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Translation - English-Latin - Life is just one day

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Category Daily life - Daily life

Title
Life is just one day
Text
Submitted by Ricciodimare
Source language: English

Life is just one day

Title
Vita unus dies est.
Translation
Latin

Translated by alexfatt
Target language: Latin

Vita unus dies est.
Validated by Aneta B. - 22 April 2012 16:36





Last messages

Author
Message

21 April 2012 00:19

Aneta B.
Number of messages: 4487
Vita solum unus dies es.

Ok?

21 April 2012 15:14

alexfatt
Number of messages: 1538
Oh. Isn't "unus" already implying "solum"? I was taught so

21 April 2012 19:53

Aneta B.
Number of messages: 4487
You probably thought about "solus", Alex. Didn't you? This one has an implied "solum" indeed, but, however, "solus" wouldn't work for the sentence.


21 April 2012 20:06

alexfatt
Number of messages: 1538
Uhm, I am a bit confused.

I seem to remember that unus was never used as an indeterminative article (like in Italian) because the bare noun, for instance dies, could mean both "the day" and "a day". So they used unus only when they wanted to underline singularity, for instance when they wanted to say "only one day" - "just one day" - "merely one day" - "one day and no more".

Have I lived until now with such a wrong belief?

21 April 2012 20:30

Aneta B.
Number of messages: 4487
To some extent you are right, dear. This rule works for instance in a sentence like
"Te unum amo" - I love only you.

But I don't think it could work here. If it could, how would you say in Latin: "Life is one day"?

Ok, let's ask Efylove's opinion.

Efee?




CC: Efylove

21 April 2012 20:38

Aneta B.
Number of messages: 4487
But if you don't like: Vita solum unus dies est. I believe there is one more option possible:

Vita singulus dies est.

"Singulus" - single, only one

21 April 2012 20:38

alexfatt
Number of messages: 1538
I wrote "es" instead of "est"!

21 April 2012 20:39

alexfatt
Number of messages: 1538
We pointed out the same error at the same time!!

21 April 2012 20:48

Aneta B.
Number of messages: 4487
I made the same mistake in my first post!

Well, that happened because I had copied your version first and then I added "solum". Hadn't noticed that "es" before! Hahaha!

22 April 2012 09:42

Efylove
Number of messages: 1015
Hi dear Aneta & alex!
I agree with alex about the use of "unus" as "only one".
For example, our friend Cicero writes: "Itaque ille unus dies ... tantae mihi iucunditati fuit ut ...". In Quintilianus you can also find: "Tota vita hominis unus dies est".
Hope it helps!

22 April 2012 16:35

Aneta B.
Number of messages: 4487
Thanks Efee!
You're right, we certainly need to follow our friends Cicero and Quintilianus.

Can you see, Alex? I can be wrong too.

22 April 2012 17:04

alexfatt
Number of messages: 1538
I can as well!