In the fifth module of the Latin from Scratch course, we’ll learn the most frequent tense in historical texts such as those of Julius Caesar, Livy, Tacitus, etc.
Class on the perfect tense
- The active indicative perfect past tense (09m 39s)
Practice: morphosyntactic analysis and translation (5)
On this occasion we will translate a few simple sentences and a couple of short stories: about the death of Aegeus, father of Theseus, and a brief summary of the Trojan War.
Veni, vidi, vici.
Hostes gladios reliquerunt et in montes fugerunt.
Nostri milites magna virtute cum hostibus pugnaverunt.
Postquam Theseus Ariadnam in litore deseruit ad patriam navigabat. Aegeus, Thesei pater, de altis saxis in mare prospiciebat. Theseus patriae suae litoribus appropinquabat, cum pater Aegeus atra vela navigii conspexit. Itaque mortem filii ex atro colore velorum putavit atque de alto saxo in mare se proiecit. Ex eo tempore Graeci mare, ubi Aegeus mortem invenit, «Mare Aegeum» nominaverunt. Post Aegei mortem, Theseus rex Athenarum fuit multosque per annos magna sapientia patriam suam rexit.
Paris, filius Troianorum regis, rapuit Helenam, uxorem Menelai, regis Spartanorum. Per decem annos Graeci cum Troianis pugnaverunt. Graeci Troiam saepe oppugnabant, sed oppidum non expugnabant. Graeci magnum equum ligneum fecerunt. Multi viri armati intus latebant. Equum ante portas Troiae collocaverunt, sicut donum deae Minervae, et deponere arma simulaverunt atque in insulam Tenedum, proximam Troiae, navigaverunt. Dei inmortales Troianos deseruerunt. Troiani, igitur, crediderunt dolis Graecorum. Moenia aperuerunt atque magnum equum intra moenia acceperunt. Noctu Graeci ex equo exierunt. Socii redierunt atque Troiam incenderunt.
Here you have the statements of the words appearing in the translation for this module. It is important for you to learn the vocabulary. To compel you to do so, I won’t usually repeat words from previous modules.
For the sentences:
- venio, venire, veni, ventum — come, arrive
- video, videre, vidi, visum — see
- vinco, vincere, vici, victum — win, conquer
- hostis, hostis — enemy
- relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictum — abandon
- mons, montis — mountain
- fugio, fugire, fugi, fugitum — flee
- noster, nostra, nostrum — our
- miles, militis — soldier
- virtus, virtutis — virtue
- pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum — fight
For the first text (Aegeus):
- postquam — after
- Theseus, Thesei — Theseus
- Ariadna, Ariadnae — Ariadna
- litus, litoris — coast, shore
- desero, deserere, deserui, desertum — abandon
- patria, patriae — fatherland
- navigo, navigare, navigavi, navigatum — sail
- Aegeus, Aegei — Aegeus
- pater, patris — father
- de — from
- saxum, saxi — rock
- mare, maris — sea
- prospicio, prospicere, prospexi, prospectum — observe (from the distance)
- appropinquo, appropinquare, appropinquavi, appropinquatum — approach (+ dative)
- cum — when
- ater, atra, atrum — black
- velum, veli — sail (cloth)
- navigium, navigii — vessel
- conspicio, conspicere, conspexi, conspectum — observe, spot
- itaque — thus
- mors, mortis — death
- color, coloris — color
- puto, putare, putavi, putatum — think, believe, consider
- atque — and
- se (accusative and ablative) — himself (reflexive)
- proicio, proicere, proieci, proiectum — throw, cast
- eo (ablativo) — that
- Graecus, Graeca, Graecum — Greek
- ubi — where
- invenio, invenire, inveni, inventum — find
- nomino, nominare, nominavi, nominatum — name, nominate
- post (+ accusative) — after
- rex, regis — king
- Athenae, Athenarum — Athens
- per (+ accusative) — for, during
- sapientia, sapientiae — wisdom
- rego, regere, rexi, rectum — reign
For the second text (Trojan War):
- Paris, Paridis — Paris (son of Priamus and brother of Hector)
- filius, filii — son
- Troianus, Troiana, Troianum — Trojan
- rex, regis — king
- rapio, rapere, rapui, raptum — kidnap
- Helena, Helenae — Helen
- uxor, uxoris — wife
- Menelaus, Menelai — Menelaus
- Spartanus, Spartana, Spartanum — Spartan
- per — for (+ accusative)
- decem — ten
- annus, anni — year
- Graecus, Graeca, Graecum — Greek
- pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum — fight
- Troia, Troiae — Troy
- oppugno, oppugnare, oppugnavi, oppugnatum — assail, storm
- oppidum, oppidi — town, city, citadel
- expugno, expugnare, expugnavi, expugnatum — take by assault
- magnus, magna, magnum — big
- equus, equi — horse
- ligneus, lignea, ligneum — wooden
- multus, multa, multum — much, many
- armatus, armata, armatum — armed
- intus — inside
- lateo, latere, latui, – — be hidden
- ante — before (+ accusative)
- porta, portae — door, gate
- colloco, collocare, collocavi, collocatum — place, put, set up
- sicut — as (comparison)
- donum, doni — gift
- dea, deae — goddess
- Minerva, Minervae — Minerva
- depono, deponere, deposui, depositum — depose
- arma, armorum — weapons
- simulo, simulare, simulavi, simulatum — simulate
- atque — and
- insula, insulae — island
- Tenedus, Tenedi — Tenedus (island)
- proximus, proxima, proximum — close to, very next to (+ dative)
- navigo, navigare, navigavi, navigatum — sail
- deus, dei — god
- inmortalis, inmortale — immortal
- desero, deserere, deserui, desertum — abandon
- igitur — thus
- credo, credere, credidi, creditum — believe (+ dative)
- dolus, doli — contrivance
- moenia, moeniorum — walls
- aperio, aperire, aperui, apertum — open
- intra — inside (+ accusative)
- accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptum — receive
- noctu — at night
- ex — from (+ ablative)
- exeo, exire, exii, exitum — exit, go out
- socius, socii — ally
- redeo, redis, redire, redii, reditum — return
- incendo, incendere, incendi, incensum — set fire to
Review of the translations
Once you have finished with the analysis and translations, now it’s time to review them on the screen.
⚠️ Even if you think you’ve done everything correctly, it is very important for you to always check the review, since that’s where we actually practice and check what we have learned. You’ve already seen that the analysis-translation process is quite systematic and strict at first, precisely so we can absorb everything we’re doing.
In the following video (⏳ 23m 35s ⌛) I analyze and translate the sentences:
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And now the text (⏳ 17m 37s ⌛):
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In the next module we’ll learn the adverbials of place, very frequent in texts like those by Caesar.
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