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Welcome to Lesson 210 of the Latinum Institute Classical Latin Reading Course. Today's word is cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsum: "to fall." It stands at frequency rank 210 in the Dickinson College Core Latin Vocabulary. Things fall in every kind of Latin text: leaves and rain, soldiers in battle, the sun and the stars as they set, dice on a table, cities, hopes and even words. Cadō is the verb for all of them.
What does cadō mean in Latin?
Cadō is a third-conjugation verb meaning "I fall." Lewis and Short define it as being carried by one's own weight from a higher point to a lower one: to fall down, to sink. They then list the special uses: of the sun and stars, "to set"; of leaves, teeth or hair, "to fall off"; of rivers, "to flow down into"; of dice, "to fall, turn up"; of soldiers, "to fall in battle, be killed." In a figurative sense things "fall" when they fail, lose their force or go out of use, and events "fall out" when they happen. Puer cecidit means "the boy fell."
First, cadō is intransitive. It has no direct object and no personal passive: you cannot "be fallen." A Latin writer who wants to say "he was knocked down" uses another verb, such as dēiciō or prōsternō. The place from which one falls is given by dē, ex or ab with the ablative (dē mūrō, ex arbore); the place into which one falls by in with the accusative (in aquam).
Second, the perfect is reduplicated: cecidī, "I fell," doubles the first consonant with the vowel e, as tangō makes tetigī and currō cucurrī. The i of cecidī is short. Do not confuse it with cecīdī (long ī), the perfect of caedō, "to cut, to kill." Cadō is "I fall"; caedō is "I strike down." A soldier who cecidit fell; a soldier who cecīdit killed someone.
Third, the fourth principal part cāsum is rarely met as a supine. What the reader meets constantly is the future active participle cāsūrus, "about to fall," and the noun built on the same stem, cāsus: a fall, then a chance or accident (what "falls out"), and finally a grammatical case. The Roman grammarians called the case-forms of a noun cāsūs, "fallings," translating the Greek ptōsis.
Etymology: cadō goes back to an Indo-European root *ḱad-, "to fall"; Lewis and Short compare Sanskrit śad-. In compounds the a weakens to i: accidō, "to fall to, to happen"; incidō, "to fall into, to come upon"; occidō, "to fall down, to die, to set"; concidō, "to collapse"; dēcidō, "to fall down." The compounds drop the reduplication in the perfect: occidī, not occecidī. The present participle of occidō gives occidēns, "the setting (sun)," that is, "the west." English has the family in case, casual, accident, occident, decadent and cadence; cadāver, "a corpse," a fallen body, is usually connected with it too.
Key Takeaways - Cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsum (3rd conj., intransitive) means "to fall": of objects, rain, leaves, soldiers in battle, the sun and stars (to set), dice (to turn up), and things that fail or pass away. - The perfect cecidī has a short i; cecīdī with a long ī is from caedō, "to cut, to kill." - Cadō has no personal passive. The future participle is cāsūrus, "about to fall." - "Fall from" is dē, ex or ab + ablative; "fall into" is in + accusative. - In compounds the a becomes i and the reduplication is lost: accidō, occidō, incidō, perfects accidī, occidī, incidī.
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cadō /ˈka.doː/ — two syllables, CA-dō. The a is short, as in the first vowel of English "aha"; the final ō is long.
cadere /ˈka.dɛ.rɛ/ — three syllables, CA-de-re. All three vowels are short, so the stress falls on the first syllable. Do not stress it ca-DE-re: that is the pattern of second-conjugation verbs such as vidēre, whose ē is long.
cecidī /ˈkɛ.kɪ.diː/ — three syllables, CE-ci-dī. Both c's are hard, /k/, as always in Classical Latin. The middle i is short, so the stress goes back to the first syllable.
caedō, cecīdī /ˈkae̯.doː/, /kɛˈkiː.diː/ — compare the verb "to cut, to kill." Here the middle ī is long and takes the stress: ce-CĪ-dī. The ear tells the two verbs apart even where the eye does not.
cāsum, cāsūrus /ˈkaː.sʊm/, /kaːˈsuː.rʊs/ — the ā is long. The single s between vowels is /s/, never /z/.
cecidērunt /kɛ.kɪˈdeː.rʊnt/ — "they fell," stressed on the long ē: ce-ci-DĒ-runt.
cadunt, cadit, cadentia /ˈka.dʊnt/, /ˈka.dɪt/, /kaˈdɛn.tɪ.a/.
A note on the IPA in this lesson: short vowels are written /a ɛ ɪ ɔ ʊ/ and long vowels /aː eː iː oː uː/; v is /w/, consonantal i is /j/, qu is /kʷ/, and ae, au, oe and eu are the diphthongs /ae̯/, /au̯/, /oe̯/ and /ɛu̯/. Final -m is written /m/ for clarity, although in Classical speech it mostly nasalised the vowel before it.
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210.1a Folia the-leaves cadunt are-falling.
210.1b Folia /ˈfɔ.lɪ.a/ leaf.N.NOM.PL cadunt /ˈka.dʊnt/ fall.3PL.PRES
210.2a Puer the-boy cecidit fell.
210.2b Puer /ˈpʊ.ɛr/ boy.M.NOM.SG cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF
210.3a Pila the-ball in into aquam the-water cadit falls.
210.3b Pila /ˈpɪ.la/ ball.F.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ into(+ACC) aquam /ˈa.kʷam/ water.F.ACC.SG cadit /ˈka.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PRES
210.4a Imber the-rain dē from caelō the-sky cadit falls.
