How do I write “Good luck in your biology and Latin exams today, {name}!” in Latin?
June 20, 2011 4:11 PM Subscribe
How do I write “Good luck in your biology and Latin exams today, {name}!” in Latin?
If it’s important, the recipient of this greeting will be male. The biology exam is a written one, which I think is also the case for the Latin exam.
If it’s important, the recipient of this greeting will be male. The biology exam is a written one, which I think is also the case for the Latin exam.
I like jquinby's answer, but I'll add a little but I'll add little bit: Bonus exploro res animalia et lingua. magna fortuna vobis. I think that says "Learn the study of animals and language well. Good luck to you."
posted by Buckt at 6:53 PM on June 20, 2011
posted by Buckt at 6:53 PM on June 20, 2011
Actually, it's probably "explore" since it's a command. Bonus explore res animalia et lingua. Magna fortuna vobis hodie! To be truly latin, BONUSEXPLORERESANIMALIAETLINGUAMAGNAFORTUNAVOBISHODIE
posted by Buckt at 6:55 PM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Buckt at 6:55 PM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'd say: Bonam fortunam hodie tibi opto probationes Biologiae Latinaeque scribenti.
jquinby's answer has questionable Latinity: vobis is plural ('to you all'), you exclaim in the accusative (I've put a verb in (opto, 'I wish') although you can otherwise understand sit, 'may there be' if one would like a nominative, but the acc. is more Latin), and I wouldn't use exitus at all -- it's Spanish-y. buckt's answer is not grammatical. ('Learn' in the imperative is disce. bonus is good; bene is well. res animalium, not res animalia (but that's not how you say that); linguam accusative, not nominative. And again, not vobis, tibi, and exclaim (bonam -- not magnam -- fortunam) in the accusative.)
posted by lysimache at 10:46 PM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
jquinby's answer has questionable Latinity: vobis is plural ('to you all'), you exclaim in the accusative (I've put a verb in (opto, 'I wish') although you can otherwise understand sit, 'may there be' if one would like a nominative, but the acc. is more Latin), and I wouldn't use exitus at all -- it's Spanish-y. buckt's answer is not grammatical. ('Learn' in the imperative is disce. bonus is good; bene is well. res animalium, not res animalia (but that's not how you say that); linguam accusative, not nominative. And again, not vobis, tibi, and exclaim (bonam -- not magnam -- fortunam) in the accusative.)
posted by lysimache at 10:46 PM on June 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: lysimache has me convinced (and quite glad that I’m not the one doing the Latin exam!).
If I want to include the name of the recipient of the greeting in the message, can I just write something like “Bonam fortunam hodie tibi opto probationes Biologiae Latinaeque scribenti, {name}!” (with “{name}” replaced with his forename)?
posted by kyten at 11:50 AM on June 21, 2011
If I want to include the name of the recipient of the greeting in the message, can I just write something like “Bonam fortunam hodie tibi opto probationes Biologiae Latinaeque scribenti, {name}!” (with “{name}” replaced with his forename)?
posted by kyten at 11:50 AM on June 21, 2011
Yes, you can just use the English version of the name. Unless it happens to be a pre-existing Roman name (like Marcus), treat it as indeclinable (and only -us or -ius nouns change in the vocative anyway).
posted by lysimache at 2:08 PM on June 21, 2011
posted by lysimache at 2:08 PM on June 21, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jquinby at 6:14 PM on June 20, 2011