Ch 1 · Lesson 5Latin · Chapter 1 · Lesson 5 · Grammar primer
Please, thank you, yes and no
and for please, for thank you, for you' welcome, for sorry, and and , because Latin has no plain yes or no.
The short version
, .
Why?Hide
Ask with , please, or the charming , literally I shall love you. Thank someone with , or just . The reply is , gladly, which is the Latin you' welcome. Latin has no plain yes or no: , so it is, and , not in the least, stand in for them.
Courtesies
| Latin | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Please | the plain one |
| Please | the charming one: I shall love you |
| Thank you | I give thanks to you |
! | Thanks! | the short form |
| You' welcome | gladly |
| Sorry, excuse me | forgive me |
| Yes | so it is |
| No | not in the least |
- , .
- !
At the baker’s: the customer asks for bread with quaeso (please), and the baker answers libenter (gladly).
is pure Plautus: his characters wheedle with it on every page. Either please softens a request:
, .- Give me some water, please., !- Oh, do come, please!
Latin has no plain words for yes and no. Romans usually answered by echoing the verb: Venisne? . - Are you coming? I am coming. and are the conventional stand-ins, and what you will hear in spoken Latin today.
The grammar hiding in the phrases
The phrases you memorised today are made of grammar you will meet later, so it will not arrive as a stranger:
| In the phrase | What it is | Explained in |
|---|---|---|
| the plural command | the imperative |
| the dative, to me, to you | genitive and dative |
| the -s ending for you | verb endings |
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | more than one person takes - |
| | |
| | the name is to me, so |
. | . | |
Going further: Hello and goodbye and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
10-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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Lesson 5 of 42 in this chapter