210.4b Imber /ˈɪm.bɛr/ rain.M.NOM.SG dē /deː/ from(+ABL) caelō /ˈkae̯.loː/ sky.N.ABL.SG cadit /ˈka.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PRES
210.5a Māla the-apples ex from arbore the-tree cecidērunt fell.
210.5b Māla /ˈmaː.la/ apple.N.NOM.PL ex /ɛks/ from(+ABL) arbore /ˈar.bɔ.rɛ/ tree.F.ABL.SG cecidērunt /kɛ.kɪˈdeː.rʊnt/ fall.3PL.PERF
210.6a Multī many mīlitēs soldiers in in proeliō the-battle cecidērunt fell.
210.6b Multī /ˈmʊl.tiː/ many.M.NOM.PL mīlitēs /ˈmiː.lɪ.teːs/ soldier.M.NOM.PL in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) proeliō /ˈprɔe̯.lɪ.oː/ battle.N.ABL.SG cecidērunt /kɛ.kɪˈdeː.rʊnt/ fall.3PL.PERF
210.7a Senex the-old-man in on glaciē the-ice lāpsus having-slipped graviter heavily cecidit fell.
210.7b Senex /ˈsɛ.nɛks/ old-man.M.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ on(+ABL) glaciē /ˈɡla.kɪ.eː/ ice.F.ABL.SG lāpsus /ˈlaːp.sʊs/ slip.PERF.PTCP.DEP.M.NOM.SG graviter /ˈɡra.wɪ.tɛr/ heavily.ADV cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF
210.8a Gladius the-sword ē from manū the-hand mīlitis of-the-soldier vulnerātī wounded cecidit fell.
210.8b Gladius /ˈɡla.dɪ.ʊs/ sword.M.NOM.SG ē /eː/ from(+ABL) manū /ˈma.nuː/ hand.F.ABL.SG mīlitis /ˈmiː.lɪ.tɪs/ soldier.M.GEN.SG vulnerātī /wʊl.nɛˈraː.tiː/ wound.PERF.PASS.PTCP.M.GEN.SG cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF
210.9a Cavē take-care nē lest dē from mūrō the-wall cadās you-fall!
210.9b Cavē /ˈka.weː/ beware.2SG.IMP nē /neː/ lest dē /deː/ from(+ABL) mūrō /ˈmuː.roː/ wall.M.ABL.SG cadās /ˈka.daːs/ fall.2SG.PRES.SUBJ
210.10a Cum when sōl the-sun cecidisset had-set, agricolae the-farmers domum home rediērunt returned.
210.10b Cum /kʊm/ when sōl /soːl/ sun.M.NOM.SG cecidisset /kɛ.kɪˈdɪs.sɛt/ fall.3SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ agricolae /aˈɡrɪ.kɔ.lae̯/ farmer.M.NOM.PL domum /ˈdɔ.mʊm/ home.F.ACC.SG rediērunt /rɛ.dɪˈeː.rʊnt/ return.3PL.PERF
210.11a Urbs the-city, quae which numquam never cāsūra going-to-fall esse to-be vidēbātur seemed, tandem at-last cecidit fell.
210.11b Urbs /ʊrps/ city.F.NOM.SG quae /kʷae̯/ which.F.NOM.SG numquam /ˈnʊm.kʷam/ never.ADV cāsūra /kaːˈsuː.ra/ fall.FUT.ACT.PTCP.F.NOM.SG esse /ˈɛs.sɛ/ be.PRES.INF vidēbātur /wɪ.deːˈbaː.tʊr/ seem.3SG.IMPERF.PASS tandem /ˈtan.dɛm/ at-last.ADV cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF
210.12a Maiōrēsque and-longer cadunt fall altīs high dē from montibus the-mountains umbrae the-shadows.
210.12b Maiōrēsque /maj.joːˈreːs.kʷɛ/ big.COMP.F.NOM.PL-and cadunt /ˈka.dʊnt/ fall.3PL.PRES altīs /ˈal.tiːs/ high.M.ABL.PL dē /deː/ from(+ABL) montibus /ˈmɔn.tɪ.bʊs/ mountain.M.ABL.PL umbrae /ˈʊm.brae̯/ shadow.F.NOM.PL
210.13a Et and iam now nox night ūmida dewy caelō from-the-sky praecipitat is-rushing-down suādentque and-urge cadentia setting sīdera stars somnōs sleep.
210.13b Et /ɛt/ and iam /jam/ now.ADV nox /nɔks/ night.F.NOM.SG ūmida /ˈuː.mɪ.da/ damp.F.NOM.SG caelō /ˈkae̯.loː/ sky.N.ABL.SG praecipitat /prae̯ˈkɪ.pɪ.tat/ rush-down.3SG.PRES suādentque /swaːˈdɛnt.kʷɛ/ urge.3PL.PRES-and cadentia /kaˈdɛn.tɪ.a/ fall.PRES.PTCP.N.NOM.PL sīdera /ˈsiː.dɛ.ra/ star.N.NOM.PL somnōs /ˈsɔm.noːs/ sleep.M.ACC.PL
210.14a Cadit falls et also Rhīpeus Rhipeus, iūstissimus most-just ūnus the-one-man quī who fuit was in among Teucrīs the-Trojans et and servantissimus most-observant aequī of-the-right (dīs to-the-gods aliter otherwise vīsum it-seemed).
