# mi única ambición en la vida es llegar



## Prima Facie

Hola,

me gustaría saber cómo se diría la frase de mi firma en latín. Siento no hacer un intento, pero mi latín es inexistente y realmente tengo curiosidad por saber cómo sonaría en latín.

Si alguien fuera tan amable de intentarlo se lo agradecería mucho 

PF

Ejem...acabo de darme cuenta que no le dí a publicar firma...

La frase en cuestión es la siguiente: "mi única ambición en la vida es llegar a ser tan buena persona como mi perro ya cree que soy".

gracias.


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## Starfrown

Since you haven't gotten any replies from Spanish speakers, I'll give my attempted Latin translation, and an English translation of your original so that the others might have a go as well.

Latin attempt: 

_Cupiditas mea unica est fieri tam bonum hominem quam canis meus iam credit me esse._

English (from the Spanish):

"My sole ambition is to become (lit. 'to get to be') as good a person as my dog now/already believes I am."

My Spanish isn't great, so I hope I haven't missed anything.


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## Prima Facie

Hi there,
 
I really appreciate your attempts, thanks very much. You’ve very well understood the meaning and I must say that it sounds so cute in Latin J
 
Again, thanks for taking your time in helping me
 
Rgds,


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## J.F. de TROYES

Starfrown said:


> Since you haven't gotten any replies from Spanish speakers, I'll give my attempted Latin translation, and an English translation of your original so that the others might have a go as well.
> 
> Latin attempt:
> 
> _Cupiditas mea unica est fieri tam bonum hominem quam canis meus iam credit me esse._


 
 I am wondering if the accusative can be used with the verb _fieri ._ I would opt for the nominative _bonus homo_.
Me estoy pregutando si es posible usar el acusativo _bonum hominem_ con el verbo _fieri ._
My try / Traduciría así :

" Ambitio una mihi est efficere ut tam bonus fiam quam canis meus me jam esse credit ".


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## Prima Facie

God, it sounds so cute again! Thanks very much. I am obviously not able to state which one is correct, (my only latin is "mater tua mala burra est" and I even do not know if this is correct!)

thanks so much you both!


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## J.F. de TROYES

Prima Facie said:


> God, my only latin is "mater tua mala burra est" and I even do not know if this is correct!)


 
I did'nt know the expression that looks correct, but I think it's better never to use it .


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## Starfrown

Starfrown said:


> Latin attempt:
> 
> _Unica cupiditas mea in vita est fieri tam bonum hominem quam canis meus iam credit me esse._


I just realized that I forgot to include the "in (my) life" part in my original attempt.

I decided to move _unica_ before _cupiditas_ since adjectives indicating number often precede their nouns in Latin.

I do not know completely all of the mechanics of the correlative _tam...quam_ structure, and thus I am not entirely sure that the text in orange would be allowed. I'd really like to know what others think about it.

I generally read, not generate, Latin--my attempt was really only meant to get the discussion going. In any case, it's probably going to be difficult to judge which suggestion is most appropriate. Consider for example the translation of "ambition": I chose _cupiditas_ while JF chose the word from which "ambition" is derived. I personally decided against _ambitio_ because it's fundamental meaning in Latin was "going around/canvassing (for votes)" or "currying favor." It seemed to me to be used primarily for ambitions of the social/political sort.



J.F. de TROYES said:


> I am wondering if the accusative can be used with the verb _fieri ._ I would opt for the nominative _bonus homo_.
> Me estoy pregutando si es posible usar el acusativo _bonum hominem_ con el verbo _fieri ._
> My try / Traduciría así :
> 
> " Ambitio una mihi est efficere ut tam bonus fiam quam canis meus me jam esse credit ".


_Fieri_ is a linking verb and therefore the predicate nominative will be in the same case as the subject of _fieri,_ whether nominative or accusative.

You might want to read section 610 of this link. Note that, in Latin, one may say either:

_Volo fieri bonus homo._ 

or:

_Volo me fieri bonum hominem._

but always:

_Volo te fieri bonum hominem._

You will only use the nominative in the predicate when the subject of the main verb and that of _fieri_ are the same.

The case in my sentence is a bit different, but not much:

_Unica cupiditas mea in vita est fieri tam bonum hominem..._

Here _fieri_ is not complementary but is instead equated with _cupiditas_ by the linking verb _est_. The implied subject of _fieri_ is obviously _me_ (Remember that in Latin infinitives take subjects in the accusative case, and if the infinitive is a linking verb, and even if the subject is not directly stated, what follows will be in the accusative case). As the subject of the infinitive and that of the main verb _est_ are different, I think you must use the accusative _bonum hominem_ here.


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## Prima Facie

I rather understand anything! But I read you carefully and thank you very much for these explanations and your interest in replying


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## J.F. de TROYES

Starfrown said:


> I do not know completely all of the mechanics of the correlative _tam...quam_ structure, and thus I am not entirely sure that the text in orange would be allowed. I'd really like to know what others think about it.


