Welcome to Lesson 57 of the Latinum Institute Conversational Latin Course. Today’s word is the adverb tum, with its stronger partner tunc, “then.” The Dickinson Core Vocabulary ranks the pair 55th among all Latin words. In Lesson 50 you learned nunc, “now.” Tum is its opposite: “then,” “at that time.” In Lesson 56 you learned post, “after.” Tum is the word that moves a story on to the next step: first this, then that.
What does tum mean in Latin?
Tum means “then.” It has two main uses. It points to a time other than now, usually the past (“at that time”): tum puer eram, “I was a boy then.” It also marks the next step in a sequence (“next, thereupon”): prīmum cēnāmus, tum ambulāmus, “first we dine, then we take a walk.” Tum never changes its form; it is an adverb.
What is the difference between tum and tunc?
Tunc is tum with the old pointing particle -ce added (tum-ce → tunc), just as nunc comes from num-ce. The -ce makes the word point harder: tunc means “then, at that very moment,” “at that time and no other.” In classical prose tum is by far the usual word. Lewis and Short note that Cicero writes tum about thirty times as often as tunc, and that Caesar uses tunc only five times. In later Latin, including the Vulgate Bible, tunc becomes common and loses much of its emphasis. A modern speaker of Latin will be understood with either; this lesson teaches tum as the everyday word and tunc as the emphatic one.
How does Latin differ from English here?
English “then” has three jobs: time (“I was young then”), sequence (“then we left”) and logic (“if you are tired, then rest”). Latin tum does the first two freely and the third in conversation (sī id vīs, tum mēcum venī, “if you want it, then come with me”). But when English “then” means “therefore,” as in “you are right, then,” Latin uses ergō or igitur, not tum. Latin also builds tum into pairs that English cannot copy word for word: cum … tum … (“not only … but especially”), tum … tum … (“at one moment … at another”), and tum … cum … (“at the time when”). Section D explains each.
The most useful phrase of all
Quid tum? “What then? And then what?” is the listener’s question whenever a Roman tells a story. Terence’s comedies use it (Section E). Learn it first. The dialogue at the end of this lesson is built around it.
Key Takeaways
✦ Tum means “then”: at that time (not now), or next in a sequence
✦ Tunc (= tum + -ce) is the emphatic form, “at that very moment”; it becomes the ordinary word in later Latin
✦ Quid tum? means “What then?” or “And then what?”, the listener’s question in conversation
✦ Cum … tum … means “not only … but especially”; tum … tum … means “now … now,” “at one time … at another”
✦ When “then” means “therefore,” use ergō or igitur, not tum
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tum /tum/: one syllable, with a SHORT u, as in British “put,” never the long “oo” of “tomb.” Say the final m clearly in conversation.
tunc /tuŋk/: one syllable, again with a short u. The n before c is pronounced like the ng of “sink,” so tunc sounds close to English “tunk” with the vowel of “put.” The final c is always /k/.
nunc /nuŋk/ (Lesson 50) rhymes exactly with tunc. Hearing the two together, nunc … tunc, “now … then,” is a good way to fix both in memory.
Key vocabulary for this lesson:
quid /kʷid/ — what; dēmum /ˈdeː.mum/ — at last, only (in tum dēmum, “only then”); dēnique /ˈdeː.ni.kʷe/ — finally, at last; prīmum /ˈpriː.mum/ — first; iam /jam/ — already (iam tum, “even then”); vērō /ˈweː.roː/ — indeed, truly (tum vērō, “then indeed”); hūc /huːk/ — to here, this way; illūc /ˈil.luːk/ — to there, that way.
This course gives the restored classical pronunciation: c is always /k/, v is /w/, ae is /ae̯/ as in “eye,” and qu is /kʷ/.
