# Need english phrase translated into latin, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847 "2012-06-21T15:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/21 "2012-06-21T18:45:00Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > I think the verb form you want is “inserito”, the second person, singular, future active, imperative of “insero” (insert). Then you can dispense with the “go” element of your sentence. Agreed, except that there’s no need for the future tense. The imperative mood is sufficient, so “insere”. “Insero” is “put into” or even “thrust,” so it’s perfect. > [@August\_West](#): > > Head is “capitis”, right? (always?) No, not always. In this case, because it’s neuter, you need the form “caput” for the accusative. And just for clarity, you don’t need “your” here, it’s implied by the fact that it’s a body part without prior referent. _Caput_ is “head”, “a head” , “the head”, or “your head.” If you did want to specify, _caput tuum_. > [@August\_West](#): > > And Latin for pig is Sus, but for _a_ pig, I think porcus is correct. No, these are just two different words for pig. _Porcus_ is more specifically a domestic big. _Sus_ is any pig, and _aper_ is a wild pig (i.e. a boar). There are plenty of other pig words. “In suem” is “into a pig.” > [@August\_West](#): > > So, following sentence order of subject, object, verb we end up with “Porcus capitis inserito” This is something like “The head’s pig exists. You will thrust!” I would say _ **In suem caput insere!** _ It might work better with a suffix. “Capitulum” and “capitellum” are “little head,” but the connotations seem to be largely positive. A pejorative suffix is “-aster”, so perhaps _ **In suem capitastrum insere!** _ > [@August\_West](#): > > Except I seem to remember that swine is an irregular noun and Googling confirms that. Sus, in the dative case (because the pig is having something done to it) is Sui (sing.) Just to address this, the verb requires an accusative, not a dative. ---
**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/22 "2012-06-21T18:46:59Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Wiktionary seems to agree with that: > > pōnitō > > ``` > second-person singular future active imperative of pōnō > "thou shalt place, thou shalt put, thou shalt lay" > > ``` Thou shalt is a pretty good translation. If the speaker says ponito (future) instead of poni (present) it gives the command an archaic and formal tone. Lots of Roman laws, for example, have future imperatives. But generally they are quite rare. Our sentence sounds like colloquial abuse, so I’d go with the present imperative. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/23 "2012-06-21T18:47:31Z")
“Porcus capitis inserito” > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > This is something like “The head’s pig exists. You will thrust!” This phrase amuses me. 😃 Reminds me of: Centurion: “Romanes eunt domus”? People called Romanes, they go, the house? Brian: It says, "Romans go home. " Centurion: No it doesn’t! ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/24 "2012-06-21T18:51:56Z")
Now I remember why I only took one semester! **Qadgop** , I knew I was going to get the Python treatment, but thought I would try anyway! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/25 "2012-06-21T18:55:57Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Remember, Porcus is the Latin word for pig, but “in a pig” requires the ablative case, so you’d say “in porco,” not “in porcus.” That would be correct if referring to something located in a pig. It is not correct in this case, which refers to something going into a pig. It calls for the accusative case. The Latin “in” can mean “located in,” taking the ablative, or “into,” taking the accusative. ---
**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/26 "2012-06-21T19:28:12Z")
So, just to sum it up, how about translate it as: Age caput in porcum insere! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/27 "2012-06-21T19:35:59Z")
> [@Vaevictis](#): > > So, just to sum it up, how about translate it as: > > Age caput in porcum insere! A question about _age_: I would have said _heus_, but I don’t have a great sense of these words. ---
**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/28 "2012-06-21T22:07:34Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > A question about _age_: I would have said _heus_, but I don’t have a great sense of these words. One might be able to argue ‘heus’ is a shade different – just a general call to pay attention to what follows (Yo!), whereas ‘age’ calls you to action regarding what follows. But in practice you see ‘heus’ with the imperative in cases where it is hard to see any distinction between it and ‘age’. ‘Heus’ and ‘age’ are often combined ‘Heus age, responde (minimum est quod scire laboro)😕 de Iove quid sentis?’ (Persius II.17-18). I think this makes ‘heus’ a lot like ‘en’ – another interjection that also means at root ‘pay attention’, but gets combined a lot with ‘age’ + imperative, and then occurs by itself with imperatives in a way that is not really different from ‘age’. Heus + imperative, en+ imperative, age + imperative, and heus/en + imperative probably all blurred together given that there is a lot of overlap between ‘Listen up, do this!’ and 'Go do this!". My best evidence for the above paragraph is that ‘age’, though technically a singular verb, can accompany plural imperatives – a Roman can say ‘Age respondite’ as much as ‘Age responde’. In those cases ‘age’ has lost the force of its inflection, thereby robbing it of any status as a verb, and so the word seems no more than just another interjection + imperative, just like the same usage of ‘en’ and ‘heus’. So, sure, ‘Heus caput in porcum insere’ probably equates to ‘Age caput in porcum insere’. One caveat, however: ‘Heus’ is less stylistically flexible than ‘age’ because it always comes first in the sentence (some exceptions in Roman comedy). So if you wanted to say ‘Go stick your head in a pig’ but wanted to emphasize the ‘stick’ part at the expense of the ‘go’ part, you’d say ‘Insere, age, caput in porcum.’ ‘Heus’ can’t be downplayed like that, so the best you’d be able to come up with is ‘Heus insere caput in porcum.’ But for this phrase I think the ‘Go’ deserves pride of place, so we don’t need to worry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/29 "2012-06-21T22:10:08Z")
Awesome response, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/30 "2012-06-21T23:24:27Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Support staff, actually. 😉 No doubt, there’s a story behind that, which you’ll be telling us soon. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/31 "2012-06-21T23:56:02Z")
In _ **my** _ day MDs were expected to speak some Latin. The useful stuff, at least, and this sounds very useful. How the standards have slipped! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/32 "2012-06-22T00:06:56Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > In _ **my** _ day MDs were expected to speak some Latin. The useful stuff, at least, and this sounds very useful. How the standards have slipped! :mad: [snark-jack] Today (and always, as well) it’s the lawyers (and judges) who do that. There’s way too much Latin in legalese (spoken and written) to be comprehensible to the lay person (doctors included, apparently). That’s a disgraceful situation to have ingrained into our legal system. Please to just say it in English! [/snark-jack] ETA: OTOH, it appears that **QtM** needs to say something that is really best NOT understood by his intended audience! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/33 "2012-06-22T01:06:33Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > In _ **my** _ day MDs were expected to speak some Latin. The useful stuff, at least, and this sounds very useful. How the standards have slipped! :mad: My most useful Latin phrase in the last decade: **Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum**. 🆒 So long, and thanks for all the help!! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/34 "2012-06-22T01:15:59Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > **Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum** Shouldn’t [_cardia_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardia_(Thrace)) be [_cor_](http://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cor)? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/35 "2012-06-22T01:27:37Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Shouldn’t [_cardia_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardia_(Thrace)) be [_cor_](http://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cor)? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe? I leave that to the experts, like you guys. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/36 "2012-06-22T02:43:17Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Remember, Porcus is the Latin word for pig, but “in a pig” requires the ablative case, so you’d say “in porco,” not “in porcus.” > > And caput is a neuter word, which means the accusative is the same as the nominative. Couple of corrections: 1. “in”, in both English and Latin, may mean “within” (location) or “into” (movement of entering). Locational Latin _in_ tes the ablative, but ‘motional’ _in_, as in this case, takes the accusative. 2. Neuter accusative is not always the nominative. In many instances, e.g. second declension nouns in -um and plurals in -a and -ia, your ‘rule’ is true. But not always. Accusative of _caput_ is _capitem_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/37 "2012-06-22T04:44:27Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > 1. Neuter accusative is not always the nominative. In many instances, e.g. second declension nouns in -um and plurals in -a and -ia, your ‘rule’ is true. But not always. Accusative of _caput_ is _capitem_. Cite? Allen and Greenough [disagree](http://books.google.ca/books?id=ehsPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA26&dq=caput+allen+greenough+capitis&hl=cy&sa=X&ei=GvfjT8bMEI6A6QHJqMTLCg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false), and the fairly common phrase _per capita_ suggests that in the plural, at least, nom. and acc. are the same (e.g. not \*\*_per capitēs_). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/38 "2012-06-22T20:19:00Z")
The use of Latin in medical and legal terminology is a _good_ thing. Technical terminology in various fields is full of common words that mean something subtly (or not-so-subtly) different from their common meaning, and those differences can be the cause of much confusion. By using words for your jargon that _don’t_ have common meanings, you avoid this problem. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/39 "2012-06-22T20:43:45Z")
I appreciate that those who are actually knowledgeable about Latin were so polite about explaining what was wrong with my translation, it’s the cool people like that that keep me coming back to this board. And I actually learned something! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847/40 "2012-06-22T23:01:53Z")
Argh. Yes, _caput_ is neuter, accusative _caput_. And I was doing so well there too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-english-phrase-translated-into-latin-please/625847.md?page=3)