Please translate into Latin:

Latin Learning Latin
1

I would like help translating this to Latin:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

2

I think that statement is quite idiomatic and metaphorical, and the meaning would be lost in a direct translation.

This is how I would express the meaning of the phrase without the culinary euphemism:
ultio consilio attento bene agitur

A rough translation would be:
Revenge is best conducted with / by careful planning (a careful plan)

Ablative of manner or means. In either case, the preposition is omitted due to the presence of a modifier.

I think the subjunctive mood would be more appropriate, but I haven’t covered that yet, so the present passive indicative will have to do.

I suppose you could write a more literal expression using a relative clause (subordinate clause):
ultio est caesna / cibum quod sine igni optume datur / paratur

3 


Ultio est patina qae frigida optime datur.  “Revenge is a dish that is best given cold.”


I hope that is a sound translation.










            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              4
              
            

            

              

I don’t quite understand your grammar here. ‘qae’ I assume is meant to be ‘quae’ ?

            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              5
              
            

            

              
Sorry.  That was supposed to be quae. 

            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              6
              
            

            

              
You will have to bear with me here. But something about this is stupefying me. Specifically the relative clause:


quae frigida optime datur


For the life of me, I can’t remember seeing a predicate adjective used that way with a passive voiced verb. It may be perfectly proper, but for some reason, I can only think of examples where the passive verb is complemented by prepositional phrases. Sorry if my questions are rudimentary.

            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              7
              
            

            

              


…I can only think of examples where the passive verb is complemented by prepositional phrases.




Optime is for the verb datur.  But frigida refers back to patina.





quae frigida optime datur “That cold (the dish) is best given”





Does that make sense?



            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              8
              
            

            

              

I see that frigida modifies quae, which is an anaphora for patina. I guess it would work ok like that. Perhaps I’m just over-analysing…



It does make more sense like that. Thanks for the explanation.

            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              9
              
            

            

              
Another proposal: “Ultio est ferculum frigide fruendum.”

            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              10
              
            

            

              

I second a use of the gerundive.

            


            

              
              
              
            


          

          

            

              



              
                  
                  
              11
              
            

            

              
I like that translation as well.