HELP!!!!

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Eduardus
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HELP!!!!

Post by Eduardus »

Hi! I'm a latin beginner, so I would like to know which one is correct or if none of them are:<br /><br />- Amicitiae verae aeternae sunt.<br />- Amicitias veras aeternae sunt.<br /><br />What I want to say is: <br /><br />- "True friendships are forever."<br /><br />Please help! :-\<br />

mariek
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Re:HELP!!!!

Post by mariek »

<br />I'm a Latin beginner also, so I don't know the answer to your question. But I would take a guess at your first sentence, Amicitiae verae aeternae sunt because the subject is in the nominative form. The accusative form, Amicitias, just doesn't feel right to me. But I'm probably wrong... <br />

mariek
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Re:HELP!!!!

Post by mariek »

Welcome to Textkit, btw. Have you discovered the downloadable Latin grammars and readers on this site? Click on "Learn Latin" above.

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benissimus
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Re:HELP!!!!

Post by benissimus »

Yep, mariek is correct. There is no reason to have an accusative, so your first choice is correct.<br /><br />As for word choice, yours are valid, but I might consider perpetuae instead of aeternae. This is because aeternae has a sense more along the lines of "eternal" or "throughout the ages" while perpetuae means "ongoing", "everlasting". They both do mean forever, but each has its own nuances, and few words are going to fit with your English perfectly (which is why it is so much better to learn a language than read translations :)).
flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae

Eduardus
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Re:HELP!!!!

Post by Eduardus »

Thanks everyone for the help!

Episcopus
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Re:HELP!!!!

Post by Episcopus »

Well one could use the accusative in "amicitas veras esse..."<br />meaning "for true friendships to be..." ;)

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