# I was not, I was, I am not, I don't care



## L.A.Tin

Please translate the phrase 'I was not, I was, I am not, I don't care' into Latin.


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## Cagey

Please explain what you mean by "I was not, I was, I am not".  Are you saying that you did or didn't exist?  Or are you saying that you did or didn't do (or be) certain things? 

It makes some difference in Latin. If there is more to it, you should tell us the whole thought.  We can't simply substitute individual Latin words for the individual English words.  The languages work differently.


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## L.A.Tin

Thank you Cagey. My brief encounter with Latin was more than seven decades ago but I believe my whole phrase translates into a known, brief and elegant epitaph. "I don't care" is, of course, a vital element.


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## Joca

Non fui, fui, non sum, mea non refert.


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## L.A.Tin

Joca. Brilliant! Many thanks - I've been _hours, _off and on, trying to find it.


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## noodleman1

_Fui _literally translates to _I have been_, though there's not much difference in actual translation. _I was_ would be _eram_.


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## L.A.Tin

Thank you, noodleman1, that looks promising. Do you have an alternative for the whole phrase?


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## Cagey

_Eram_ is a progressive tense, meaning "I was". 

However, Latin uses the perfect "_fui_" to talk about someone who is now deceased.  Usually the perfect is translated into the the English perfect "I have been" or the simple past "I was".

I like the phrase as it stands, though obviously I didn't recognize it.


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## L.A.Tin

Cagey, thank you again for your useful information - but hey, why aren't you on line, it's only just gone midnight in CA?!


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## Stoicorum_simia

Joca's translation is perfect Latin, but the actual phrase, found on countless Roman tombstones, is _Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo_. So common is this that it was often abbreviated NFFNSNC.


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## L.A.Tin

*Stoicorum simia*, now that I see it, I am convinced this is the phrase I have been seeking. I thank you and indeed all those who kindly contributed.


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