Net: Lingua Latin

As hinted in a previous blog post, I do know a little bit of Latin – but, alas, not enough to have a conversation with. I’m self taught in most computer programming languages – and the same with Latin, but when you can only find set phrases to learn from, you soon hit difficulties.

Anyway, for those of you who want to learn a bit of Latin, here are a list of phrases I’ve found over the Internet which may come in useful (some others may be found via the Latin Dictionary And Grammar Aid site). Feel free to contribute any other sites or phrases that you know!

Advertising Slogans

Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants.

Noster populus facit discrepantiam.

Our people make the difference.

Solum potestis prohibere ignes silvarum

Only you can prevent forest fires

Clamo, clamatis, omnes clamamus pro glace lactis.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.

Wal*mart. Semper.

Wal*mart. Always.

Balaenae nobis conservandae sunt

Save the whales

Movie and TV Quotes

Imus ad magum Ozi videndum, magum Ozi mirum mirissimum.

We are going to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.

Fac ut gaudeam.

Make my day.

Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit.

To boldly go where no man has gone before.

Postatem obscuri lateris nescitis.

You do not know the power of the dark side.

Sit vis nobiscum.

May the force be with you.

Magnus frater spectat te…

Big Brother is watching you….

Monstra mihi pecuniam!

Show me the money!

Magister Mundi sum!

I am the Master of the Universe!

Insula Gilliganis

Gilligan’s Island

Vescere bracis meis.

Eat my shorts

Stultus est sicut stultus facit.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Si tu id aeficas, ei venient. Ager Somnia

If you build it, they will come. Field of Dreams

Borges sumus. Resistere inutile est.

We are the Borg. Resistance is futile.

Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert.

Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn

Quid agis, medice?

What’s up, Doc?

Dic mihi solum facta, domina

Just the facts, ma’am

Farrago fatigans!

Thuffering thuccotash!

Fac ut gaudeam

Make my day

Illius me paenitet, dux

Sorry about that, chief

Tuis pugis pignore!

You bet your bippy!

Diabolus fecit, ut id facerem!

The devil made me do it!

Osculare pultem meam!

Kiss my grits!

Credidi me felem vidisse!

I tought I taw a puddy tat!

Si fallatis officium, quaestor infitias eat se quicquam scire de factis vestris

If you fail, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your activities

Te capiam, cunicule sceleste!

I’ll get you, you wascally wabbit!

Conlige suspectos semper habitos

Round up the usual suspects

Certe, toto, sentio nos in kansate non iam adesse

You know, Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore

Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

Beam me up, Scotty

Cimictus

The Beatles

Inlecebrae

The Temptations

Lapides provolventes

The Rolling Stones

Ille quis

The Who

Mortui grati

The Grateful Dead

Simitatores

The Monkees

Pueri litoris

The Beach Boys

Illi silices

The Flintstones

Insula gilliganis

Gilligan’s Island

Zona crepusculi

The Twilight Zone

Opus: quod fiere non potest

Mission: Impossible

Dies felices

Happy Days

Navis amoris

The Love Boat

Iuvenes inquietesque

The Young and the Restless

Pretium iustum est

The Price is Right

Miscellanous Phrases

Absum!

I’m outta here!

Abutebaris modo subjunctivo

You’ve been misusing the subjenctive

Ad infinitum

To the infinite

Ad nauseaum

To sea-sickness (also “to a sickening or excessive degree”)

Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est.

Yes, that is a very large amount of corn.

Anulos qui animum ostendunt omnes gestemus!

Let’s all wear mood rings!

Animadvertistine, ubicumque stes, fumum recta in faciem ferri?

Ever noticed how wherever you stand, the smoke goes right into your face?

Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.

In the good old days, children like you were left to perish on windswept crags.

Braccae illae virides cum subucula rosea et tunica Caledonia-quam elenganter concinnatur

Those green pants go so well with that pink shirt and the plaid jacket!

Braccae tuae aperiuntur

Your fly is open

Canis meus id comedit.

My dog ate it.

Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules.

If I were you, I wouldn’t walk in front of any catapults.

Caveat

Let him beware

Cogito, ergo doleo.

I think, therefore I am depressed.

Cogito sumere potum alterum.

I think I’ll have another drink.

Cogito, ergo sum.

I think, therefore I am.

Credo Elvem etiam vivere

I believe Elvis lives.

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.

If Caesar were alive, you’d be chained to an oar.

Cum catapultae proscriptae erat, tum soli proscript catapultas habeunt.

If catapaults are outlawed, then only outlaws will only have catapaults.

Credo nos in fluctu eodem esse.

I think we’re on the same wavelength.

Capillamentum? Haudquaquam conieci esse!

A wig? I never would have guessed!

Certamen Bikini-Suicidus-Disci mox coepit?

Does the Bikini-Suicide-Frisbee match start soon?

Die dulci fruere.

Have a nice day.

Duc, sequere, aut de via decede.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way

Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit!

God, look at the time! My wife will kill me!

Et cetera

And the rest

Fac ut vivas.

Get a life.

Furnulum pani nolo.

I don’t want a toaster.

Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?

Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?

Fac me cocleario vomere!

Gag me with a spoon!

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui.

Bad kitty! Why don’t you use the cat box? I put new litter in it.

Frena pro feris teneo

I brake for animals

Gramen artificiosum odi.

I hate Astroturf.

Habetis bona deum.

Have a nice day.

Illiud Latine dici non potest.

You can’t say that in Latin.

Hoc nomen meum verum non est.

This isn’t my real name.

Hocine bibo aut in eum digitos insero?

Do I drink this or stick my fingers in it?

Heus, hic nos omnes in agmine sunt!

