Latin Language Stack Exchange
Latin Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [grammar-choice]

When asking which choice (case, tense, mood etc.) is grammatical in a given situation, use this tag.

Several excellent Latin grammars are available online:

Of these, Gildersleeve is usually the most detailed and comprehensive.

Latin grammars not in the public domain include:

351 questions
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What cases were used in compounds?

In Greco-Latin compound words, I generally use the bare stems for all but the last component, joined together with stem vowels (in Greek) or i (in Latin). For example, certifaciō (> certify) comes from the bare stem cert- plus the conjugated verb…
Draconis
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In: Ablative or accusative

In chapter 4 LLPSI it says "sacculum suum in mensa ponit". Ponit means put or sets, so indicates a movement. As far as I know in in Latin in the meaning of into or onto (as is the case here) takes the accusative, so in mensam (Like it would be the…
L4a1963
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How to decline a business name that is a Latin sentence?

Suppose there were a podiatry practice named Pes Integer Sit. How would you put this into a complete sentence? Do you simply treat it as indeclinable? For example, would "I am going to Pes Integer Sit" be Eo Pes Integer Sit, or Ad Pes Integer Sit…
Ben Kovitz
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Is "fatigando" a Gerund or a Gerundive in this Quote from Sallust?

Sallust, Jugurthine 3. 3-4: "frustra autem niti neque aliud se fatigando nisi odium quaerere extremae dementiae est; nisi forte quem inhonesta et perniciosa libido tenet potentiae paucorum decus atque libertatem suam gratificari." "To strive in…
tony
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7
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Ablative of Description in Cicero

I am reading Cicero, Against Verres, II.4.95, and I want to translate: Nemo Agrigenti neque aetate tam affecta neque viribus tam infirmis fuit qui ... I am reading aetate tam affecta and viribus tam infirmis as ablatives of description with…
Stephen Perencevich
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7
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Adapting Cato's motto for today

I need some help with the grammar here, I'm interested in learning Latin so I have been lurking around here for a bit, but I haven't really started, yet. (Well, I have had a couple of false starts). I would like to adapt Cato the elder's famous…
tetra
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6
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Why does Latin show some adverbs as conjunctions?

Some words in Latin are shown as being adverbs, yet they have the meaning of conjunctions, at least I guess. The word "quapropter" can be an example. I don't know if I'm mistaken, but I find that weird.
user11898
6
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1 answer

How is the number for a year read?

In many texts, years are written in Roman or Arabic numerals like MMIV for 2004. Should I read them cardinally or ordinally? Is there any evidence for the way to read?
Kotoba Trily Ngian
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6
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Caesar's use of 'ad equum'

Caesar uses 'ad equum' to mean 'turning them into horses'. This is a famous quote used in OLD itself. Is this an idiom? There is no reference to 'converso' or 'mutatum'... just 'ad' although habiturum is lurking close by... Like 'having them turned…
JoshYoung
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Hoc as a word to sum up a previous paragraph

I have seen hoc not agreeing with grammatical gender when it refers to a previous paragraph of actions. But I don't remember in what context. Here is a made up example in English: I once went to Jamaica. There, I swashbuckled with pirates, gambled…
Nickimite
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5
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1 answer

Can we add the suffix ne to hortatory/jussive subjunctive?

The Hortatory Subjunctive in the first person is a polite way to urge/ask someone to do something: eamus: let's go!. I wonder if it is possible to add -ne to this subjunctive creating even-weaker command - which is basically a suggestion. eamusne? =…
d_e
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5
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Can the gerund be plural

Using the Collatinus conjugator there isn't a form for plural gerund, but there is for the gerundive since the gerundive acts like an adjective. I therefore always assumed that gerunds are never plural. However, I'm looking at the Lasla database…
bobsmith76
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5
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Satis est: de quadam re aut cuiusdam rei?

"Satis est!" significare potest aliquid sufficere vel ob quandam causam saturatum esse ("Iam satis est! Tace!"), ut Anglice dicitur "enough!". Si autem causa exponenda est, quomodo melius dicitur: "satis est de causa" aut "satis est causae"? Mihi…
Nacib Neme
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5
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Can two nouns be used together as a single unit in Latin?

In French, especially in philosophy and mathematics, it is quite common [1] to use two nouns with a hyphen for certain concepts in order to distinguish between several definitions of the same word. For example: droit-liberté (right-freedom, a…
user10176
5
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Infinitive clause constructed via plural noun

I stumbled upon this sentence and I am quite perplexed. I would translate as the first example I'll show, but I'd like to be sure. "Cum ista ex militum cognitione toti Galli intelligant esse vanissima et stultissima expectare scilicet Capitolii…
Qopollo
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