Translation
for a long time, long; a long while
Examples
.
He stayed a long time in the city.
.
We have been looking for you a long time.
.
I cannot stay any longer.
gestum .
The war was waged for a long time.
vixit.
He did not live long.
Diu answers "how long", not "when". That distinction does a lot of work: diu vixit is he lived a long time, olim vixit is he lived once upon a time, and iam is "already". The comparative is diutius and the superlative diutissime, both irregular and both common, and diutius with a negative is the ordinary way to say "no longer".
One construction to watch. Iam diu, iam dudum or iam pridem with a present tense describes something still going on: "iam diu te exspecto" is "I have been waiting for you a long time", not "I waited". English switches to a perfect there and Latin does not. With a past tense the same phrases mean the action had already been running a while.
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diu: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "diu" (for a long time, long; a long while): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 8.