Chapters 7–81. Caesar’s Triumph (the perfect tense)

2. The flavor of the perfect

3. The Trojan War retold (again!) in past tenses

4. Third-declension nouns

5. Sum: imperfect and future indicative (and meet possum)

6. Old MacDonald (dative of possession)

7. Infinitive as noun

1. Caesar’s Triumphs

Suetonius, Divus Iulius 37:

On the day of the triumphal procession over Gaul, … he was almost thrown from his chariot when the axle broke. He climbed the Capitol by torch-light, with forty elephants bearing lamps to the right and to the left. …

1. Caesar’s Triumphs (the perfect tense) …

In his triumph over Pontus, one of the carts in the processions had on the front of it a placard (titulus) with the words “I came, I saw, I conquered”, not detailing the events of the campaign, as was the case with the others, but emphasizing the speed with which it was completed.

VĒNĪ — VĪDĪ — VĪCĪ

1. Caesar’s Triumphs (the perfect tense) …

vēnī, vīdī, vīcī

vēnistī, vīdistī, vīcistī?

vēnit, vīdit, vīcit!

vēnimus, vīdimus, vīcimus

vēnistis, vīdistis, vīcistis?

vēnērunt, vīdērunt, vīcērunt!

(or: vēnēre, vīdēre, vīcēre)

1. Caesar’s Triumphs (the perfect tense) …

amō, amāre, amāv-ī, amātus

timeō, timēre, timu-ī, —

videō, vidēre, vīd-ī, vīsus

sum, esse, fu-ī, futūrus

veniō, venīre, vēn-ī, ventus “to come”

vincō, vincere, vīc-ī, victus “to conquer”

vīvō, vīvere, vīx-ī, victūrus “to live”

person endings for all other finite verbs

-ō/-m

-s

-t

-mus

-tis

-nt

perfect active

indicative(only!) person endings

-ī

-istī

-it

-imus

-istis

-ērunt/-ēre

vēnī, vīdī, vīxī (Voltaire)

The perfect stem

2. The flavors of the perfect*** TWO PAST TENSES IN LATIN ***

IMPERFECT PERFECT*** TWO DISTINCT SENSES ***

Nātūra aquam cibumque dābat.

“(In the Golden Age) Nature gave/used to give/was giving water and food.”

Iuppiter Neptūnō imperium pontī dedit.

“Jupiter gave Neptune power over the sea.” = HISTORICAL PERFECT

“Jupiter has given Neptune power over the sea” = PRESENT PERFECT

imperfective aspect(a sense of repetition, habit, state of

affairs)

(sometimes also a sense of attempt or beginning)

perfective aspect(a sense of completion, singularity,

simplicity)

3. The Trojan War retold (again!) in past tenses

1. Cassandra clāmāvit:“Ō Trōiānī, equumne in

Trōiam portāvistis?”Equus enim puellam

terrēbat.

3. Sed tum novus dominus Graecus

Cassandram portāvit ē Trōiā in Graeciam. Et puellam nōn amābat

dominī fēmina …

2. Cassandra templum Minervae intrāvit. “Ō dea

nostra, templum tuum vēlavimus!”

Sed Aiax, vir Graecus, festīnābat puellaeque

nocuit.

4. Third-declension nounsdeclension defining

characeristicexamples

1 a rēgīna, -ae f. queenpoēta, -ae m. poetNO NEUTER

2 u(originally o)

cf. Greek phil-os)

amīcus, -ī m. friendFEW FEMININE (humus, -ī f. ground)consilium, -iī n. advice

3 consonant sol, sōlis m. sunvōx, vōcis f. voiceanimal, animālis n. animal

4 u currus, -ūs m. chariotNO FEMININEcornū, -ūs n. horn

5 e speciēs, speciēī f. sightNO MASCULINE OR NEUTER

4. Third-declension nounspater patriae [nom. sg.]father of the fatherland

in vīnō, vēritās [nom. sg.]In wine, truth

dux fēmina factī [nom. sg.]A woman (was) leader of the deed

ars longa, vīta brevis [nom. sg.]The art (is) long, life (is) short

mōs [nom. sg.] maiōrum [gen. pl.]the custom of the ancestors

terrā marīque [abl. sg.]By land and sea

multās per gentēs et multa per aequora [acc. pl.]through many nations and through many seas (Catullus)