210.14b Cadit /ˈka.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ also Rhīpeus /ˈriː.pɛu̯s/ Rhipeus.M.NOM.SG iūstissimus /juːsˈtɪs.sɪ.mʊs/ just.SUPERL.M.NOM.SG ūnus /ˈuː.nʊs/ one.M.NOM.SG quī /kʷiː/ who.M.NOM.SG fuit /ˈfʊ.ɪt/ be.3SG.PERF in /ɪn/ among(+ABL) Teucrīs /ˈtɛu̯.kriːs/ Trojan.M.ABL.PL et /ɛt/ and servantissimus /sɛr.wanˈtɪs.sɪ.mʊs/ observant.SUPERL.M.NOM.SG aequī /ˈae̯.kʷiː/ right.N.GEN.SG dīs /diːs/ god.M.DAT.PL aliter /ˈa.lɪ.tɛr/ otherwise.ADV vīsum /ˈwiː.sʊm/ seem.PERF.PASS.PTCP.N.NOM.SG
210.15a Multa many renāscentur will-be-born-again quae which iam already cecidēre have-fallen, cadentque and-will-fall quae which nunc now sunt are in in honōre honour vocābula words, sī if volet will-wish ūsus usage, quem whom penes in-the-power-of arbitrium the-judgement est is et both iūs the-law et and nōrma the-rule loquendī of-speaking.
210.15b Multa /ˈmʊl.ta/ many.N.NOM.PL renāscentur /rɛ.naːsˈkɛn.tʊr/ be-reborn.3PL.FUT.DEP quae /kʷae̯/ which.N.NOM.PL iam /jam/ already.ADV cecidēre /kɛ.kɪˈdeː.rɛ/ fall.3PL.PERF cadentque /kaˈdɛnt.kʷɛ/ fall.3PL.FUT-and quae /kʷae̯/ which.N.NOM.PL nunc /nʊŋk/ now.ADV sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) honōre /hɔˈnoː.rɛ/ honour.M.ABL.SG vocābula /wɔˈkaː.bʊ.la/ word.N.NOM.PL sī /siː/ if volet /ˈwɔ.lɛt/ want.3SG.FUT ūsus /ˈuː.sʊs/ usage.M.NOM.SG quem /kʷɛm/ who.M.ACC.SG penes /ˈpɛ.nɛs/ in-the-power-of(+ACC) arbitrium /arˈbɪ.trɪ.ʊm/ judgement.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ both iūs /juːs/ law.N.NOM.SG et /ɛt/ and nōrma /ˈnoːr.ma/ rule.F.NOM.SG loquendī /lɔˈkʷɛn.diː/ speak.GER.GEN
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210.1 Folia cadunt. → "The leaves are falling."
210.2 Puer cecidit. → "The boy fell."
210.3 Pila in aquam cadit. → "The ball falls into the water."
210.4 Imber dē caelō cadit. → "Rain is falling from the sky."
210.5 Māla ex arbore cecidērunt. → "The apples fell from the tree."
210.6 Multī mīlitēs in proeliō cecidērunt. → "Many soldiers fell in the battle."
210.7 Senex in glaciē lāpsus graviter cecidit. → "The old man slipped on the ice and fell heavily."
210.8 Gladius ē manū mīlitis vulnerātī cecidit. → "The sword fell from the wounded soldier's hand."
210.9 Cavē nē dē mūrō cadās! → "Be careful not to fall off the wall!"
210.10 Cum sōl cecidisset, agricolae domum rediērunt. → "When the sun had set, the farmers went back home."
210.11 Urbs, quae numquam cāsūra esse vidēbātur, tandem cecidit. → "The city, which seemed as if it would never fall, fell at last."
210.12 Maiōrēsque cadunt altīs dē montibus umbrae. → "And longer shadows fall from the high mountains." (Vergil, Eclogues 1.83: the last line of the poem, as evening comes.)
210.13 Et iam nox ūmida caelō praecipitat suādentque cadentia sīdera somnōs. → "And now the dewy night is rushing down from the sky, and the setting stars urge us to sleep." (Vergil, Aeneid 2.8–9: Aeneas, about to tell Dido the story of Troy, says the hour is late.)
210.14 Cadit et Rhīpeus, iūstissimus ūnus quī fuit in Teucrīs et servantissimus aequī (dīs aliter vīsum). → "Rhipeus falls too, the most just of all the Trojans and the most careful of the right (the gods thought otherwise)." (Vergil, Aeneid 2.426–428: the night Troy fell.)
210.15 Multa renāscentur quae iam cecidēre, cadentque quae nunc sunt in honōre vocābula, sī volet ūsus, quem penes arbitrium est et iūs et nōrma loquendī. → "Many words that have already fallen will be born again, and words that are now held in honour will fall, if usage wills it; for usage holds the judgement, the law and the rule of speech." (Horace, Ars Poētica 70–72.)
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210.1 Folia cadunt.
210.2 Puer cecidit.
210.3 Pila in aquam cadit.
210.4 Imber dē caelō cadit.
210.5 Māla ex arbore cecidērunt.
210.6 Multī mīlitēs in proeliō cecidērunt.
210.7 Senex in glaciē lāpsus graviter cecidit.
210.8 Gladius ē manū mīlitis vulnerātī cecidit.
210.9 Cavē nē dē mūrō cadās!
210.10 Cum sōl cecidisset, agricolae domum rediērunt.
210.11 Urbs, quae numquam cāsūra esse vidēbātur, tandem cecidit.
210.12 Maiōrēsque cadunt altīs dē montibus umbrae.
210.13 Et iam nox ūmida caelō praecipitat suādentque cadentia sīdera somnōs.
210.14 Cadit et Rhīpeus, iūstissimus ūnus quī fuit in Teucrīs et servantissimus aequī (dīs aliter vīsum).
210.15 Multa renāscentur quae iam cecidēre, cadentque quae nunc sunt in honōre vocābula, sī volet ūsus, quem penes arbitrium est et iūs et nōrma loquendī.
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These are the grammar rules for cadō in Classical Latin:
The principal parts. Cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsum is a verb of the third conjugation. Its present stem is cad-, its perfect stem cecid-, and the stem cās- gives the future participle cāsūrus.