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57.1a Quid what tum then
57.1b Quid /kʷid/ what.NOM.N.SG tum /tum/ then.ADV
57.2a Tum then veniam I-will-come
57.2b Tum /tum/ then.ADV veniam /ˈwe.ni.am/ come.1SG.FUT
57.3a Tunc at-that-moment omnēs all rīsimus we-laughed
57.3b Tunc /tuŋk/ then.ADV.EMPH omnēs /ˈom.neːs/ all.NOM.M.PL rīsimus /ˈriː.si.mus/ laugh.1PL.PERF
57.4a Et and tum then quid what fēcistī did-you-do
57.4b Et /et/ and.CONJ tum /tum/ then.ADV quid /kʷid/ what.ACC.N.SG fēcistī /feːˈkis.tiː/ do.2SG.PERF
57.5a Tum then dēmum at-last intellēxī I-understood
57.5b Tum /tum/ then.ADV dēmum /ˈdeː.mum/ at-last.ADV intellēxī /in.telˈleːk.siː/ understand.1SG.PERF
57.6a Prīmum first cēnāmus we-dine tum then ambulāmus we-walk
57.6b Prīmum /ˈpriː.mum/ first.ADV cēnāmus /keːˈnaː.mus/ dine.1PL.PRES tum /tum/ then.ADV ambulāmus /am.buˈlaː.mus/ walk.1PL.PRES
57.7a Nunc now tacē be-silent tum then loquēris you-will-speak
57.7b Nunc /nuŋk/ now.ADV tacē /ˈta.keː/ be-silent.2SG.IMP tum /tum/ then.ADV loquēris /loˈkʷeː.ris/ speak.2SG.FUT.DEP
57.8a Iam already tum then puer as-a-boy Latīnē in-Latin loquēbātur he-was-speaking
57.8b Iam /jam/ already.ADV tum /tum/ then.ADV puer /ˈpu.er/ boy.NOM.M.SG Latīnē /laˈtiː.neː/ in-Latin.ADV loquēbātur /lo.kʷeːˈbaː.tur/ speak.3SG.IMPERF.DEP
57.9a Cum when domum home vēneris you-have-come tum then omnia everything nārrābō I-will-tell
57.9b Cum /kum/ when.CONJ domum /ˈdo.mum/ home.ACC.F.SG vēneris /ˈweː.ne.ris/ come.2SG.FUT.PERF tum /tum/ then.ADV omnia /ˈom.ni.a/ all.ACC.N.PL nārrābō /naːrˈraː.boː/ tell.1SG.FUT
57.10a Sī if id that vīs you-want tum then mēcum with-me venī come
57.10b Sī /siː/ if.CONJ id /id/ it.ACC.N.SG vīs /wiːs/ want.2SG.PRES tum /tum/ then.ADV mēcum /ˈmeː.kum/ me.ABL.SG-with venī /ˈwe.niː/ come.2SG.IMP
57.11a Tum then breviter briefly Dīdō Dido vultum her-face dēmissa having-lowered profātur speaks-out
57.11b Tum /tum/ then.ADV breviter /ˈbre.wi.ter/ briefly.ADV Dīdō /ˈdiː.doː/ Dido.NOM.F.SG vultum /ˈwul.tum/ face.ACC.M.SG dēmissa /deːˈmis.sa/ lower.PERF.PART.NOM.F.SG profātur /proˈfaː.tur/ speak-out.3SG.PRES.DEP
57.12a Haec this fābula play cum not-only puerōs boys tum but-especially senēs old-men maximē most-of-all dēlectat delights
57.12b Haec /hae̯k/ this.NOM.F.SG fābula /ˈfaː.bu.la/ play.NOM.F.SG cum /kum/ both.CONJ puerōs /pu.eˈroːs/ boy.ACC.M.PL tum /tum/ and-especially.ADV senēs /ˈse.neːs/ old-man.ACC.M.PL maximē /ˈmak.si.meː/ most.ADV.SUPERL dēlectat /deːˈlek.tat/ delight.3SG.PRES
57.13a Canis dog meus my tum now hūc this-way tum now illūc that-way per through hortum the-garden currit runs
57.13b Canis /ˈka.nis/ dog.NOM.M.SG meus /ˈme.us/ my.NOM.M.SG tum /tum/ then.ADV hūc /huːk/ hither.ADV tum /tum/ then.ADV illūc /ˈil.luːk/ thither.ADV per /per/ through.PREP+ACC hortum /ˈhor.tum/ garden.ACC.M.SG currit /ˈkur.rit/ run.3SG.PRES
57.14a Tunc at-that-moment cum when ad to portam the-gate advēnimus we-arrived omnēs all iam already dormiēbant were-sleeping
57.14b Tunc /tuŋk/ then.ADV.EMPH cum /kum/ when.CONJ ad /ad/ to.PREP+ACC portam /ˈpor.tam/ gate.ACC.F.SG advēnimus /adˈweː.ni.mus/ arrive.1PL.PERF omnēs /ˈom.neːs/ all.NOM.M.PL iam /jam/ already.ADV dormiēbant /dor.miˈeː.bant/ sleep.3PL.IMPERF
57.15a Tum then dēnique at-last interficiēre you-will-be-put-to-death cum when iam by-now nēmō no-one tam so improbus wicked tam so perditus depraved tam so tuī of-you similis like invenīrī to-be-found poterit will-be-able quī who id that nōn not iūre by-right factum done esse to-have-been fateātur would-admit
57.15b Tum /tum/ then.ADV dēnique /ˈdeː.ni.kʷe/ at-last.ADV interficiēre /in.ter.fi.kiˈeː.re/ kill.2SG.FUT.PASS cum /kum/ when.CONJ iam /jam/ already.ADV nēmō /ˈneː.moː/ no-one.NOM.M.SG tam /tam/ so.ADV improbus /ˈim.pro.bus/ wicked.NOM.M.SG tam /tam/ so.ADV perditus /ˈper.di.tus/ depraved.NOM.M.SG tam /tam/ so.ADV tuī /ˈtu.iː/ you.GEN.SG similis /ˈsi.mi.lis/ like.NOM.M.SG invenīrī /in.weˈniː.riː/ find.PRES.INF.PASS poterit /ˈpo.te.rit/ be-able.3SG.FUT quī /kʷiː/ who.NOM.M.SG id /id/ it.ACC.N.SG nōn /noːn/ not.ADV iūre /ˈjuː.re/ right.ABL.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ do.PERF.PART.PASS.ACC.N.SG esse /ˈes.se/ be.PRES.INF fateātur /fa.teˈaː.tur/ admit.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
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57.1 Quid tum? → “What then?” (Terence, Eunuchus 3.5; a stock question of Roman conversation)
