# Little bit of Latin help?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-bit-of-latin-help/224611>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-bit-of-latin-help/224611 "2004-01-15T17:45:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-bit-of-latin-help/224611/1 "2004-01-15T17:45:02Z")

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I studied latin for 5 years so people are always asking me how to say stuff. They refuse to believe I don’t remember _any_ of it. This latest request is really being hardnecked though, so can somone tell me how to say “till death do us part” in a gramatically correct and well spelled manner? I didn’t even dare ask what he wants it for. :eek:

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**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-bit-of-latin-help/224611/2 "2004-01-15T18:31:36Z")

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Here’s my go:

“Donec (or dum, or quoad) mors nos separet.”

_separet_ is anticipatory subjunctive (b/c of the ‘until’).

[The Oracle of Loxias](http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/search.htm) is always a good source for translations, especially of short tags like this.

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**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-bit-of-latin-help/224611/3 "2004-01-15T21:24:29Z")

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Thanks! 🙂  
I would love to get a bit of corroberation on this if anyone can, I know myself that with latin it’s better to be safe than sorry!

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**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:** [January 16, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-bit-of-latin-help/224611/4 "2004-01-16T14:21:41Z")

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> [@Melandry](#):
>
> Here’s my go:
> 
> “Donec (or dum, or quoad) mors nos separet.”

Usque might be better than Donec.

You might want to inject some brevity and contract the phrase to **Usque mors**.