Hey, we’re all in line here!

Id est mihi, id non est tibi!

It is mine, not yours!

Labera lege…

Read my lips…

Ita erat quando hic adveni.

It was that way when I got here

Id tibi praebet speciem lepidissimam!

It looks great on you!

Isto pensitaris?

You get paid for this crap?

In dentibus anticis frustum magnum spiniciae habes

You have a big piece of spinach in your front teeth

Lagunculae leydianae non accedunt.

Batteries not included.

Lege atque lacrima.

Read ’em and weep

Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.

The designated hitter rule has got to go.

Leges humanae nascuntur, vivunt, moriuntur

Human laws are born, live, and die

Lapsus nivium!

Avalanche!

Latine loqui coactus sum

I have this compulsion to speak Latin

Machina improba! Vel mihi ede potum vel mihi redde nummos meos!

You infernal machine! Give me a beverage or give me my money back!

Mellita, domi adsum.

Honey, I’m home.

Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

Minime senuisti!

You haven’t aged a bit!

Mihi ignosce. Cum homine de cane debeo congredi

Excuse me. I’ve got to see a man about a dog

Me oportet propter praeceptum te nocere.

I’m going to have to hurt you on principle.

Neutiquam erro.

I am not lost.

Nescio quid dicas

I don’t know what you’re talking about

Nemo hic adest illius nominis

There is no one here by that name

Ne auderis delere orbem rigidum meum!

Don’t you dare erase my hard drive!

Nihil declaro

I have nothing to declareM

Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione.

I’m not interested in your dopey religious cult.

Nihil est–in vita priore ego imperator Romanus fui.

That’s nothing–in a previous life I was a Roman Emperor.

Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo.

Don’t call me, I’ll call you.

Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema.

I don’t care. If it doesn’t rhyme, it isn’t a poem.

Noli nothis permittere te terere.

Don’t let the bastards get you down.

Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat.

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.

Non illigitamus carborundum

Don’t let the bastards grind you down

Nonne macescis?

Have you lost weight?

Non, mihi ignosce, credo me insequentem esse

No, excuse me, I believe I’m next

Nonne de novo eboraco venis?

You’re from New York, aren’t you?

Non sum pisces.

I am not a fish.

Nullo metro compositum est.

It doesn’t rhyme.

Oblitus sum perpolire clepsydras!

I forgot to polish the clocks!

O! Plus! Perge! Aio! Hui! Hem!

Oh! More! Go on! Yes! Ooh! Ummm!

Orbes volantes exstare

Flying saucers are real

Paucis verbis, quid est deconstructionismus?

What, in a nutshell, is deconstructionism?

Prehende uxorem meam, sis!

Take my wife, please!

Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum.

Garbage in, garbage out.

Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est.

The cheque is in the mail

Pistrix! Pistrix!

Shark! Shark!

Per capita

By heads

Persona grata

A pleasing person

Persona non grata

A not-pleasing/unwelcome person

Post mortem

After death (usually referring to an autopsy)

Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Quaeso esto meus vicinus.

Please won’t you be my neighbor.

Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur

Anything said ln Latin sounds profound

Quo signo nata es?

What’s your sign?

Qualem muleirculam!

What a bimbo!

Qualem blennum!

What a doofus!

Quomodo cogis comas tuas sic videri?

How do you get your hair to do that?

Quid est illa in auqua?

What’s that in the water?

Radix lecti

Couch potato

Revera linguam latinam vix cognovi.

I don’t really know all that much Latin.

Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!

Stand aside plebians (little people)! I am on imperial/official business.

Re vera, potas bene.

Say, you sure are drinking a lot.

Romani quidem artem amatoriam invenerunt.

You know, the Romans invented the art of love.

Raptus regaliter.

Royally screwed.

Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.

I think some people in togas are plotting against me.

Sic faciunt omnes.

Everyone is doing it.

Spero nos familiares mansuros.

I hope we’ll still be friends.

Sola lingua bona est lingua mortua.

The only good language is a dead language.

Si hoc legere scis, nimium eruditionis habes.

If you can read this, you have too much education.

Sum, ergo edo.

I am, therefore I eat.

Subucula tua apparet

Your slip is showing

Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter educatus et nimis propinquus ades

If you can read this bumper sticker, you are both very well educated, and much too close

Tam exanimis quam tunica nehru fio.

I am as dead as the nehru jacket.

Tauri in decurso

Bulls on parade

Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.

I can’t hear you. I have a banana in my ear.

Te precor dulcissime supplex!

Pretty please with a cherry on top!

Totum dependeat.

Let it all hang out.

Tempus incognitum.

Time unknown.

Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant!

May barbarians invade your personal space!

Utinam coniurati te in foro interficiant!

May conspirators assassinate you in the mall!

Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!

May faulty logic undermine your entire philosophy!

Ubi est mea anaticula cumminosa?

Where’s my rubber ducky?

Ut humiliter opinor

In my humble opinion

Ut si!

As If!

Vacca foeda

Stupid cow

Valui ad satanam in computatrum meum invocandum.

I succeeded in summoning satan into my computer.

Vah! Denuone Latine loquebar? Me ineptum. Interdum modo elabitur.

Oh! Was I speaking Latin again? Silly me. Sometimes it just sort of slips out.

Ventis secundis, tene cursum.

Go with the flow.

Vidistine nuper imagines moventes bonas?

Seen any good movies lately?

Visne saltare? Viam Latam Fungosam scio.

Do you want to dance? I know the Funky Broadway.

Volo anaticulam cumminosam meam!

I want my rubber ducky!

Viri sunt Viri

Men are slime.

Vacca, vacca, vacca.

Cow, cow, cow.