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Is the following translation from English to Latin correct?

Felix sum, quod caeruleum caelum est.
I am happy, because there is a blue sky.

context: self-studying Latin

I am not confident about the word order of the sentence after "because". I am also getting used to both options SVO and SOV in a simple Latin sentence.

double-beep
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Jan
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    Hi again, Jan (I'm assuming this is the same Jan that has posted a few other questions). I strongly recommend merging your profiles - it will make it much easier for you to find all the questions you've asked and any answers you've received. – Adam Dec 26 '21 at 17:21
  • Thank you. I will consider that. Could we please have a look at the sentence? – Jan Dec 26 '21 at 17:36
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    Please consider that sooner rather than later. Regarding the sentence: Can you edit your question to elaborate on your own thoughts? Are you worried something in particular (e.g. choice of words or forms)? That way you'll get a more useful answer and probably a warmer reception, too. – Joonas Ilmavirta Dec 26 '21 at 17:54
  • Related, and maybe a duplicate now that I've found it: https://latin.stackexchange.com/questions/669/what-word-order-resolves-the-ambiguity-of-two-nominative-nouns-in-a-sentence – cmw Dec 27 '21 at 00:47
  • Ok that's good way to become happy under nature – The Soorat Dec 27 '21 at 09:45

1 Answers1

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SVO and SOV refer to subject-verb-object and subject-object-verb respectively, and neither of your clauses in your sentence has an object, so it's not relevant. Instead, you have nominatives with a copulative.

The general rule of thumb for these (aside from "context is king") is that the first word is the more important and emphasized one. I'll give you three sentences, and tell you what the most natural reading of each would be.

...caelum caeruleum est.
...the sky is blue.

...caeruleum caelum est.
...blue is the sky.

...est caelum caeruleum.
...there is a blue sky.

The first one is the most neutral and preferred for straightforward descriptions. The second one is emphasizing the description of the noun (the sky is specifically blue, as opposed to red, or green). The third on the other hand is emphasizing the existence of the nominatives ("there is a blue sky").

I should note that these are general guidelines, and you'll always find exceptions, especially in poetry, where word order can sometimes be bent in order to fit meter.

cmw
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    +1 for the word order explanations. In this case though I'd think the first one would be the natural choice -- the existence of the sky is a given, so I think Latin would be more likely to say "the sky is blue" than "there is a blue sky". – TKR Dec 27 '21 at 00:57
  • @TKR I think you're right, so I removed the recommendation until I have time to edit it. – cmw Dec 27 '21 at 01:06
  • Thank you for your reply. The word order after "quod" in general is the same as if the word "quod" were not there? Thank you. – Jan Dec 27 '21 at 06:39
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    "Quod" in this case means "because," and like in English it introduces an independent clause. – cmw Dec 27 '21 at 17:36