# a latin translation please **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792 "2006-07-10T00:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/1 "2006-07-10T00:19:01Z")
Would some one please verify the latin translation of the phrase “Amor vincit omnia” to be “Love conquers all” Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/2 "2006-07-10T00:24:23Z")
[QUOTE=kaiwik] Would some one please verify the latin translation of the phrase “Amor vincit omnia” to be “Love conquers all” Thank you. [/QUOTE] Correct. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/3 "2006-07-10T00:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=kaiwik] Would some one please verify the latin translation of the phrase “Amor vincit omnia” to be “Love conquers all” Thank you. [/QUOTE] My high school latin and [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amor_Vincit_Omnia) both agree with your translation. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/4 "2006-07-10T00:25:48Z")
It should be spelled _vinc **e** t_, but yeah, _Amor vincet omnia_ is “Love conquers all.” ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/5 "2006-07-10T00:33:19Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] It should be spelled _vinc **e** t_, but yeah, _Amor vincet omnia_ is “Love conquers all.” [/QUOTE] I don’t think so. _Vincere_ is a third-conjugation verb, so _vincit_ is the third-person singular, present tense, indicative mood, active voice, and thus translates as _conquers_. _Vincet_ is the third-person singular, future tense, indicative mood, active voice, and would translate as _will conquer_. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/6 "2006-07-10T00:36:56Z")
Vinc **e** t is the future tense. Vinc **i** t is the present tense. Which, on preview, is what \*\*brianmelendez \*\* has just said too. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/7 "2006-07-10T00:38:47Z")
[QUOTE=brianmelendez] I don’t think so. _Vincere_ is a third-conjugation verb, so _vincit_ is the third-person singular, present tense, indicative mood, active voice, and thus translates as _conquers_. _Vincet_ is the third-person singular, future tense, indicative mood, active voice, and would translate as _will conquer_. [/QUOTE] Are you sure it’s third conjugation? I thought it was second. It’s been a few years since I took college Latin but I thought all the verbs whose infinitive forms ended in _-ere_ were second conjugation. Is _vinco_ an irregular conjugation in some way or is there some rule that I’ve forgotten? ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/8 "2006-07-10T00:43:16Z")
I appreciate this conversation, the spelling is also important. Present tense is what I am looking for. I graduated from Cow Pie High, and latin was not offered. All learning since has been from books and learned people like yourselves. Again, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/9 "2006-07-10T00:46:33Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Are you sure it’s third conjugation? I thought it was second. It’s been a few years since I took college Latin but I thought all the verbs whose infinitive forms ended in _-ere_ were second conjugation. Is _vinco_ an irregular conjugation in some way or is there some rule that I’ve forgotten? [/QUOTE] I’m sure. An _-ere_ ending can be second or third conjugation – usually second conjugation if the first _e_ is long, or third conjugation if it is short (as with _vincere_): [Examples of Third Conjugation Verbs](http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/~econrad/lang/lv3ex.html) [Examples of Second Conjugation Verbs](http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/~econrad/lang/lv2ex.html) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/10 "2006-07-10T00:49:47Z")
[QUOTE=brianmelendez] I’m sure. An _-ere_ ending can be second or third conjugation – usually second conjugation if the first _e_ is long, or third conjugation if it is short (as with _vincere_): [Examples of Third Conjugation Verbs](http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/~econrad/lang/lv3ex.html) [Examples of Second Conjugation Verbs](http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/~econrad/lang/lv2ex.html) [/QUOTE] Thanks, that explains it. I forgot all about that long _e_ short _e_ stuff. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/11 "2006-07-10T01:15:18Z")
The exact quote from Virgil has the words in a different order: _Omnia vincit Amor_, but the meaning is the same. Note that “all” in this context means “all things” not “all people,” as the Latinless sometimes assume. Had Virgil mean “love conquers all people” he would have said _Omnes vincit Amor_. But Virgil was wrong. _Alium vincit amorem_, garlic conquers love. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-latin-translation-please/363792/12 "2006-07-10T12:47:13Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] It should be spelled _vinc **e** t_, but yeah, _Amor vincet omnia_ is “Love conquers all.” [/QUOTE] I’m not a Latin expert, thought I did rightly guess the translation. However, isn’t it possible that the difference between “conquers” and “will conquer” possibly not very significant in this context? When spoken in the present tense, it describes an ongoing characteristic or capability of love. When spoken in the future tense, it merely draws the necessary conclusion based on that characteristic. Given that even closely related languages, like English and German, use tenses in substantially divergent ways, is it safe to assume the same “sense” from Latin tenses as we would have in English?