 
I suppose that's the question I was wondering too : is it possible that _quam_ be followed by a clause with an inflected verb ? I have found this Cicero's example : _Quis tam brevi tempore tot loca adire potuit quam  celeriter Cn. Pompeio duce belli impetus navigavit_ ?  I know it's a bit different because of the words brevi _tempore ...celeriter_  the comparison _tam...quam_ refers to ; but there is a real clause after _quam_ and not just a phrase.



Starfrown said:


> I chose _cupiditas_ while JF chose the word from which "ambition" is derived. I personally decided against _ambitio_ because it's fundamental meaning in Latin was "going around/canvassing (for votes)" or "currying favor." It seemed to me to be used primarily for ambitions of the social/political sort.


 
I understand your choice and you are right when pointing out the fundamental meaning of _ambitio ,_ but even in Latin the word has extended to what is usually translated _ambition._ Dictionaries give this meaning as well.





Starfrown said:


> You will only use the nominative in the predicate when the subject of the main verb and that of _fieri_ are the same.
> 
> The case in my sentence is a bit different, but not much:
> 
> _Unica cupiditas mea in vita est fieri tam bonum hominem..._
> 
> Here _fieri_ is not complementary but is instead equated with _cupiditas_ by the linking verb _est_. The implied subject of _fieri_ is obviously _me_ . As the subject of the infinitive and that of the main verb _est_ are different, I think you must use the accusative _bonum hominem_ here.


 
I agree with your comments. To me there were two questions :
1. Can the accusative subject be omitted in an infinitive clause ? Even with the same subject in the main clause, it is generally expressed . Something like _Scio me..._ can be read. However you are right as it happens to be omitted in other examples.

2. Can the infinitive clause be used after _Unica cupiditas mea in vita est ?_ I don't know, that's why I have  tranlated in another way and tried at the same time to put into Latin the verb _llegar ._


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## Prima Facie

I do not like not having knowledge to discuss with you both!! 

I thank you again even if I do not know which option I should finally choose!


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## Starfrown

J.F. de TROYES said:


> I agree with your comments. To me there were two questions :
> 1. Can the accusative subject be omitted in an infinitive clause ? Even with the same subject in the main clause, it is generally expressed . Something like _Scio me..._ can be read. However you are right as it happens to be omitted in other examples.


I considered this myself, and, after some reading, I am still not sure.



J.F. de TROYES said:


> 2. Can the infinitive clause be used after _Unica cupiditas mea in vita est ?_ I don't know, that's why I have tranlated in another way and tried at the same time to put into Latin the verb _llegar ._


The infinitive is definitely restricted to a limited number of constructions of Latin. One of those is that of the predicate nominative with verbs such as _est _(as detailed here). I took that as evidence enough, but it would be nice if someone could provide definite proof that my use was definitely correct.


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## J.F. de TROYES

Starfrown said:


> I considered this myself, and, after some reading, I am still not sure.
> 
> This is what a reference French book _Syntaxe Latine by A.Ernout & Fr.Thomas _says about the subject of an infinitive clause : " The accusative subject tends to be expressed, even if it is identical to that of the main clause. (...).However this trend (or usage ) is not always observed, for example : _Confitere_ ( imperative )_ huc ea spe venisse_ ( Cicero) or _Bellum facturos pollicentur _( Caesar ). They add some other examples of the same structure.


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## vega3131

Isn't "cupiditas" too strong? Why not using "spes"?
I think that "cupiditas" sounds more like "greed", "eagerness", while "spes" fairly renders "hope".

cupiditas gloriae; cupiditatem dominandi praecipitem et lubricam anteferre verae gloriae (Cicero). homines cupidine caeci (Lucretius)

rei publicae omnis spes in vobis est (Cicero); mala res, spes multo asperior (Sallustius)


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## Prima Facie

Thanks so much you all for this interesting debate (for which I do not understand a word) 

Therefore, which is your proposal, Vega3131?

And yours, J.F.de Troyes?

thanks again you all


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## Fantomas.CZ

Just a remark: "llegar a ser" means to become, therefore the word fieri is here a very obvious choice...

My version:
Either

Spes mea unica (in vita) tam bonum hominem fieri quam canis meus credit me esse.

I agree with vega3131 here. The word cupiditas is too strong, spes is more natural in this context.
I would omit the main verb, because this is the way many classical signs and frases like this are written.

I would also omit the word iam, because Latin has also past and future infinitives which serve to clarify such circumstances.

Or
Mea unica spes (in vita) tam bonum hominem fieri quam canis meus credit me esse.

I know the classical or maybe rather scholastic rule of postposition of specifying clause members, but in literature you meet preposition just about as many prepositions as postpositions, I'd say in midle age Latin even more of prepositions, as I decided to use here.


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## Prima Facie

thanks very, very much again you all


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