# Latin story #24 from 38 Latin stories

**URL:** <https://www.textkit.com/t/latin-story-24-from-38-latin-stories/11016>\
**Category:** Wheelock's Latin\
**Created:** [May 10, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://www.textkit.com/t/latin-story-24-from-38-latin-stories/11016 "2012-05-10T17:20:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![spqr](https://www.textkit.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@spqr](https://www.textkit.com/u/spqr)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://www.textkit.com/t/latin-story-24-from-38-latin-stories/11016/1 "2012-05-10T17:20:28Z")

</div>

sentence in question: Illi identidem in silvas ad suos se recipiebant ac rursus ex silva in nostros impetum faciebant.

teacher’s guide translation:Those horsemen were repeatedly retreating into the woods to their own men and then again from thje woods, making an attack against our men.

I came up with the same thing but I said … retreating into the woods to their own men THEMSELVES…

I couldn’t figure out what do with the se word. Perhaps I am erring by trying to translate too literally word for word. Opinions anyone?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Damoetas](https://www.textkit.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ba8739/32.png) [@Damoetas](https://www.textkit.com/u/Damoetas)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://www.textkit.com/t/latin-story-24-from-38-latin-stories/11016/2 "2012-05-10T21:05:26Z")

</div>

_Se recipere_, as a combined expression, means “to retreat,” literally, “to bring oneself back.”

If a writer wanted to say “to their own men themselves,” i.e. emphasizing the men, it would be _ad suos ipsos._ If it was emphasizing the people who were retreating, it would be _ipsi ad suos se recipiebant._