57.2 Tum veniam. → “I’ll come then.”
57.3 Tunc omnēs rīsimus. → “At that moment we all laughed.”
57.4 Et tum quid fēcistī? → “And what did you do then?”
57.5 Tum dēmum intellēxī. → “Only then did I understand.”
57.6 Prīmum cēnāmus, tum ambulāmus. → “First we have dinner, then we go for a walk.”
57.7 Nunc tacē; tum loquēris. → “Be quiet now; you will speak later.”
57.8 Iam tum puer Latīnē loquēbātur. → “Even then, as a boy, he spoke Latin.”
57.9 Cum domum vēneris, tum omnia nārrābō. → “When you get home, then I’ll tell you everything.”
57.10 Sī id vīs, tum mēcum venī. → “If that’s what you want, then come with me.”
57.11 Tum breviter Dīdō, vultum dēmissa, profātur. → “Then Dido, her eyes lowered, speaks briefly.” (Virgil, Aeneid 1.561)
57.12 Haec fābula cum puerōs, tum senēs maximē dēlectat. → “This play delights boys, and old men most of all.”
57.13 Canis meus tum hūc, tum illūc per hortum currit. → “My dog runs this way and that way through the garden.”
57.14 Tunc, cum ad portam advēnimus, omnēs iam dormiēbant. → “At the moment we reached the gate, everyone was already asleep.”
57.15 Tum dēnique interficiēre, cum iam nēmō tam improbus, tam perditus, tam tuī similis invenīrī poterit, quī id nōn iūre factum esse fateātur. → “You will be put to death only then, when no one can be found so wicked, so depraved, so like you, that he would not admit it had been rightly done.” (Cicero, In Catilīnam 1.5)
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57.1 Quid tum?
57.2 Tum veniam.
57.3 Tunc omnēs rīsimus.
57.4 Et tum quid fēcistī?
57.5 Tum dēmum intellēxī.
57.6 Prīmum cēnāmus, tum ambulāmus.
57.7 Nunc tacē; tum loquēris.
57.8 Iam tum puer Latīnē loquēbātur.
57.9 Cum domum vēneris, tum omnia nārrābō.
57.10 Sī id vīs, tum mēcum venī.
57.11 Tum breviter Dīdō, vultum dēmissa, profātur.
57.12 Haec fābula cum puerōs, tum senēs maximē dēlectat.
57.13 Canis meus tum hūc, tum illūc per hortum currit.
57.14 Tunc, cum ad portam advēnimus, omnēs iam dormiēbant.
57.15 Tum dēnique interficiēre, cum iam nēmō tam improbus, tam perditus, tam tuī similis invenīrī poterit, quī id nōn iūre factum esse fateātur.
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These are the grammar rules for tum and tunc in Latin:
1. Form
Tum and tunc are adverbs. They never change their form, whatever the tense, person or case around them.
2. Tum of time: “then, at that time”
Tum points away from the present to another time, usually the past: iam tum puer Latīnē loquēbātur (57.8). It is the natural opposite of nunc: nunc tacē; tum loquēris (57.7). In the Vulgate the same pair appears with tunc: vidēmus nunc … tunc autem … (Section F).
3. Tum of sequence: “then, next, thereupon”
Tum marks the next step in a story or a list: prīmum cēnāmus, tum ambulāmus (57.6). A full sequence in Latin usually runs prīmum … deinde … tum … postrēmō, “first … next … then … finally.” Lewis and Short note that tum is used for the step that follows at once; for a later step, deinde or posteā is more usual. Virgil opens speeches this way: tum breviter Dīdō … profātur (57.11). In Cicero’s dialogues tum introduces the next speaker: Tum Scīpiō: …, “Then Scipio said: …”.
