case with the others, but emphasizing the speed with which it was completed.
VĒNĪ — VĪDĪ — VĪCĪ
1. Caesar’s Triumphs (the perfect tense) …
vēnī, vīdī, vīcī
vēnistī, vīdistī, vīcistī?
vēnit, vīdit, vīcit!
vēnimus, vīdimus, vīcimus
vēnistis, vīdistis, vīcistis?
vēnērunt, vīdērunt, vīcērunt!
(or: vēnēre, vīdēre, vīcēre)
1. Caesar’s Triumphs (the perfect tense) …
amō, amāre, amāv-ī, amātus
timeō, timēre, timu-ī, —
videō, vidēre, vīd-ī, vīsus
sum, esse, fu-ī, futūrus
veniō, venīre, vēn-ī, ventus “to come”
vincō, vincere, vīc-ī, victus “to conquer”
vīvō, vīvere, vīx-ī, victūrus “to live”
person endings for all other finite verbs
-ō/-m
-s
-t
-mus
-tis
-nt
perfect active
indicative(only!) person endings
-ī
-istī
-it
-imus
-istis
-ērunt/-ēre
vēnī, vīdī, vīxī (Voltaire)
The perfect stem
2. The flavors of the perfect*** TWO PAST TENSES IN LATIN ***
IMPERFECT PERFECT*** TWO DISTINCT SENSES ***
Nātūra aquam cibumque dābat.
“(In the Golden Age) Nature gave/used to give/was giving water and food.”
Iuppiter Neptūnō imperium pontī dedit.
“Jupiter gave Neptune power over the sea.” = HISTORICAL PERFECT
“Jupiter has given Neptune power over the sea” = PRESENT PERFECT
imperfective aspect(a sense of repetition, habit, state of
affairs)
(sometimes also a sense of attempt or beginning)
perfective aspect(a sense of completion, singularity,
simplicity)
3. The Trojan War retold (again!) in past tenses
1. Cassandra clāmāvit:“Ō Trōiānī, equumne in
Trōiam portāvistis?”Equus enim puellam
terrēbat.
3. Sed tum novus dominus Graecus
Cassandram portāvit ē Trōiā in Graeciam. Et puellam nōn amābat
dominī fēmina …
2. Cassandra templum Minervae intrāvit. “Ō dea
nostra, templum tuum vēlavimus!”
Sed Aiax, vir Graecus, festīnābat puellaeque
nocuit.
4. Third-declension nounsdeclension defining
characeristicexamples
1 a rēgīna, -ae f. queenpoēta, -ae m. poetNO NEUTER
2 u(originally o)
cf. Greek phil-os)
amīcus, -ī m. friendFEW FEMININE (humus, -ī f. ground)consilium, -iī n. advice
3 consonant sol, sōlis m. sunvōx, vōcis f. voiceanimal, animālis n. animal
4 u currus, -ūs m. chariotNO FEMININEcornū, -ūs n. horn
5 e speciēs, speciēī f. sightNO MASCULINE OR NEUTER
4. Third-declension nounspater patriae [nom. sg.]father of the fatherland
in vīnō, vēritās [nom. sg.]In wine, truth
dux fēmina factī [nom. sg.]A woman (was) leader of the deed
ars longa, vīta brevis [nom. sg.]The art (is) long, life (is) short
mōs [nom. sg.] maiōrum [gen. pl.]the custom of the ancestors
terrā marīque [abl. sg.]By land and sea
multās per gentēs et multa per aequora [acc. pl.]through many nations and through many seas (Catullus)
Some phrases with third-declension nouns
4. Third-declension nouns declined
case singular pluralNOM dux [duc-s] duc-ēsGEN duc-is duc-um [art-ium]DAT duc-ī duc-ibusACC duc-em duc-ēsABL duc-e duc-ibus
dux, ducis m.māter, mātris f.
ars, artis(-ium) f.
Masculine and
feminine
Neuter
nūmen, nūminis n.
animal, animālis(-ium) n.
case singular pluralNOM nūmen nūmin-a [animāl-ia]GEN nūmin-is nūmin-um [animāl-ium]DAT nūmin-ī nūmin-ibusACC nūmen nūmin-a [animāl-ia]ABL nūmin-e [animāl-ī] nūmin-ibus
4. Third-declension nouns: some sentences and phrases
sol, sōlis m.māter, mātris f.
ars, artis f.mare, maris (-ium) n.
Sol viam monstrat.
Māter viam arte monstrat.
Sol viam mātrī monstrat.
Sol mare monstrat.
Sol maria monstrat.
Via sōlem monstrat.
Mare sōlem monstrat.
Ars viam mātri monstrat.
sol magnussol pulcherars longa
mātris miseraemātrī miseraemare altum
bonārum artiumbonīs artibus
5. Sum: Imperfect and future indicative (and: meet possum)
PRESENT IMPERFECT FUTUREamā- habē- amā-bā- habē-bā- amā-bi- habē-bi-
amōamāsamat
amāmusamātisamant
habeōhabēshabet
habēmushabētishabent
amābamamābāsamābat
amābāmusamābātisamābant
habēbamhabēbāshabēbat
habēbāmushabēbātishabēbant
amābōamābisamābit
amābimusamābitisamābunt
habēbōhabēbishabēbit
habēbimushabēbitishabēbunt
PRESENT IMPERFECT FUTUREsu-/es- possu-/
potes-erā- poterā- eri- poteri-
sumesest
sumusestissunt
possumpotespotest
possumuspotestispossunt
eramerāserat
erāmuserātiserant
poterampoterāspoterat
poterāmuspoterātispoterant
erōeriserit
erimuseritiserunt
poterōpoterispoterit
poterimuspoteritispoterunt
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus “to be; exist”possum, potesse, potuī, — “to be able; can” (+ infin.)”
6. Old MacDonald (dative of possession)
English Literal translation Preferred idiomatic translation
(dative of possession)Old MacDonald
had a farm.Macdonaldus rusticus
fundum habēbat.Macdonaldō rusticō
fundus erat, oh!
6. Old MacDonald (dative of possession) …
English possessor in dative
posession in nominative
verb “to be”
My father has a big cottage.
patrī meō casa magna est
The cottage has many deities.
casae multa nūmina sunt
Our son shall have the
name “Lucius”.
fīliō nostrō nōmen erit Lūcius (or:
Lūciō)
7. Infinitive as (neuter singular) nounErrāre est humānum
To err is human
Errāvīsse est humānum.To have erred is human.
Venīre, vidēre, vincere est Rōmānum.To come, see, conquer is Roman.
Vēnisse, vīdisse, vīxisse est Rōmānum.To have come, to have seen, to have conquered is Roman.
Rōmānīs nōn placet errāre.To err does not please the Romans.
Amāre est vīxisse.To love is to have lived.
Nōn possum nōn adamāre tē.I … can’t … help … falling in love … with … you.