The present system (stem cad-): Present: cadō, cadis, cadit, cadimus, caditis, cadunt Imperfect: cadēbam, cadēbās, cadēbat, cadēbāmus, cadēbātis, cadēbant Future: cadam, cadēs, cadet, cadēmus, cadētis, cadent Present subjunctive: cadam, cadās, cadat, cadāmus, cadātis, cadant Present participle: cadēns, gen. cadentis, "falling" Imperative: cade, cadite
The perfect system (stem cecid-): Perfect: cecidī, cecidistī, cecidit, cecidimus, cecidistis, cecidērunt (or cecidēre) Pluperfect: cecideram, ceciderās, ceciderat … Future perfect: ceciderō, ceciderīs, ceciderit … Pluperfect subjunctive: cecidissem, cecidissēs, cecidisset …
Future active participle: cāsūrus, cāsūra, cāsūrum, "about to fall, going to fall."
Notice that the first person singular of the future and of the present subjunctive is the same form, cadam. Context decides.
Intransitive, with no personal passive. Cadō never takes a direct object. The forms in -or, -ris, -tur do not exist for it. Where English says "was brought down," Latin uses another verb or turns the sentence round. In 210.7 the slipping is expressed by lāpsus, the perfect participle of the deponent lābor, "to slip": "having slipped, he fell."
Where from, where to. Motion from a place takes dē, ex/ē or ab/ā with the ablative: dē caelō (210.4), ex arbore (210.5), ē manū (210.8), dē mūrō (210.9), altīs dē montibus (210.12). Motion into a place takes in with the accusative: in aquam (210.3). In with the ablative gives the place where the falling happens: in proeliō (210.6), in glaciē (210.7). In 210.13 caelō has no preposition: in poetry the bare ablative of separation means "from the sky."
Meanings by subject. The subject decides the sense: of things and people: "to fall, to drop" (210.1–5, 210.7, 210.8); of soldiers: "to fall in battle, to be killed" (210.6, 210.14); of the sun and the stars: "to set" (210.10, 210.13: cadentia sīdera, "the setting stars"); of shadows: "to fall, to stretch down" (210.12); of cities: "to fall, to be taken" (210.11); of words: "to fall out of use" (210.15).
The perfect cecidī. The reduplication ce- belongs only to the perfect system. Cecidērunt (210.5, 210.6) and cecidēre (210.15) are the same form, "they fell"; the ending -ēre for -ērunt is common in verse and in historians. Do not take cecidēre for an infinitive: the infinitive is cadere, with a short e and no reduplication.
Other constructions in Section A: cavē nē cadās (210.9): cavē, "take care," with nē and the present subjunctive, "take care that you do not fall." cum sōl cecidisset (210.10): cum, "when," with the pluperfect subjunctive, describing what had happened before the main action. cāsūra esse vidēbātur (210.11): vidērī, "to seem," with the future infinitive cāsūra esse. The participle is feminine to agree with urbs. maiōrēs… umbrae (210.12): maiōrēs is the comparative of magnus, "bigger, longer," feminine plural with umbrae. cadit et Rhīpeus (210.14): et here means "also, too." Dīs aliter vīsum is short for dīs aliter vīsum est, "it seemed otherwise to the gods." The present cadit tells a past event vividly (the historic present). quem penes (210.15): the preposition penes, "in the power of," is placed after its object, the relative quem, whose antecedent is ūsus. Loquendī is the genitive of the gerund, "of speaking."
Common mistakes: Confusing cadō with caedō. Cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsum is "to fall"; caedō, caedere, cecīdī, caesum is "to cut, to kill." Watch both the ae and the long ī. Confusing cadō with cēdō, cēdere, cessī, cessum, "to go, to yield." Cēdere is to give way, not to fall. Forming a passive. "He was fallen" is impossible in Latin; cadō is intransitive. Stressing cadere on the second syllable. It is CA-de-re (third conjugation), not ca-DĒ-re. Keeping the reduplication in compounds. The perfect of occidō is occidī, of accidō accidī, of incidō incidī. Confusing the compounds incidō and occidō from cadō (short i: "fall into," "fall down, die") with incīdō and occīdō from caedō (long ī: "cut into," "kill").
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Falling in battle. Latin, like English, uses "fall" for dying in war, and the plain verb carries the weight. Vergil's account of the last night of Troy is a list of deaths, told in the present tense as if the reader were watching. Among them is Rhipeus, "the most just of all the Trojans," and Vergil adds three words of comment, dīs aliter vīsum, "the gods saw it differently" (210.14). The virtuous man falls like everyone else. The phrase has been quoted ever since when a good cause fails.
The setting sun and the west. The sun and the stars "fall" when they set. From the compound occidō come occāsus, "sunset," and occidēns, "the west," the quarter where the sun falls; the east is oriēns, where it rises (orior). When Aeneas begins his story, the falling stars (cadentia sīdera, 210.13) are a reminder that the night is far gone. At the end of the first Eclogue, the shadows lengthening from the hills close the poem with the evening (210.12).
Dice. Cadō is the verb for the way dice fall. Romans played with tesserae, six-sided dice like ours, and with tālī, knucklebones, which landed on one of four sides. Suetonius quotes a letter in which Augustus describes a family game: tālīs enim iactātīs, ut quisque canem aut seniōnem mīserat, in singulōs tālōs singulōs dēnāriōs in medium cōnferēbat, quōs tollēbat ūniversōs, quī Venerem iēcerat, "when the knucklebones were thrown, whoever had thrown the Dog or the Six put a denarius in the pot for each bone, and whoever threw Venus took the lot" (Life of Augustus 71). The Dog was the worst throw and Venus the best. The playwright Terence uses dice to describe life itself (Section F), and the Genre Section of this lesson is set at a dice table.
