# Merci, papa. Thanks, dad. [Word order.]



## B.P.O.

I'm looking for a translation for this phrase, my attempt is:
*"Gratias tibi, pater."*,
but I don't know if it is the right sense, as this is the kind of sentence we find in religious books, "pater" there being God, not the father in a family.

Je cherche une traduction pour cette phrase, je dirais :
*"Gratias tibi, pater."*,
mais j'ai ne sais pas si c'est le bon sens car c'est une phrase que l'on trouve également dans des livres religieux, avec "pater" au sens religieux et non familial.

Thanks !


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## Cagey

It's close.  I'd say "Gratias tibi ago, pater."

At least, that's what I'd say if my father and I chatted in Latin.

In Latin _gratias agere_ means "to give thanks".


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## B.P.O.

Thanks for your help!

Can I ask you another question?
I've seen sometimes _"Tibi gratias ago"_ instead of _"Gratias tibi ago"_, is there a difference?


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## Cagey

Latin has a very flexible word order, and there is no difference between the two in the literal meaning. The difference is in emphasis.  If you put_ tibi_ first, it is something like "to you (and not to someone else) I give thanks."  If you put "gratias" first, it is emphasized.  _Gratias_ has a slightly different sense than the English "Thanks". As I understand it, it gives more of a sense that you owe the person gratitude; it is an acknowledgment of indebtedness.


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## B.P.O.

Thanks, it's been really helpful, I didn't know that.


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## XiaoRoel

> Latin has a very flexible word order


De tua affirmatione dissideo. Si forsan de poetica oratione tractaremus (qua uersus morphologiam constructionemque influit), in tuam sententiam concedissem.
Sed in soluta oratione ordo strictissimus est (plus nonagies per centum).
Fundamentalis dispositio transitiuis actiuis constructionibus (uerbi gratia) SOV est.
Haec tria elementa, necessaria ad transitiuam actiuam constructionem existendam, stricte hanc situationem conseruare debent, et ordinem mutare possibile non est (praeter elocutionis rationem, ex qua postea dicemus).
Subiectum constructionem aperiit, sed conexiua uerba et circustanciale complementum seu aduerbium ante illud praecedere possunt.
Obiectum directum, positione ante uerbum praecendente, maxima proximitate ad uerbum sedit, sed aduerbiale complementum seu indirectum obiectum interire possunt.
Verbum constructionem finit. Nonnullum ciscunstatiale complementum adverbiumue post illum sequi possunt.
Omnes mutationes in uerborum ordine praedicta sunt hyperbaton, figura per ordinem quae elementum quassatum in bono lumine collocat ut in illo mutato elemento lectores centraret.


> The difference is in emphasis. If you put tibi first, it is something like "to you (and not to someone else) I give thanks." If you put "gratias" first, it is emphasized


 In hac altera affirmatione tecum concordo. Hyperbaton ad obiectum directum pertinens hoc resaltat  et simul iuxta uerbum datiuum ita resaltat ut synctactica significatio, id est, quis ab actione beneficiarius est, singulariter ad oculos perveniat.
Verbum 'ago' quod generaliter significat et saepe solum OD indoducit, supprimere licet: detractio catachretica est.


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## HUMBERT0

Interesante. 
No hablo ni pizca de Latín. Pero ya que andan en esto (aprovechando el viaje, como dicen por aquí) y abusando de su gentileza. Entonces, ¿Cómo hubieran dicho los antiguos Romanos?

Le doy las gracias Padre.
Gracias a usted Padre.
Gracias Padre.

Padre, te doy las gracias.
Gracias a ti Padre.
Gracias Papá.
Gracias Pa o Papito.


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## chatkigazouille

Cagey said:


> *Latin has a very flexible word order*



I was wondering about this. I heard that it is because of the grammatical cases, which make the words' function in the sentence to be precise (at least more precise than languages that have minimal declension, e.g. English). 

Is this true? If so would this also be true then of other languages that heavily decline?


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## bearded

chatkigazouille said:


> Is this true? If so would this also be true then of other languages that heavily decline?


Hello
I think it is quite true. A short example in German (a language with declensions) , meaning ''the woman saw the man'':
_Die Frau sah den Mann _(default order)
_Den Mann sah die Frau _(emphasis on the direct object: the man).  No misunderstanding is possible, thanks to the article 'den' which is in accusative case.


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