Questions tagged [syntax]
Syntax are the rules for how sentences and phrases are constructed in a language, including word order and how words change based on their relations to other words (snl.no/syntaks).
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How would you translate "to" in "I am happy to still be a child." or "You are lucky to be alive."?
I know that English infinitives often do not correspond to Latin infinitives (for example, you cannot grammatically translate "Here to save the day." as "Hic servare diem."), and I ...
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Why is "se" used with "secum" in this quote from Livy?
In this quote from Livy (6.8.6):
"ita quocumque se intulisset victoriam secum haud dubiam trahebat."
"thus, in whatever direction he went, he carried certain victory with him."
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Greek "datives of agent" in Latin classical prose?
When including the following poetic examples from Horace and Ovid in what turned out to be a long answer to a previous post on datives of agent, I made this hesitant remark: Perhaps I'm wrong but I'd ...
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On the alleged passive meaning of so-called (miscalled?) "passive periphrastic"
As is well-known, the use of "datives of agent" in so-called "passive periphrastic" constructions (formed by the gerundive/verbal adjective with -nd- and the verb esse) like the ...
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Searching for a proper definition of "Ablative Absolute" (AA)
When including the following two examples from Cicero in what turned out to be a too long! answer to a previous post, a terminological question came to my mind: How would one classify those ...
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Should -que be used with a noun or adjective?
A recent question about linking words with -que prompted another question in my mind. If you have two sets of nouns with modifying adjectives, do you add -que to the adjective, noun, or whichever you ...
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How would you say "The older a rabbit gets, the more it behaves like a dog."?
How would you say "The older a rabbit gets, the more it behaves like a dog." in Latin? The literal translation from English would be "Senior cuniculus sit, plus agit ut canis.", ...
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Odyssey A.65: how is περὶ used in περὶ νόον ἐστὶ βροτῶν, περὶ δ᾿ ἱρὰ θεοῖσιν // ἀθανάτοισιν ἔδωκε?
The use of περὶ in verse 65 of Odyssey A is not entirely clear to me, neither in syntax nor in meaning:
πῶς ἂν ἔπειτ᾿ Ὀδυσῆος ἐγὼ θείοιο λαθοίμην,
ὃς περὶ μὲν νόον ἐστὶ βροτῶν, περὶ δ᾿ ἱρὰ θεοῖσιν
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How would you say "for the longest time" in Latin?
"For the longest time" is a name of a song by Billy Joel. And ReasonTV, a libertarian podcast, modified the lyrics of it to parody the Traveling Security Administration. George W. Bush ...
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Question about consecutio temporum in fabulae syrae
I am reading Fabulae Syrae and I am having some questions about consecutio temporum. I do know the basic rules from familia romana.
However there are some sentences that are causing me some trouble.
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Use of 'suus' in 'ignoranti quem portum petat nullus suus ventus est'
Seneca, Epistolae LXXI: ignoranti quem portum petat nullus suus ventus est
commonly translated as 'he who does not know which port he is heading to has no favourable wind'.
Could anyone explain what ...
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How do you say "Don't get too close!" in Latin?
So, how would you say "Don't get too close." in Latin? I know the Latin for "getting close" is "approximare", so my guess is that it starts with "Noli approximare...&...
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How would you translate "join", as in "join us" or "join the dead heroes" (i. e. "die in a war")?
I am trying to translate the lyrics of the Eric Bogle's song The Green Fields of France. In the first stanza, you have:
I see by your gravestone, you were only nineteenwhen you joined the dead heroes ...
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Why is it "Gaudeamus igitur, *iuvenes dum* sumus!" rather than "Gaudeamus igitur, *dum iuvenes* sumus!"?
Why is it "Gaudeamus igitur, iuvenes dum sumus!" rather than "Gaudeamus igitur, dum iuvenes sumus!"? In English, "Let's be happy, therefore, young while we are." sounds ...
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How would you translate "too" and "to" as in "The science is *too* bookish and nerdy *to* understand, oh no!" to Latin?
So, how would you say "The science is too bookish and nerdy to understand, oh no!" in Latin? My attempt would be "Scientia ita litteraria et incircumscripta est, ut non possit ...
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