# Persona non gratis(sic!) ???

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persona-non-gratis-sic/382494>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 1, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persona-non-gratis-sic/382494 "2006-12-01T17:42:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ea\_calendula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Ea\_calendula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ea_calendula)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persona-non-gratis-sic/382494/1 "2006-12-01T17:42:37Z")

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I recently saw the phrase “persona non gratis”, which confused me. I know the phrase “persona non grata”, but have never before seen “persona non **gratis** ”. Thought is was a mistake, so I googled it, just in case, and found a number of references to uses of “persona non gratis”. I still think it’s a misreading of “persona non grata”, but am I right? You can’t really use “persona non gratis” can you??

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**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persona-non-gratis-sic/382494/2 "2006-12-01T18:01:51Z")

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[QUOTE=Ea\_calendula]  
I recently saw the phrase “persona non gratis”, which confused me. I know the phrase “persona non grata”, but have never before seen “persona non **gratis** ”. Thought is was a mistake, so I googled it, just in case, and found a number of references to uses of “persona non gratis”. I still think it’s a misreading of “persona non grata”, but am I right? You can’t really use “persona non gratis” can you??  
[/QUOTE]

Persona non gratis would mean don’t let him in free, I think. 😃

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persona-non-gratis-sic/382494/3 "2006-12-01T18:03:47Z")

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On my limited knowledge of Latin, “grata” is an adjective modifying “persona”, so they have to match. So “grata” is the feminine form of “gratus”, meaning welcome. The English word “gratis” comes from Latin, too, but it’s a different word.

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**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:** [December 1, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persona-non-gratis-sic/382494/4 "2006-12-01T18:48:19Z")

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_Persona non grata_ is correct, and as mentioned, the final “a” of _grata_ is a necessary match to the final “a” of _persona_.

_Persona non gratis_ is nonsensical, and if you found many examples of it, you found many examples of ignorance (no big surprise). No doubt it’s a conflation of _persona non grata_ and _gratis_. _Gratis_ is okay by itself, but its meaning different from that of _grata_ in the phrase.

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**Author:** ![Ea\_calendula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Ea\_calendula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ea_calendula)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persona-non-gratis-sic/382494/5 "2006-12-01T18:52:52Z")

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Thank you. I was quite sure it was wrong, but you never know, I’ve been known to make mistakes and mis-remember things 😉 I know what ‘gratis’ means, so it was rather surprising to see it in this context.