4. Tum … cum …: “at the time when”
Tum often looks forward to a clause with cum, “then … when.” The main clause says “then”; the cum clause says which “then” is meant: cum domum vēneris, tum omnia nārrābō (57.9); tunc, cum ad portam advēnimus, … (57.14); tum dēnique interficiēre, cum … (57.15). When cum simply dates the action like this, it takes the indicative (vēneris here is future perfect indicative, advēnimus perfect indicative). Note the future perfect in 57.9: Latin says “when you will have come,” where English says “when you get home.”
5. Tum after a condition: “in that case”
In conversation tum can pick up an “if” clause: sī id vīs, tum mēcum venī (57.10). This use is frequent in the comedies of Plautus and Terence.
6. Cum … tum …: “not only … but especially”
When cum and tum stand in two parallel halves of a sentence, cum is not “when” and not “with.” The pair means “both … and above all,” with the weight on the tum half: haec fābula cum puerōs, tum senēs maximē dēlectat (57.12). Maximē or praecipuē often follows tum to underline the stress. The test: if cum is followed by an accusative (puerōs) or by a word in the same case as the word after tum, it is this conjunction, not the preposition cum + ablative.
7. Tum … tum …: “now … now,” “at one time … at another”
Repeated tum splits an action into alternating parts: tum hūc, tum illūc … currit (57.13). English says “this way and that.”
8. Set phrases
Quid tum? “What then? So what?” (57.1). Tum dēmum, “only then, then at last” (57.5). Tum dēnique, “then finally” (57.15). Iam tum, “even then, already at that time” (57.8). Tum vērō, “then indeed, then really”; with the emphatic form, tunc vērō (57.25).
9. Tum and tunc in indirect speech
When a speaker’s words are reported, the speaker’s nunc (“now”) becomes tum (“then”) in the report, because the “now” of the speaker is a past time for the narrator.
Common Mistakes
Confusing tum with cum and tam. Cum is “when” or “with,” tam is “so” (57.15: tam improbus, “so wicked”), tum is “then.” They differ by one letter; read the vowel and the first consonant.
Confusing tunc with nunc. Nunc is “now,” tunc is “then.” They rhyme, and they are often set side by side as opposites.
Using tum for “then” meaning “therefore.” “You are tired, then; go to bed” is fessus es ergō; ī cubitum, not tum. Ergō and igitur draw a conclusion; tum marks time or sequence.
Confusing “then” and “than.” English learners sometimes write tum for “than.” “Than” is quam: melior quam tū, “better than you.”
Reading cum … tum as “with … then.” In 57.12 cum is followed by an accusative. The preposition cum takes the ablative, so this cum must be the conjunction of the pair cum … tum.
Overusing tunc. In Classical Latin, write tum for ordinary “then.” Keep tunc for emphasis (“at that very moment”) or for later Latin, where it is normal.
Long u. Both words have a short u: /tum/, /tuŋk/, not “toom,” “toonk.”
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Quid tum? The question of Roman comedy
Roman comedy is full of stories told on stage, and every storyteller needs a listener who asks for more. In Terence’s Eunuchus (Act III, scene 5) the young Chaerea tells his friend Antipho, step by step, what he has done inside the house. When Antipho interrupts with quid tum?, “and then?”, Chaerea loses patience: quid “quid tum,” fatue?, “What do you mean, ‘and then,’ you fool?” Later in the play the longer form appears: quid tum posteā?, “and what of it?” The phrase was colloquial, quick and slightly impatient. It is still the most natural way in Latin to say “go on.”
Tum in Cicero’s dialogues
Cicero wrote his philosophical works as conversations between real Romans. He does not use quotation marks (the Romans had none); he writes Tum Scīpiō, Tum Laelius, Tum Crassus, “Then Scipio,” “Then Laelius,” and the speech follows. A reader of Latin dialogue learns to treat tum as a signal that a new speaker is taking his turn.
Tum and tunc through the centuries
Lewis and Short count about thirty uses of tum in Cicero for every use of tunc; Caesar has tunc only five times. After the time of Augustus the balance shifts. Writers such as Seneca, Pliny and Tacitus use tunc freely, and by the time of Jerome’s Latin Bible (the Vulgate, around AD 400) tunc is the ordinary word: tunc autem faciē ad faciem, “but then face to face” (Section F). The same shift can be heard in the Romance languages, where the everyday words for “then” (Spanish entonces, Portuguese então) are usually traced to Latin phrases built on tunc, not on tum.
