# Some Latin help please.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-latin-help-please/401610>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 25, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-latin-help-please/401610 "2007-04-25T16:44:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-latin-help-please/401610/1 "2007-04-25T16:44:53Z")

</div>

I am working on a small project for a non-profit that raises money for pet shelters and need to know how to say “I adopted a cat” and “I adopted a dog” in Latin.

Thanks!

Chao

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-latin-help-please/401610/2 "2007-04-25T18:14:04Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=The Chao Goes Mu]  
I am working on a small project for a non-profit that raises money for pet shelters and need to know how to say “I adopted a cat” and “I adopted a dog” in Latin.

Thanks!

Chao  
[/QUOTE]

“Adoptavi canem” would mean “I adopted a dog,” and “Adoptavi felem” would be “I adopted a cat.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-latin-help-please/401610/3 "2007-04-25T18:26:29Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=astorian]  
“Adoptavi canem” would mean “I adopted a dog,” and “Adoptavi felem” would be “I adopted a cat.”  
[/QUOTE]

Thank you!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [April 25, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-latin-help-please/401610/4 "2007-04-25T18:31:43Z")

</div>

If you wanted to emphasize the “I”, you could add the pronoun “Ego”, though it’s not necessary. And the word order is completely flexible, so if you think “canem adoptavi” (or “canem ego adoptavi”, etc.) sounds catchier, you could use that instead.