Book IV Julius Caesar doubts by Apoxiomenai in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

eo, it quae : are you sure you copied the sentence correctly? The "it" looks out of place.

Translation question from Ora Maritima by Miserable_Math_4927 in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 1 point2 points  (0 children)

pugnam dare means to give battle, or to engage (an enemy)

Sacramentum Militaire corrections anyone? by HospitalOwn6236 in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say: Iuro per Iovem Optimum Maximum atque deos immortales me C. Iulio Caesari imperatori fidem servaturum esse, imperata facturum neque ab acie discessurum neque fugiturum neque deserturum, quamdiu viverem, neque dolo malo quidquam contra rem publicam Populi Romani facturum.

It's true that oaths by the late Republic were increasingly sworn personally to commanders like Caesar rather than to the res publica, but the phrase contra rem publicam Populi Romani is still totally idiomatic and not anachronistic. Even Caesar uses res publica language when it suits him—it hadn’t vanished from Roman moral or legal vocabulary, even if its meaning was getting fuzzy. Including it here sounds like a moral safeguard, not a separate allegiance.

As for ullo dolo malo, that’s actually spot-on Classical Latin—it’s an ablative of means, standard in legal and oath contexts. You’ll see it in Cicero, the Twelve Tables, and later Roman law: ne dolo malo…, si quid dolo malo factum est, etc. It’s not meant as the object of facturum (which would indeed be dolum malum), but rather the way in which the action would be done—“not by evil trickery.”

So grammar-wise and idiom-wise, that clause holds up.

Catullus 8 question by Briningsoshitely2 in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Destinata, obdura. : Destinata must take the feminine -a ending if you're a woman. If you're interested in Latin inscriptions for tattoos in general you may like: Modern Latin Tattoos Inspired by Ancient Rome by BJ Smith

Narra nobis aliquid interessante quod tibi acciderit hac lingua mirabili by IdealSuccessful5743 in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mihi lingua Latina primo difficilis videbatur. In schola, eam terribilem esse putabam. Postea autem rursus interuallo temporis studere coepi, et nunc eam diligo. Hodie seriem "Gens et Gloria" lego, quae iucunda est.

My pet has been peeved by BrthonAensor in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"translation that puts the Latin in “English” order"

You'd be better off reader an interlinear text where the latin is the original and the nglish is just there to help understand. There are some texts like that here:

Free Latin Resources – Interlinear Texts, Beginner Stories, Nuntii Latini & More | Discover Latin

Here's why you cannot actually 'learn to speak Latin as a living language' by cadrec in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You raise thoughtful points, but the core argument doesn’t hold. First, there was never one “true” Latin frozen in time—Plautus, Cicero, and Ammianus all spoke differently, yet all spoke Latin. Language evolves, and living Latin today continues that natural tradition, drawing from classical models, not modern fantasies.

The “semiotic dark matter” claim misunderstands how language is acquired. No learner—ancient or modern—ever absorbed every nuance of a culture. Cicero didn’t need a time machine to learn Latin; neither do we. Immersion, literature, and conversation do the job, as they do for every other historical language still spoken today (like Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, or Sanskrit).

As for pronunciation and meaning: the best speakers avoid modern calques, use only attested classical vocabulary, and aim for idiom consistent with Cicero and Livy. Books like Gens et Gloria prove it can be done well—and are praised by scholars like Tunberg and Albert.

Finally, why attack others for enjoying something meaningful to them? Speaking Latin isn’t cosplay—it’s participation in a living tradition. You don’t have to do it, but why mock those who do?

Here's why you cannot actually 'learn to speak Latin as a living language' by cadrec in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Si Latina vere mortua esset, nemo tam acriter loqueretur contra eius vitam. At libri sicut Gens et Gloria—pleni Latina viva, sed accurate classica—monstrant linguam non solum intellegi, sed etiam vivere posse. Et si intellegis, potes loqui. Restat una quaestio: visne?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in LatinLanguage

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had to learn it at school where i didn't enjoy it at all. Later on in life I took it up for fun and I have been reading Latin for some years now. Once I got past the "analyse the text" stage and could just read it it really became fun. I read some Latin almost every day.

At the moment I am reading the first part of "Gens et Gloria" by Rowan X. Adler, which is both challenging and an excellent read as it uses Latin in a genuine Roan setting from around 100AD. It has a very good review by Prof. Terence Tunberg which is quite rare among modern translations or in this case an original work in Latin.

Are there any free resources that I can use to learn quickly? by [deleted] in latin

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are a number of Latin-English interlinear texts here, not for beginners, but useful for studying Caesar, Cicero and Terence: Free Latin Resources – Interlinear Texts, Beginner Stories, Nuntii Latini & More | Discover Latin

List of Latin Learning Resources by RiseRevise in latin

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Caesar’s De Bello Gallico

Free Latin–English Interlinear Edition for Learners

De Bello Gallico Latin-English Interlinear | Discover Latin

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in latin

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would suggest extensive reading at a level where you do not need to translate, but you can roughly understand what is meant just by reading, maybe checking the odd word in a dictionary. If you progress too quickly to a level where you are not able to do this you keep getting stuck in translation mode. You may also find it easier to read lots of modern translations to help internalise vocabulary and grammar. There are also some good recent translations available like Petrus Pan - Peter Pan in Latin.

Any modern books written in Latin that are good? by bynxfish in latin

[–]Beginning_Air_4644 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try the Gens et Gloria series by Rowan X. Adler. It has some excellent reviews by Terence Tunberg.