A word for storytellers
Tum is the hinge of Latin narrative. Virgil uses it again and again to move from one speech to the next (Tum breviter Dīdō … profātur, 57.11). Cicero uses it as a threat in his first speech against Catiline (57.15): “You will die then, and only then, when …” The word turns the listener’s attention from what has happened to what is coming.
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Paul, First Letter to the Corinthians 13:12, in the Latin Vulgate. Paul has just written that love never fails, while prophecy and knowledge are partial and will pass away. He contrasts two times: nunc, the present life, and tunc, the time to come. The verse pairs this lesson’s word with nunc from Lesson 50. The macrons are editorial; editions print ænigmate or enigmate for aenigmate.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Vidēmus we-see nunc now per through speculum a-mirror in in aenigmate a-riddle
F.1b Vidēmus /wiˈdeː.mus/ see.1PL.PRES nunc /nuŋk/ now.ADV per /per/ through.PREP+ACC speculum /ˈspe.ku.lum/ mirror.ACC.N.SG in /in/ in.PREP+ABL aenigmate /ae̯ˈniɡ.ma.te/ riddle.ABL.N.SG
F.2a tunc then autem but faciē face ad to faciem face
F.2b tunc /tuŋk/ then.ADV autem /ˈau̯.tem/ but.CONJ faciē /ˈfa.ki.eː/ face.ABL.F.SG ad /ad/ to.PREP+ACC faciem /ˈfa.ki.em/ face.ACC.F.SG
F.3a Nunc now cognōscō I-know ex in parte part
F.3b Nunc /nuŋk/ now.ADV cognōscō /koɡˈnoːs.koː/ know.1SG.PRES ex /eks/ from.PREP+ABL parte /ˈpar.te/ part.ABL.F.SG
F.4a tunc then autem but cognōscam I-shall-know sīcut just-as et also cognitus known sum I-have-been
F.4b tunc /tuŋk/ then.ADV autem /ˈau̯.tem/ but.CONJ cognōscam /koɡˈnoːs.kam/ know.1SG.FUT sīcut /ˈsiː.kut/ just-as.CONJ et /et/ also.ADV cognitus /ˈkoɡ.ni.tus/ know.PERF.PART.PASS.NOM.M.SG sum /sum/ be.1SG.PRES
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Vidēmus nunc per speculum in aenigmate: tunc autem faciē ad faciem. Nunc cognōscō ex parte: tunc autem cognōscam sīcut et cognitus sum.
“For now we see through a mirror, in a riddle; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I also am known.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:12, Vulgate
F-C: Latin Text Only
Vidēmus nunc per speculum in aenigmate: tunc autem faciē ad faciem. Nunc cognōscō ex parte: tunc autem cognōscam sīcut et cognitus sum.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The verse is built on two matching pairs, each set out as nunc …: tunc autem …, “now …; but then ….” The first pair is about seeing, the second about knowing. Tunc here is the later-Latin “then” of the future: the time to come, set against the present life. A Classical writer would more often have used tum; Jerome, writing around AD 400, uses tunc as his ordinary word. Autem, “but, however,” always stands second in its clause, so tunc comes first and takes the stress.
Per speculum means “through a mirror”: ancient mirrors were polished metal and gave a dim, imperfect image. In aenigmate, “in a riddle,” translates the Greek ἐν αἰνίγματι. Aenigma is a Greek neuter noun of the third declension (aenigma, aenigmatis), so its ablative is aenigmate. Faciē ad faciem, “face to face,” sets the same noun in two cases, ablative and accusative. Ex parte, “in part, partly,” is a fixed phrase. Cognōscam is future indicative: in the third and fourth conjugations the first person singular future ends in -am, so it looks like a present subjunctive. Cognitus sum is a perfect passive: “I have been known.”
The King James Version’s “through a glass, darkly” comes from the Greek. The Latin “per speculum in aenigmate” gave later European writers their image of knowledge as a riddle seen in a mirror.
