M&F Unit 12 English to Latin

[bingley]

Any comments on or corrections to these translations? The main points of this unit are subjunctives in independent clauses, and indirect questions.

1. Let all citizens in a free state be dutiful and willing to fight for their country.

Omnes in civitati liberae civites non solum pii sint sed etiam pro eorum patria pugnare velint.

2. If only we could always be free from care!

Utinam ab curis semper immunes possimus!

3. All men know why the enemy must be overcome.

Omnes viri sciunt quam ob rem hostes superandi sint.

4. What are we to do in order that we may remain free men?

Faciamus ut liberi maneamus?

5. He might believe that you are all good and honourable men.

Vos omnes viros bonos et honestos esse credat.

6. He explained how the enemy would attack and destroy the fortified walls at Rome.

Quomodo muros munitos Romae hostes oppugnaturi et deleturi essent exposuit.

[chrisb]

Translation into Latin is something I have not done much of, but can I suggest that

5. He might believe that you are all good and honourable men.

might be better translated as

Vos omnes bonos et honestos esse credat.

That is, miss out the 'viros', as this is inherent in the endings of the adjectives.

Can you also do a similar thing in No. 3?

chrisb

[Skylax]

Any comments on or corrections to these translations? The main points of this unit are subjunctives in independent clauses, and indirect questions.

1. Let all citizens in a free state be dutiful and willing to fight for their country.

Omnes in civitate libera cives non solum pii sint sed etiam pro [sua] patria pugnare velint. (pugnaturi sint/prompti sint ad pugnandum)

2. If only we could always be free from care!

Utinam a[b] curis semper immunes esse possimus! (expresses a possible wish; if unaccomplished wish in present time : possemus)

3. All men know why the enemy must be overcome.

Omnes [viri] sciunt quam ob rem hostes superandi sint.

4. What are we to do in order that we may remain free men?

Quid faciamus (deliberative subj.) (Quid nobis faciendum est) ut liberi maneamus?

5. He might believe that you are all good and honourable men.

Vos omnes viros bonos et honestos esse (fortasse) credat. (Here, the use of viros seems justified, as it "supports" the predicate adjectives)

6. He explained how the enemy would attack and destroy the fortified walls at Rome.

Quomodo muros munitos (= moenia) Romae hostes oppugnaturi et deleturi essent exposuit.

[bingley]

Thank you both.

[benissimus]

May I ask why you chose "essent" in the final sentence? It seemed like you were just doing an indirect statement with reference to the future, so I thought "esse" would be the word of choice here, since the sentence is already past tense by relativity to the verb "exposuit".

[bingley]

It's an indirect question, so I wanted to use the subjunctive. The attacking and destroying takes place after the explaining, so it needs to be future. In direct speech it would be something like:

Quomodo moenia Romae hostes pugnabunt et delebunt?

The main verb is present perfect with past meaning, so it needs secondary sequence, so the future tense in direct speech become the future participle active to show the tense plus the imperfect subjunctive of esse to show that it's in relation to past time not present time (there not being a future subjunctive in Latin).

[benissimus]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!