on love and youth

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franciscus
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on love and youth

Post by franciscus »

Y'all, am trying to translate the ff. into Latin

English: "You are only as old as your youngest lover."

My attempted Latin: "Ad iuventissimus inamorata in aetatis aequalitas es."

And yes, I've used this line to put a smile on a very lovely lady's face.

huilen
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Re: on love and youth

Post by huilen »

You could express it in many ways, but keeping with your first attempt, here are some corrections:
"Aequalitas" is a noun, you need an adjective: "aequalis", or "par".
"Aetatis" is in the genitive case, but I think you are looking for the ablative: "aetate".
To make the comparison you could use the dative: "iuvenissimo amatori".

Iuvenissimo amatori aetate par es.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

The superlative of iuvenis is maximus natu, at least in classical Latin. The comparative is iunior or maior natu, but there is no superlative based on iuvenis.

To capture "only" in "You are only as old as", you could write haud senior es amatore tuo maximo natu.

While Latin uses personal pronouns/adjectives more sparingly than English with close relations, body parts, etc., this is one situation where I think tuo would be necessary.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

If you want to be naughtier, you could substitute moecho for amatore.

adrianus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by adrianus »

Qimmik wrote:you could write haud senior es amatore tuo maximo natu.
Isn't it the other way round?
Nonnè ex adverso est:
amatore tuo natu minimo. = "than your youngest lover"
[maximus natu vel maximus = anglicè "oldest"]
Last edited by adrianus on Sat Apr 26, 2014 12:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

Yes, you're right, minimo natu.

adrianus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by adrianus »

A male heterosexual or homosexual female speaking the phrase might also distinguish in this way, I think, for female lovers, as opposed to lovers male or female or just male:
Sic forsit distinguat locutor sententiae latinae masculinus et heterosexualis vel femininus et homosexualis:
“amatrice tuâ maximâ natu.


That might delay encouraging your "lovely lady" to find a male lover younger than you are yourself.
Sic in vertendo, puella tua (supra citata) consilium junioris amatoris inveniendi non statim animadvertat.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

Haud senior es minimo natu paedicatore tuo.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

I'm not completely satisfied with haud senior es minimo natu amatore tuo. I think this would be obscure in Latin. Let's put senior and minimus at the beginning and end, and tu and tuorum together, taking advantage of Latin's capacity for hyperbaton, and let's get rid of the unnecessary copulation.

Senior haud tu tuorum quam amatorum qui natu mimimus.

Or, depending on your preference, senior haud tu tuorum quam qui natu minimus paedicatorum.

I hope this doesn't get me permanently banished from this site.
Last edited by Qimmik on Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

adrianus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by adrianus »

Tantùm annos habes amatoris tui natu minini. (generally)
vel
Tantùm annos habes amatricis tuae natu minimae

verbatim "You are the age merely of your youngest lover"
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

Tantùm annos habes amatoris tui natu minini.

This would have to be something like tot annos habes quot amator tuus natu minimus. Also, to capture "only," which is the point of the expression, you might want to phrase this "non plures annos habes quam . . . ", and I would write amatorum tuorum qui natu minimus to make it clearer that one among a group of lovers is meant.
Last edited by Qimmik on Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

adrianus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by adrianus »

Qimmik wrote:assuming that x annos habere is a Latin idiom, which I don't know I've ever seen
"quot annos habet?"
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=baxA ... 22&f=false

"Marcus octo annos habet. Quintus est puer septem annorum. Iulia quinque annos habet. Quintus non tantus est quantus Marcus nec tam parvus quam Iulia." (LLPSI)
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

I found an instance of tot annos habet in Cicero.

adrianus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by adrianus »

Qimmik wrote:I found an instance of tot annos habet in Cicero.
Oh, good.
Bonum est.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

I see now. You're using tantum as an adverb to mean "only". "You only have the years of your youngest lover." But this is somewhat obscure. I think it would be better to make it clear that you're talking about quantity -- tot quot.

adrianus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by adrianus »

Qimmik wrote:"You only have the years of your youngest lover." But this is somewhat obscure.
That's because the Latin phrase "X annos habet" for "He is X years of age" sounds obscure to you in English as "He has X years". It sounds fine to me in English because my ears can also using Irish tuning there. Instead, read "You have only the age of your youngest lover".
Sic credis, imaginor, quod abditum tibi illud dictum (scilicet "X annos habet") anglicé. Non mihi autem, cuius aures temperaturam hibernicam in linguâ anglicâ habeant. Aliter modò in sermones anglicos vertas (exempli gratiâ, "You have only the age of your youngest lover").
You're using tantum as an adverb to mean "only".
Ita, sic ("adverbium" enim) illud signum (grave accentum denotans) in "tantùm" vocabulo significat.
Yes, the sign ` (the grave accent) in "tantùm" means it's an adverb.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

Qimmik
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Re: on love and youth

Post by Qimmik »

It's not tantum annos habes that sounds obscure--it's the genitive amatoris that makes it obscure. You need something that makes it clear you're comparing quantities of years.

adrianus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by adrianus »

Qimmik wrote:It's not tantum annos habes that sounds obscure--it's the genitive amatoris that makes it obscure. You need something that makes it clear you're comparing quantities of years.
Fair enough, Qimmik. If you think it's obscure, it must be. My brain must be wishfully filling in the blind spot.
Licet, Qimmik. Obscurum est, si obscurum id putas. Fortassè, sensum spatium quo sensum careat implere subconscientia mea facit.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

franciscus
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Re: on love and youth

Post by franciscus »

Thanks all gents (Gratia vobis omnes viri boni).

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