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A pedagogical dialogue, composed for this lesson and not a quotation. Marcus arrives late at an inn on the road outside Rome. His friend Titus is waiting for him, and Marcus tells him what happened on the road. Titus, like Antipho in Terence, keeps asking quid tum? Every line uses tum or tunc.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
57.16a TITUS: Heri yesterday Rōmā from-Rome profectus set-out es you-have Quid what tum then
57.16b Heri /ˈhe.ri/ yesterday.ADV Rōmā /ˈroː.maː/ Rome.ABL.F.SG profectus /proˈfek.tus/ set-out.PERF.PART.NOM.M.SG es /es/ be.2SG.PRES Quid /kʷid/ what.NOM.N.SG tum /tum/ then.ADV
57.17a MARCUS: Prīmum first per through silvam a-wood ambulāvī I-walked tum then subitō suddenly caelum the-sky obscūrum dark factum become est has
57.17b Prīmum /ˈpriː.mum/ first.ADV per /per/ through.PREP+ACC silvam /ˈsil.wam/ wood.ACC.F.SG ambulāvī /am.buˈlaː.wiː/ walk.1SG.PERF tum /tum/ then.ADV subitō /ˈsu.bi.toː/ suddenly.ADV caelum /ˈkae̯.lum/ sky.NOM.N.SG obscūrum /obsˈkuː.rum/ dark.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ become.PERF.PART.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
57.18a TITUS: Et and tum then Nōnne surely timuistī you-were-afraid
57.18b Et /et/ and.CONJ tum /tum/ then.ADV Nōnne /ˈnoːn.ne/ not.INTERR timuistī /ti.muˈis.tiː/ fear.2SG.PERF
57.19a MARCUS: Timuī I-was-afraid quidem indeed Tum then vōcem a-voice in in tenebrīs the-darkness audīvī I-heard
57.19b Timuī /ˈti.mu.iː/ fear.1SG.PERF quidem /ˈkʷi.dem/ indeed.ADV Tum /tum/ then.ADV vōcem /ˈwoː.kem/ voice.ACC.F.SG in /in/ in.PREP+ABL tenebrīs /ˈte.ne.briːs/ darkness.ABL.F.PL audīvī /au̯ˈdiː.wiː/ hear.1SG.PERF
57.20a TITUS: Tum then certē surely dē about latrōnibus robbers cōgitābās you-were-thinking
57.20b Tum /tum/ then.ADV certē /ˈker.teː/ surely.ADV dē /deː/ about.PREP+ABL latrōnibus /laˈtroː.ni.bus/ robber.ABL.M.PL cōgitābās /koː.ɡiˈtaː.baːs/ think.2SG.IMPERF
57.21a MARCUS: Ita yes Tum then baculum stick meum my magnā with-great vī force arripuī I-seized
57.21b Ita /ˈi.ta/ so.ADV Tum /tum/ then.ADV baculum /ˈba.ku.lum/ stick.ACC.N.SG meum /ˈme.um/ my.ACC.N.SG magnā /ˈmaɡ.naː/ great.ABL.F.SG vī /wiː/ force.ABL.F.SG arripuī /arˈri.pu.iː/ seize.1SG.PERF
57.22a TITUS: Quid what tum then Pugnāvistīne did-you-fight
57.22b Quid /kʷid/ what.NOM.N.SG tum /tum/ then.ADV Pugnāvistīne /puɡ.naː.wisˈtiː.ne/ fight.2SG.PERF-INTERR
57.23a MARCUS: Minimē not-at-all Tum then ē out-of tenebrīs the-darkness asellus a-donkey parvus little prōcessit came-forward
57.23b Minimē /ˈmi.ni.meː/ least.ADV.SUPERL Tum /tum/ then.ADV ē /eː/ out-of.PREP+ABL tenebrīs /ˈte.ne.briːs/ darkness.ABL.F.PL asellus /aˈsel.lus/ little-donkey.NOM.M.SG parvus /ˈpar.wus/ small.NOM.M.SG prōcessit /proːˈkes.sit/ come-forward.3SG.PERF
57.24a TITUS: Asellus a-donkey Tum then dēmum at-last rīsistī you-laughed crēdō I-suppose
57.24b Asellus /aˈsel.lus/ little-donkey.NOM.M.SG Tum /tum/ then.ADV dēmum /ˈdeː.mum/ at-last.ADV rīsistī /riːˈsis.tiː/ laugh.2SG.PERF crēdō /ˈkreː.doː/ believe.1SG.PRES
57.25a MARCUS: Tunc at-that-moment vērō indeed rīsī I-laughed et and asellus the-donkey mēcum with-me ad to caupōnam the-inn vēnit came
57.25b Tunc /tuŋk/ then.ADV.EMPH vērō /ˈweː.roː/ truly.ADV rīsī /ˈriː.siː/ laugh.1SG.PERF et /et/ and.CONJ asellus /aˈsel.lus/ little-donkey.NOM.M.SG mēcum /ˈmeː.kum/ me.ABL.SG-with ad /ad/ to.PREP+ACC caupōnam /kau̯ˈpoː.nam/ inn.ACC.F.SG vēnit /ˈweː.nit/ come.3SG.PERF