Chance and case. The noun cāsus is a "fall," and from there a "chance," something that falls out without a plan; English "case" and "casual" come from it, and "accident" from accidō, "to fall to, to happen." The Roman grammarians took the word over for the forms of a noun: nominative, genitive and the rest are the cāsūs, the ways a noun "falls" from its basic form. Every Latin student who learns the cases is using a metaphor from this verb.
Words that fall. Horace compares words to the leaves of a forest: the old ones fall each year and new ones grow. Some words that have fallen will return, and some that are honoured now will fall, if ūsus, the custom of speakers, so decides (210.15). Two thousand years later the passage is still quoted in arguments about how languages change.
This is a lesson for English speakers learning Classical Latin.
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Source: Terence, Adelphoe 739–741 (Act 4, scene 7: Micio answers his brother Demea, who has just learned that Micio's money has bought a music-girl for one of the young men)
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Ita so vītast life-is hominum of-men quasi as-if quom when lūdās you-play tesserīs with-dice
F.1b Ita /ˈɪ.ta/ so.ADV vītast /ˈwiː.tast/ life.F.NOM.SG+be.3SG.PRES hominum /ˈhɔ.mɪ.nʊm/ human.M.GEN.PL quasi /ˈkʷa.sɪ/ as-if quom /kʷɔm/ when lūdās /ˈluː.daːs/ play.2SG.PRES.SUBJ tesserīs /ˈtɛs.sɛ.riːs/ die.F.ABL.PL
F.2a sī if illud that quod which maxumē most opus needful est is iactū by-the-throw nōn not cadit falls
F.2b sī /siː/ if illud /ˈɪl.lʊd/ that.N.NOM.SG quod /kʷɔd/ which.N.NOM.SG maxumē /ˈmak.sʊ.meː/ most.ADV opus /ˈɔ.pʊs/ need.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES iactū /ˈjak.tuː/ throw.M.ABL.SG nōn /noːn/ not cadit /ˈka.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PRES
F.3a illud that quod which cecidit has-fallen forte by-chance, id that arte by-skill ut that corrigās you-correct
F.3b illud /ˈɪl.lʊd/ that.N.ACC.SG quod /kʷɔd/ which.N.NOM.SG cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF forte /ˈfɔr.tɛ/ chance.F.ABL.SG id /ɪd/ it.N.ACC.SG arte /ˈar.tɛ/ skill.F.ABL.SG ut /ʊt/ that corrigās /ˈkɔr.rɪ.ɡaːs/ correct.2SG.PRES.SUBJ
Part F-B: The Text from F-A with Translation
Ita vītast hominum quasi quom lūdās tesserīs: sī illud quod maxumē opus est iactū nōn cadit, illud quod cecidit forte, id arte ut corrigās.
→ "Human life is like a game of dice: if the throw you most need does not fall, then what has fallen by chance you must put right by skill."
Part F-C: Original Latin Text Only
Ita vītast hominum quasi quom lūdās tesserīs: sī illud quod maxumē opus est iactū nōn cadit, illud quod cecidit forte, id arte ut corrigās.
Part F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The Adelphoe ("The Brothers," 160 BC) sets two fathers against each other: the strict countryman Demea and his easy-going city brother Micio. Here Demea has just discovered that the young men have bought a music-girl and that Micio means to put up with it. Micio answers with this comparison, and Demea's reply in the next line begins with one scornful word, Corrector!, "So you are a corrector!", taking up Micio's corrigās. The three lines are iambic senarii, the verse of ordinary conversation in Roman comedy.
Cadō appears twice, in two tenses. Iactū nōn cadit, "does not fall at the throw," is the present: the result one wants does not come up. Quod cecidit forte, "what has fallen by chance," is the perfect: the result one is left with. This is the dice sense of cadō, which Lewis and Short record separately: dice "fall" as they come to rest, and what falls is the result.
The spelling is the old one of early Latin, and it shows Latin as it was spoken. Vītast is vīta est with the e of est dropped (prodelision), as in speech. Quom is the old spelling of cum, "when." Maxumē is the old form of maximē; Latin wrote -umus in superlatives before -imus became standard. The Latin Library text prints uitast with u for v; this lesson writes v and adds macrons.
The syntax is loose and conversational. Illud quod cecidit… id: the object is announced first with illud and its relative clause, then picked up again by id before the verb. Ut corrigās depends on no verb in the sentence. It carries on the comparison: life is like dice, where if the throw fails you have to correct by skill what has fallen. English supplies "you must." Tesserīs is an ablative of means, "with dice," and arte, "by skill," stands against forte, "by chance": skill and chance are the two powers of the game.
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This is a short narrative composed for this lesson; it is not a quotation. On a rainy evening two friends, Gaius and Titus, play knucklebones in an inn. The background (the Venus throw and the Dog) is described in Section E, and the last line borrows from Terence in Section F. Cadō turns up in many of its tenses, moods and senses: of the sun, of rain, of dice, of a man and of a lamp.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
210.16a Sōl the-sun iam already cecidit has-set, et and imber rain in onto viās the-streets urbis of-the-city cadit is-falling.
210.16b Sōl /soːl/ sun.M.NOM.SG iam /jam/ already.ADV cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF et /ɛt/ and imber /ˈɪm.bɛr/ rain.M.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ onto(+ACC) viās /ˈwɪ.aːs/ street.F.ACC.PL urbis /ˈʊr.bɪs/ city.F.GEN.SG cadit /ˈka.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PRES
210.17a In in caupōnā an-inn duo two amīcī friends, Gāius Gaius et and Titus Titus, tālīs with-knucklebones lūdunt are-playing.
