Translation
until; as long as, while
Examples
redeam.
Wait until I come back.
eris , habebis.
As long as you are fortunate, you will have many friends.
Exspectavit .
He waited until they all came.
vixit, laboravit.
As long as he lived, he worked in the fields.
Pugnaverunt .
They fought until night came.
Donec does two jobs that English splits: "until" and "as long as, while". Which one is meant comes from the sense, not the form, and both are common.
The mood is the thing to get right. Indicative when you are simply reporting that something happened up to a point: exspectavit donec venerunt. Subjunctive when the clause carries expectation, purpose or a bit of suspense - mane donec redeam, "wait until I come back", where the returning is anticipated rather than recorded. Dum and quoad cover the same ground with the same rule. The trap is dum with a present indicative, which means "while" even in a past narrative: dum haec geruntur, "while this was going on".
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donec: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "donec" (until; as long as, 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 10.