57.26a TITUS: Cum not-only tē you tum but-especially asellum donkey tuum your libenter gladly videō I-see
57.26b Cum /kum/ both.CONJ tē /teː/ you.ACC.SG tum /tum/ and-especially.ADV asellum /aˈsel.lum/ little-donkey.ACC.M.SG tuum /ˈtu.um/ your.ACC.M.SG libenter /liˈben.ter/ gladly.ADV videō /ˈwi.de.oː/ see.1SG.PRES
57.27a MARCUS: Nunc now hīc here stat he-stands tum then per along viam the-road errābat he-was-wandering
57.27b Nunc /nuŋk/ now.ADV hīc /hiːk/ here.ADV stat /stat/ stand.3SG.PRES tum /tum/ then.ADV per /per/ through.PREP+ACC viam /ˈwi.am/ road.ACC.F.SG errābat /erˈraː.bat/ wander.3SG.IMPERF
57.28a TITUS: Tum now hūc this-way tum now illūc that-way errāns wandering tandem at-last dominum a-master invēnit he-found
57.28b Tum /tum/ then.ADV hūc /huːk/ hither.ADV tum /tum/ then.ADV illūc /ˈil.luːk/ thither.ADV errāns /ˈer.raːns/ wander.PRES.PART.NOM.M.SG tandem /ˈtan.dem/ at-last.ADV dominum /ˈdo.mi.num/ master.ACC.M.SG invēnit /inˈweː.nit/ find.3SG.PERF
57.29a MARCUS: Cum when cēnāverimus we-have-dined tum then eī to-him nōmen a-name dabimus we-will-give
57.29b Cum /kum/ when.CONJ cēnāverimus /keː.naːˈwe.ri.mus/ dine.1PL.FUT.PERF tum /tum/ then.ADV eī /ˈe.iː/ he.DAT.M.SG nōmen /ˈnoː.men/ name.ACC.N.SG dabimus /ˈda.bi.mus/ give.1PL.FUT
57.30a TITUS: Tum then eum him Quid What Tum Then vocēmus let-us-call hoc this enim for totiēns so-often rogāvī I-asked
57.30b Tum /tum/ then.ADV eum /ˈe.um/ he.ACC.M.SG Quid /kʷid/ what.NAME Tum /tum/ then.NAME vocēmus /woˈkeː.mus/ call.1PL.PRES.SUBJ hoc /hok/ this.ACC.N.SG enim /ˈe.nim/ for.CONJ totiēns /ˈto.ti.eːns/ so-often.ADV rogāvī /roˈɡaː.wiː/ ask.1SG.PERF
Part B: Natural Sentences
57.16 TITUS: Heri Rōmā profectus es. Quid tum? → “You set out from Rome yesterday. What then?”
57.17 MARCUS: Prīmum per silvam ambulāvī; tum subitō caelum obscūrum factum est. → “First I walked through a wood; then suddenly the sky grew dark.”
57.18 TITUS: Et tum? Nōnne timuistī? → “And then? Weren’t you afraid?”
57.19 MARCUS: Timuī quidem. Tum vōcem in tenebrīs audīvī. → “I certainly was. Then I heard a voice in the darkness.”
57.20 TITUS: Tum certē dē latrōnibus cōgitābās. → “Then you must have been thinking about robbers.”
57.21 MARCUS: Ita. Tum baculum meum magnā vī arripuī. → “Yes. Then I grabbed my stick as hard as I could.”
57.22 TITUS: Quid tum? Pugnāvistīne? → “What then? Did you fight?”
57.23 MARCUS: Minimē! Tum ē tenebrīs asellus parvus prōcessit. → “Not at all! Then a little donkey came out of the darkness.”
57.24 TITUS: Asellus! Tum dēmum rīsistī, crēdō. → “A donkey! That’s when you finally laughed, I suppose.”
57.25 MARCUS: Tunc vērō rīsī, et asellus mēcum ad caupōnam vēnit. → “At that moment I did laugh, and the donkey came with me to the inn.”
57.26 TITUS: Cum tē, tum asellum tuum libenter videō. → “I’m glad to see you, and your donkey most of all.”
57.27 MARCUS: Nunc hīc stat; tum per viam errābat. → “Now he stands here; back then he was wandering along the road.”
57.28 TITUS: Tum hūc, tum illūc errāns, tandem dominum invēnit. → “Wandering this way and that, he has found a master at last.”
57.29 MARCUS: Cum cēnāverimus, tum eī nōmen dabimus. → “When we’ve had dinner, then we’ll give him a name.”
57.30 TITUS: Tum eum “Quid Tum” vocēmus: hoc enim totiēns rogāvī! → “Then let’s call him ‘What Then’: I asked it often enough!”