210.17b In /ɪn/ in(+ABL) caupōnā /kau̯ˈpoː.naː/ inn.F.ABL.SG duo /ˈdʊ.ɔ/ two.M.NOM.PL amīcī /aˈmiː.kiː/ friend.M.NOM.PL Gāius /ˈɡaː.jʊs/ Gaius.M.NOM.SG et /ɛt/ and Titus /ˈtɪ.tʊs/ Titus.M.NOM.SG tālīs /ˈtaː.liːs/ knucklebone.M.ABL.PL lūdunt /ˈluː.dʊnt/ play.3PL.PRES
210.18a Gāius Gaius quattuor four tālōs knucklebones iacit throws; tālī the-knucklebones in onto mēnsam the-table cadunt fall.
210.18b Gāius /ˈɡaː.jʊs/ Gaius.M.NOM.SG quattuor /ˈkʷat.tʊ.ɔr/ four tālōs /ˈtaː.loːs/ knucklebone.M.ACC.PL iacit /ˈja.kɪt/ throw.3SG.PRES tālī /ˈtaː.liː/ knucklebone.M.NOM.PL in /ɪn/ onto(+ACC) mēnsam /ˈmeːn.sam/ table.F.ACC.SG cadunt /ˈka.dʊnt/ fall.3PL.PRES
210.19a "Venus!" Venus clāmat shouts Gāius Gaius; "omnēs all tālī the-knucklebones bene well cecidērunt!" have-fallen
210.19b Venus /ˈwɛ.nʊs/ Venus.F.NOM.SG clāmat /ˈklaː.mat/ shout.3SG.PRES Gāius /ˈɡaː.jʊs/ Gaius.M.NOM.SG omnēs /ˈɔm.neːs/ all.M.NOM.PL tālī /ˈtaː.liː/ knucklebone.M.NOM.PL bene /ˈbɛ.nɛ/ well.ADV cecidērunt /kɛ.kɪˈdeː.rʊnt/ fall.3PL.PERF
210.20a Titus Titus tālōs the-knucklebones capit takes et and ōrat prays: "Fortūna Fortune, fac make ut that bene well cadant!" they-fall
210.20b Titus /ˈtɪ.tʊs/ Titus.M.NOM.SG tālōs /ˈtaː.loːs/ knucklebone.M.ACC.PL capit /ˈka.pɪt/ take.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and ōrat /ˈoː.rat/ pray.3SG.PRES Fortūna /fɔrˈtuː.na/ Fortune.F.VOC.SG fac /fak/ make.2SG.IMP ut /ʊt/ that bene /ˈbɛ.nɛ/ well.ADV cadant /ˈka.dant/ fall.3PL.PRES.SUBJ
210.21a Sed but tālī the-knucklebones male badly cadunt fall: canis the-Dog est it-is, iactus the-throw pessimus worst.
210.21b Sed /sɛd/ but tālī /ˈtaː.liː/ knucklebone.M.NOM.PL male /ˈma.lɛ/ badly.ADV cadunt /ˈka.dʊnt/ fall.3PL.PRES canis /ˈka.nɪs/ dog.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES iactus /ˈjak.tʊs/ throw.M.NOM.SG pessimus /ˈpɛs.sɪ.mʊs/ bad.SUPERL.M.NOM.SG
210.22a Iterum again iacit he-throws, et and iterum again canis the-Dog cadit falls.
210.22b Iterum /ˈɪ.tɛ.rʊm/ again.ADV iacit /ˈja.kɪt/ throw.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and iterum /ˈɪ.tɛ.rʊm/ again.ADV canis /ˈka.nɪs/ dog.M.NOM.SG cadit /ˈka.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PRES
210.23a "Hodiē today Fortūna Fortune mihi to-me inimīca hostile est," is inquit he-says; "omnia everything mihi for-me male badly cadunt." turns-out
210.23b Hodiē /ˈhɔ.dɪ.eː/ today.ADV Fortūna /fɔrˈtuː.na/ Fortune.F.NOM.SG mihi /ˈmɪ.hɪ/ I.DAT.SG inimīca /ɪ.nɪˈmiː.ka/ hostile.F.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES inquit /ˈɪŋ.kʷɪt/ say.3SG.PRES omnia /ˈɔm.nɪ.a/ all.N.NOM.PL mihi /ˈmɪ.hɪ/ I.DAT.SG male /ˈma.lɛ/ badly.ADV cadunt /ˈka.dʊnt/ fall.3PL.PRES
210.24a Gāius Gaius rīdet laughs et and pōculum a-cup vīnī of-wine Titō to-Titus dat gives.
210.24b Gāius /ˈɡaː.jʊs/ Gaius.M.NOM.SG rīdet /ˈriː.dɛt/ laugh.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and pōculum /ˈpoː.kʊ.lʊm/ cup.N.ACC.SG vīnī /ˈwiː.niː/ wine.N.GEN.SG Titō /ˈtɪ.toː/ Titus.M.DAT.SG dat /dat/ give.3SG.PRES
210.25a Titus Titus tam so multum much bibit drinks ut that dē from sellā the-stool cadat he-falls.
210.25b Titus /ˈtɪ.tʊs/ Titus.M.NOM.SG tam /tam/ so.ADV multum /ˈmʊl.tʊm/ much.ADV bibit /ˈbɪ.bɪt/ drink.3SG.PRES ut /ʊt/ that dē /deː/ from(+ABL) sellā /ˈsɛl.laː/ stool.F.ABL.SG cadat /ˈka.dat/ fall.3SG.PRES.SUBJ
210.26a Caupō the-innkeeper, quī who eum him cadentem falling vīdit saw, accurrit runs-up et and eum him ērigit lifts-up.