Some phrases with third-declension nouns

4. Third-declension nouns declined

case singular pluralNOM dux [duc-s] duc-ēsGEN duc-is duc-um [art-ium]DAT duc-ī duc-ibusACC duc-em duc-ēsABL duc-e duc-ibus

dux, ducis m.māter, mātris f.

ars, artis(-ium) f.

Masculine and

feminine

Neuter

nūmen, nūminis n.

animal, animālis(-ium) n.

case singular pluralNOM nūmen nūmin-a [animāl-ia]GEN nūmin-is nūmin-um [animāl-ium]DAT nūmin-ī nūmin-ibusACC nūmen nūmin-a [animāl-ia]ABL nūmin-e [animāl-ī] nūmin-ibus

4. Third-declension nouns: some sentences and phrases

sol, sōlis m.māter, mātris f.

ars, artis f.mare, maris (-ium) n.

Sol viam monstrat.

Māter viam arte monstrat.

Sol viam mātrī monstrat.

Sol mare monstrat.

Sol maria monstrat.

Via sōlem monstrat.

Mare sōlem monstrat.

Ars viam mātri monstrat.

sol magnussol pulcherars longa

mātris miseraemātrī miseraemare altum

bonārum artiumbonīs artibus

5. Sum: Imperfect and future indicative (and: meet possum)

PRESENT IMPERFECT FUTUREamā- habē- amā-bā- habē-bā- amā-bi- habē-bi-

amōamāsamat

amāmusamātisamant

habeōhabēshabet

habēmushabētishabent

amābamamābāsamābat

amābāmusamābātisamābant

habēbamhabēbāshabēbat

habēbāmushabēbātishabēbant

amābōamābisamābit

amābimusamābitisamābunt

habēbōhabēbishabēbit

habēbimushabēbitishabēbunt

PRESENT IMPERFECT FUTUREsu-/es- possu-/

potes-erā- poterā- eri- poteri-

sumesest

sumusestissunt

possumpotespotest

possumuspotestispossunt

eramerāserat

erāmuserātiserant

poterampoterāspoterat

poterāmuspoterātispoterant

erōeriserit

erimuseritiserunt

poterōpoterispoterit

poterimuspoteritispoterunt

sum, esse, fuī, futūrus “to be; exist”possum, potesse, potuī, — “to be able; can” (+ infin.)”

6. Old MacDonald (dative of possession)

English Literal translation Preferred idiomatic translation

(dative of possession)Old MacDonald

had a farm.Macdonaldus rusticus

fundum habēbat.Macdonaldō rusticō

fundus erat, oh!

6. Old MacDonald (dative of possession) …

English possessor in dative

posession in nominative

verb “to be”

My father has a big cottage.

patrī meō casa magna est

The cottage has many deities.

casae multa nūmina sunt

Our son shall have the

name “Lucius”.

fīliō nostrō nōmen erit Lūcius (or:

Lūciō)

7. Infinitive as (neuter singular) nounErrāre est humānum

To err is human

Errāvīsse est humānum.To have erred is human.

Venīre, vidēre, vincere est Rōmānum.To come, see, conquer is Roman.

Vēnisse, vīdisse, vīxisse est Rōmānum.To have come, to have seen, to have conquered is Roman.

Rōmānīs nōn placet errāre.To err does not please the Romans.

Amāre est vīxisse.To love is to have lived.

Nōn possum nōn adamāre tē.I … can’t … help … falling in love … with … you.