COMMERCIUM EPISTULARUM (I)

COMMERCIUM EPISTULARUM (I)
1. INTRODUCING OURSELVES

Hello! SALVE (sg) / SALVETE (pl) !

Hello my friend (m./f.) / friends ! Salve amice / amica // salvete amici !

My last name is…and my first name… Mihi nomen est…… et praenomen……

in English vulgo… (= "in the vulgar tongue", "in the vernacular")

but in Latin… Latine autem… ("autem" always in 2^nd position)

you may… tibi (vobis) licet… (impersonal verb + dative)

… call me… me appellare (infinitive clause, subject of "licet")

2. TALKING ABOUT OUR INTERESTS AND WHAT WE LIKE TO DO
(review 4th-conjugation verbs and verb objects)

We can’t translate "I like riding, sports, Latin" literally. Instead, we have the following options:

I like… mihi libet / mihi placet… (impersonal verbs + dative)

= > a lot / a little multum / paulum

= > enormously / not at all maxime / minime

to… (infinitive clauses, subjects of the impersonal verb)

…do sports / play… corpus exercere / ludere… (+ acc. or abl.)

= > football (GB) soccer (NAm) / handball / badminton:

pedifolle / manufolle / ludo pilae pinnatae ludere

= > to play tennis / to play table tennis: tenisiam / tenisiam mensalem ludere

= > to play basketball / volleyball / rugby: folle bascaudario / folle volatico / harpastum ludere

= > to box / to do martial arts: pugilatum / luctam (karaticam / iudoicam) colere

to go riding / to swim: equitare / natare

to ski / to hike: nartare / in locis rusticis ambulare

to do athletics: athleticam exercere

to dance / to sing / to play saltare / cantare / canere (+ acc. or abl.)

= > the flute / the clarinet: tibia, ae, f. / tibia, ae clarisona, ae, f. = > acc. or abl.?

= > the guitar / the violin / the trumpet: cithara, ae Hispanica, ae, f./ violina, ae , f./ tuba, ae

= > the piano / the drums / the saxophone: clavile, is, n./ tympana, orum, n.pl./ saxophonum, i

to have fun / to dream ludere / somniare

to talk / to go out with friends colloqui / ambulare cum amicis

to travel in Britain / in the U.S.A. - to travel in foreign places:

per Britanniam / per Civitates Foederatas Americae itinera facere - peregrinari

to surf the Internet situs (< situs, us, m) interretiales visitare

to read / to listen to music libros legere / musicam audire

to watch TV televisionem spectare

to study, be interested in… studeo, es, ere (+ dative!) or disco, is, ere (to learn)

= > literature, English litterae, arum, f.pl. / Anglica lingua, ae, f.

= > science / nature scientia, ae, f. / physica, ae, f.

= > mathematics mathematica, ae, f.

= > French / German / Spanish Francogallica / Germanica / Hispanica lingua, ae, f.

= > Latin / Greek Latina / Graeca lingua, ae, f.

Goodbye! VALE / VALETE (or) BENE VALE / VALETE