210.26b Caupō /ˈkau̯.poː/ innkeeper.M.NOM.SG quī /kʷiː/ who.M.NOM.SG eum /ˈɛ.ʊm/ he.M.ACC.SG cadentem /kaˈdɛn.tɛm/ fall.PRES.PTCP.M.ACC.SG vīdit /ˈwiː.dɪt/ see.3SG.PERF accurrit /akˈkʊr.rɪt/ run-up.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and eum /ˈɛ.ʊm/ he.M.ACC.SG ērigit /ˈeː.rɪ.ɡɪt/ raise.3SG.PRES
210.27a "Nōn not cecidī," I-fell inquit says Titus Titus; "sella the-stool mē me dēiēcit!" threw-down
210.27b Nōn /noːn/ not cecidī /ˈkɛ.kɪ.diː/ fall.1SG.PERF inquit /ˈɪŋ.kʷɪt/ say.3SG.PRES Titus /ˈtɪ.tʊs/ Titus.M.NOM.SG sella /ˈsɛl.la/ stool.F.NOM.SG mē /meː/ I.ACC.SG dēiēcit /deːˈjeː.kɪt/ throw-down.3SG.PERF
210.28a Intereā meanwhile lucerna the-lamp quoque also, quae which in on mēnsā the-table erat was, cecidit fell et and exstīncta put-out est was.
210.28b Intereā /ɪn.tɛˈreː.aː/ meanwhile.ADV lucerna /lʊˈkɛr.na/ lamp.F.NOM.SG quoque /ˈkʷɔ.kʷɛ/ also quae /kʷae̯/ which.F.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ on(+ABL) mēnsā /ˈmeːn.saː/ table.F.ABL.SG erat /ˈɛ.rat/ be.3SG.IMPERF cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF et /ɛt/ and exstīncta /ɛksˈtiːŋk.ta/ put-out.PERF.PASS.PTCP.F.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
210.29a In in tenebrīs the-darkness Titus Titus dīcit says: "Crās tomorrow, sī if tālī the-knucklebones bene well ceciderint have-fallen, pecūniam money meam my recipiam." I-will-get-back
210.29b In /ɪn/ in(+ABL) tenebrīs /ˈtɛ.nɛ.briːs/ darkness.F.ABL.PL Titus /ˈtɪ.tʊs/ Titus.M.NOM.SG dīcit /ˈdiː.kɪt/ say.3SG.PRES Crās /kraːs/ tomorrow.ADV sī /siː/ if tālī /ˈtaː.liː/ knucklebone.M.NOM.PL bene /ˈbɛ.nɛ/ well.ADV ceciderint /kɛˈkɪ.dɛ.rɪnt/ fall.3PL.FUT.PERF pecūniam /pɛˈkuː.nɪ.am/ money.F.ACC.SG meam /ˈmɛ.am/ my.F.ACC.SG recipiam /rɛˈkɪ.pɪ.am/ get-back.1SG.FUT
210.30a Gāius Gaius respondet answers verbīs with-the-words Terentiī of-Terence: "Quod what cecidit has-fallen forte by-chance, id that arte by-skill corrige!" correct
210.30b Gāius /ˈɡaː.jʊs/ Gaius.M.NOM.SG respondet /rɛsˈpɔn.dɛt/ answer.3SG.PRES verbīs /ˈwɛr.biːs/ word.N.ABL.PL Terentiī /tɛˈrɛn.tɪ.iː/ Terence.M.GEN.SG Quod /kʷɔd/ which.N.NOM.SG cecidit /ˈkɛ.kɪ.dɪt/ fall.3SG.PERF forte /ˈfɔr.tɛ/ chance.F.ABL.SG id /ɪd/ it.N.ACC.SG arte /ˈar.tɛ/ skill.F.ABL.SG corrige /ˈkɔr.rɪ.ɡɛ/ correct.2SG.IMP
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Part B: Natural Sentences
210.16 Sōl iam cecidit, et imber in viās urbis cadit. → "The sun has already set, and rain is falling on the streets of the city."
210.17 In caupōnā duo amīcī, Gāius et Titus, tālīs lūdunt. → "In an inn two friends, Gaius and Titus, are playing knucklebones."
210.18 Gāius quattuor tālōs iacit; tālī in mēnsam cadunt. → "Gaius throws the four knucklebones; they fall onto the table."
210.19 "Venus!" clāmat Gāius; "omnēs tālī bene cecidērunt!" → "Venus!" shouts Gaius. "All the bones have fallen well!"
210.20 Titus tālōs capit et ōrat: "Fortūna, fac ut bene cadant!" → Titus takes the knucklebones and prays: "Fortune, make them fall well!"
210.21 Sed tālī male cadunt: canis est, iactus pessimus. → "But the bones fall badly: it is the Dog, the worst throw."
210.22 Iterum iacit, et iterum canis cadit. → "He throws again, and again the Dog comes up."
210.23 "Hodiē Fortūna mihi inimīca est," inquit; "omnia mihi male cadunt." → "Fortune is against me today," he says. "Everything turns out badly for me."
210.24 Gāius rīdet et pōculum vīnī Titō dat. → "Gaius laughs and gives Titus a cup of wine."
210.25 Titus tam multum bibit ut dē sellā cadat. → "Titus drinks so much that he falls off his stool."
210.26 Caupō, quī eum cadentem vīdit, accurrit et eum ērigit. → "The innkeeper, who saw him fall, runs over and lifts him up."
210.27 "Nōn cecidī," inquit Titus; "sella mē dēiēcit!" → "I didn't fall," says Titus. "The stool threw me off!"
