# interdum or nonnumquam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2007, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185 "2007-10-10T06:46:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/1 "2007-10-10T06:46:58Z")
Not homework - writing a story and need to translate “A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y” into Latin. I realize Y isn’t used as a vowel in Latin - the story is a modern one and it’s just being used as a motto. Perusing an online latin dictionary it seems to offer me two choices: interdum : sometimes, now and then, at times. nonnumquam : sometimes. Not being a Latin scholar, I’m not sure what phrase would be better in this context, “et interdum” or “et nonnumquam”. Or maybe a more literal translation of “some… times”? Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/2 "2007-10-10T07:09:15Z")
I’d go for interdum. It seems less clumsy than nonnumquam (which is literally ‘not never’). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/3 "2007-10-10T08:29:34Z")
Of the two, I’d go for _non nunquam_ - _interdum_ has the feel of time whereas _non nunquam_ doesn’t. But have you considered _non nolo_? This is a motto, after all. A, E, I, O, U semper; Y non nolo. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/4 "2007-10-10T17:44:50Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] Of the two, I’d go for _non nunquam_ - _interdum_ has the feel of time whereas _non nunquam_ doesn’t. [/QUOTE] Can you explain that a little more? hmm.. the online dictionary lists it as one word, “nonnumquam” - is it more proper as one word or two? [QUOTE=Quartz] But have you considered _non nolo_? This is a motto, after all. A, E, I, O, U semper; Y non nolo. [/QUOTE] I wanted to have an “et” expression so I could use the ampersand symbol. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/5 "2007-10-10T22:06:10Z")
[QUOTE=jackdavinci] Can you explain that a little more? [/quote] Non nunquam is ‘not never’ i.e. sometimes, whereas interdum is more ‘from time to time’ but between time A and time B. Consider the difference betwen non numquam requiescat - he rested sometime - and interdum requiescat - he rested from time to time. Of course, it’s over 20 years since I studied Latin seriously, so I may be talking complete bollocks. > [@](#): > > hmm.. the online dictionary lists it as one word, “nonnumquam” - is it more proper as one word or two? I don’t know. But the Romans liked their double negatives. > [@](#): > > I wanted to have an “et” expression so I could use the ampersand symbol. That would often be -que at the end of a word. Mottos are short. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/6 "2007-10-11T00:54:22Z")
I would use ‘aliquando’. [aliquando bonus Homerus dormitat = sometimes even the good Homer nods] ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/7 "2007-10-11T14:25:01Z")
_Aliquando_ is probably better than _interdum_, though both are acceptable. _Aliquando_ shows up more frequently in contrasts with words like _semper_ and _numquam_, and I suppose the point of the quote is that the first five are always vowels, while the last is only a vowel sometimes. I’m reminded of a quote from Tacitus’ _Agricola_: _Haud semper errat fama; aliquando et elegit_ - “Public opinion (_fama_)doesn’t always err, sometimes even it chooses correctly.” _A, E, I, O, U, et aliquando Y_ ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interdum-or-nonnumquam/422185/8 "2007-10-11T18:00:15Z")
Very nice!