# give me your attention...



## Casquilho

"give me your attention, give me a kiss, give me that pencil."

Would the "give me" on the sentences above literally be translated to Latin? I mean, would it make sense to say, like, _da mihi istum stylum_ or _da mihi osculum_? It sounds somewhat weird.


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## Kevin Beach

My instinct is that, if the "Give ... [something]" construction could be replaced in English by another verb, the Latin equivalent of that verb should be used.

Therefore "Give me a kiss" becomes "Kiss me". "Give me your attention" becomes "Listen to me".

However "Give me that pencil" has no alternative. It refers to the giving of a physical object. Therefore a construction with *dare* would be appropriate in Latin.


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## Stoicorum_simia

Kevin Beach said:


> Therefore "Give me a kiss" becomes "Kiss me".



_Da mi basia mille, deinde centum_ is quite a famous line from Catullus! so yes, you can say 'give me a kiss'.


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## Casquilho

Stoicorum_simia said:


> _Da mi basia mille, deinde centum_ is quite a famous line from Catullus! so yes, you can say 'give me a kiss'.



So may I ask thus for attention too? You know, although grammatically "listen to me" is exactly the same as "give me your attention", the later has some stylistical grace, like an orator adressing to his audience, asking for their minds, their hearts, their generous attention... while "listen to me" is somewhat dry, simple. That's how I see it.


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## Stoicorum_simia

_Aures dare_, to give one's ears, is certainly good Latin (in Cicero) in exactly the context you want, of an orator and his audience. I am not sure about _animum dare_, but it doesn't strike me as impossible; there are very many metaphorical uses for _dare_. _Animum intendere/attendere_ _in/ad_ is 'to pay attention to', so to 'give one's mind' should be easily understood.


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## Scholiast

Salvete
All three of _animus_, _basia_/_oscula_ and _stilum_ are comprehensible as objects of the verb _dare_.
Whatever you end up with, however, there will be a zeugma involved ("Give me a kiss and the pencil" in English is also zeugmatic).
Nothing wrong, of course, with zeugma in itself, but it is pushing things a little with _animus_, because the natural sense of _animum dare_ would be either, in a romantic sense, "give me your heart [i.e. 'love']"; you might try something with the verb _dirigere_ ("send in my direction"). That would still feel zeugmatic, but quite strikingly so.
I hope this is helpful.


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