210.28 Intereā lucerna quoque, quae in mēnsā erat, cecidit et exstīncta est. → "Meanwhile the lamp that was on the table fell over too and went out."
210.29 In tenebrīs Titus dīcit: "Crās, sī tālī bene ceciderint, pecūniam meam recipiam." → In the dark Titus says: "Tomorrow, if the bones fall well, I'll win my money back."
210.30 Gāius respondet verbīs Terentiī: "Quod cecidit forte, id arte corrige!" → Gaius answers in Terence's words: "What has fallen by chance, put right by skill!"
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Part C: Latin Text Only
210.16 Sōl iam cecidit, et imber in viās urbis cadit.
210.17 In caupōnā duo amīcī, Gāius et Titus, tālīs lūdunt.
210.18 Gāius quattuor tālōs iacit; tālī in mēnsam cadunt.
210.19 "Venus!" clāmat Gāius; "omnēs tālī bene cecidērunt!"
210.20 Titus tālōs capit et ōrat: "Fortūna, fac ut bene cadant!"
210.21 Sed tālī male cadunt: canis est, iactus pessimus.
210.22 Iterum iacit, et iterum canis cadit.
210.23 "Hodiē Fortūna mihi inimīca est," inquit; "omnia mihi male cadunt."
210.24 Gāius rīdet et pōculum vīnī Titō dat.
210.25 Titus tam multum bibit ut dē sellā cadat.
210.26 Caupō, quī eum cadentem vīdit, accurrit et eum ērigit.
210.27 "Nōn cecidī," inquit Titus; "sella mē dēiēcit!"
210.28 Intereā lucerna quoque, quae in mēnsā erat, cecidit et exstīncta est.
210.29 In tenebrīs Titus dīcit: "Crās, sī tālī bene ceciderint, pecūniam meam recipiam."
210.30 Gāius respondet verbīs Terentiī: "Quod cecidit forte, id arte corrige!"
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Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The forms of cadō in the story. Present indicative: cadit (210.16, 210.22), cadunt (210.18, 210.21, 210.23). Perfect: cecidit (210.16, 210.28, 210.30), cecidērunt (210.19), and the first person cecidī (210.27). Present subjunctive: cadant, after fac ut (210.20), and cadat, in a result clause (210.25). Future perfect: ceciderint (210.29). Present participle: cadentem (210.26).
The senses of cadō in the story. The sun "falls," that is, sets (210.16); rain falls (210.16); the knucklebones fall and show a result (210.18–22); the Dog "falls," that is, comes up (210.22); things "fall out" well or badly (210.23: omnia mihi male cadunt, "everything turns out badly for me"); a man falls off a stool (210.25–27); a lamp falls over (210.28).
Fac ut + subjunctive (210.20). Fac, the imperative of faciō, with ut and the subjunctive means "see to it that, make it happen that": fac ut bene cadant, "make them fall well."
Tam… ut (210.25). Tam, "so," prepares a result clause with ut and the subjunctive: tam multum bibit ut… cadat, "he drinks so much that he falls." English uses the indicative; Latin uses the subjunctive.
Sī with the future perfect (210.29). Latin is exact about time: the bones must fall before Titus wins his money back, so the "if" clause has the future perfect ceciderint and the main clause the future recipiam. English uses the present: "if they fall well."
Cecidī against dēiēcit (210.27). Titus's joke depends on the fact that cadō has no passive. He cannot say "I was fallen"; to blame the stool he must change the verb to dēiciō, "to throw down," with the stool as subject and himself (mē) as object.
Lūdere with the ablative (210.17). Tālīs lūdere, "to play with knucklebones," puts the game in the ablative of means. Suetonius uses the same noun in Section E (tālīs iactātīs).
Exstīncta est (210.28) is the perfect passive of exstinguō, "to put out." The participle is feminine to agree with lucerna.
Quod cecidit forte, id arte corrige (210.30) adapts Terence's line (F.3): Gaius turns ut corrigās into the imperative corrige.
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Vowel length. The macrons in this lesson mark long vowels. They are editorial aids; Romans did not write them. Three pairs of words in this lesson depend on them: cecidī "I fell" and cecīdī "I killed"; māla "apples" (210.5) and mala "bad things"; pila "ball" (210.3) and pīla "pillar." Learn each word with its macrons.
Hard c. C is always /k/ in Classical Latin: cadō /ˈka.doː/, cecidī /ˈkɛ.kɪ.diː/. The later "soft" pronunciation (Italian che-chi-dee, English see-si-dee) is not Classical.
B before s. In urbs (210.11) the b was heard as /p/ before s: /ʊrps/. Quintilian (1.7.7) makes the same point about b before t in obtinuit: the spelling asks for b, the ear hears p. Romans still wrote b.
Consonantal i. In Gāius, iacit, iactus, iam and iūstissimus the i is a consonant, /j/, like English y. In maiōrēs (210.12) the i between vowels is doubled in pronunciation: /maj.joː.reːs/. Dēiēcit (210.27) is dē + iaciō: /deːˈjeː.kɪt/.
Old spellings. Terence's quom, maxumē and vītast (Section F) are the spelling of early Latin, kept by editors of the comedies. The Latin Library prints u for both u and v (uitast); this lesson writes v for the consonant throughout.
Stress. All forms of cadō in the present system are stressed on the first syllable unless the next syllable is long: CA-dō, CA-dunt, CA-de-re, but ca-DEN-tem, ca-DĒ-mus. In the perfect, cecidērunt and cecidisset carry the stress on the long or heavy syllable before the ending. Cadentque (210.15) and suādentque (210.13) put the stress on the syllable before -que.
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