Part C: Latin Text Only
57.16 TITUS: Heri Rōmā profectus es. Quid tum?
57.17 MARCUS: Prīmum per silvam ambulāvī; tum subitō caelum obscūrum factum est.
57.18 TITUS: Et tum? Nōnne timuistī?
57.19 MARCUS: Timuī quidem. Tum vōcem in tenebrīs audīvī.
57.20 TITUS: Tum certē dē latrōnibus cōgitābās.
57.21 MARCUS: Ita. Tum baculum meum magnā vī arripuī.
57.22 TITUS: Quid tum? Pugnāvistīne?
57.23 MARCUS: Minimē! Tum ē tenebrīs asellus parvus prōcessit.
57.24 TITUS: Asellus! Tum dēmum rīsistī, crēdō.
57.25 MARCUS: Tunc vērō rīsī, et asellus mēcum ad caupōnam vēnit.
57.26 TITUS: Cum tē, tum asellum tuum libenter videō.
57.27 MARCUS: Nunc hīc stat; tum per viam errābat.
57.28 TITUS: Tum hūc, tum illūc errāns, tandem dominum invēnit.
57.29 MARCUS: Cum cēnāverimus, tum eī nōmen dabimus.
57.30 TITUS: Tum eum “Quid Tum” vocēmus: hoc enim totiēns rogāvī!
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The story moves forward almost entirely on tum. Marcus’s narrative steps are prīmum … tum … (57.17), then a chain of tum clauses (57.19, 57.21, 57.23), each one the next event. Titus’s questions quid tum? (57.16, 57.22) and et tum? (57.18) ask for the next step. The one tunc (57.25) is emphatic: “at that very moment,” the high point of the story, strengthened further by vērō.
The dialogue also shows the other uses of tum from Section D. In 57.20 tum certē means “then surely,” in the sense “in that case,” the conversational use of Section D, point 5. In 57.24 tum dēmum means “only then.” In 57.26 cum tē, tum asellum tuum is the pair cum … tum, “both you and especially your donkey”: cum is followed by the accusative tē, so it cannot be the preposition “with.” In 57.27 nunc and tum are set against each other, “now … then.” In 57.28 tum hūc, tum illūc means “this way and that.” In 57.29 cum cēnāverimus, tum … is “when … then” with the future perfect, exactly like 57.9.
Other grammar points: 57.16 Rōmā is an ablative of place from which; names of cities take no preposition. Profectus es is the perfect of the deponent proficīscor, “set out.” 57.17 caelum obscūrum factum est, “the sky became dark,” uses the perfect of fīō, “become,” with the adjective agreeing with neuter caelum. 57.18 nōnne expects the answer “yes.” 57.21 magnā vī is an ablative of manner; vīs, “force,” is irregular (accusative vim, ablative vī). 57.22 -ne on pugnāvistī asks a plain yes-or-no question. 57.23 minimē, literally “least,” is the usual Latin for “not at all, no.” Asellus is a diminutive of asinus, “donkey.” 57.30 vocēmus is a present subjunctive of suggestion, “let us call”; with vocō the name stands in the accusative beside the person named (eum “Quid Tum”). Enim, “for,” always stands second in its clause.
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Short u in tum and tunc. Both words have a short u, like the vowel of “put.” Dictionaries mark them tŭm and tŭnc.
Final m. In ordinary speech, say the final m of tum. In verse, a final -m before a vowel was elided (run into the next word), so tum illūc in poetry would be scanned as two syllables, tu(m) il-lūc. Prose and conversation keep it.
N before c. In tunc and nunc the n is pronounced /ŋ/, as in “sink.” The same happens in quīnque /ˈkʷiːŋ.kʷe/.
Tum, tam and cum. Say the vowels clearly: tum /tum/ “then,” tam /tam/ “so,” cum /kum/ “when, with.” The difference is only one sound in each pair.
Future and subjunctive endings. Veniam (57.2) and cognōscam (F.4) are future indicative, first person singular: third and fourth conjugation verbs form this future in -am. Context shows it is not the present subjunctive.
The alternative ending -re. Interficiēre (57.15) is the second person singular future passive, another form of interficiēris. Cicero often uses the -re ending.
Spelling. The Latin Library text of Virgil prints voltum (57.11), the older spelling of vultum, and its text of Cicero prints inprobus (57.15) for improbus. This lesson uses the standard spellings. Macrons are editorial throughout.
Capitalisation. Proper names are capitalised (Dīdō, Rōma, Marcus, Titus); tum and tunc are capitalised only at the start of a sentence. In 57.30 “Quid Tum” is capitalised because it has become the donkey’s name.
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