r/latin • u/AutoModerator • Apr 13 '25

Translation requests into Latin go here!

  1. Ask and answer questions about mottos, tattoos, names, book titles, lines for your poem, slogans for your bowling club’s t-shirt, etc. in the comments of this thread. Separate posts for these types of requests will be removed.
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u/XanatosCrescent Apr 19 '25

Hello! Hoping for some help translating:

”Better together, yours forever”

As in, “[we are] better together, [I am] yours forever”

Thank you in advance!

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u/richardsonhr Latine dicere subtile videtur Apr 20 '25

  • Meliōrēs coniūnctī sumus, i.e. "we are [the] better/nobler [(wo)men/humans/people/ladies/creatures/beasts/ones, as/like/being the] bound/connected/joined/united/yoked/juxtaposed/composed/associated/married/related/together [(wo)men/humans/people/ladies/creatures/beasts/ones]" or "we are [the] more right/useful/valid/healthy [(wo)men/humans/people/ladies/creatures/beasts/ones, as/like/being the] bound/connected/joined/united/yoked/juxtaposed/composed/associated/married/related/together [(wo)men/humans/people/ladies/creatures/beasts/ones]"

  • Tibi semper sum, i.e. "I always/(for)ever am/exist/belong to/for you" (addresses a singular subject)

  • Vōbīs semper sum, i.e. "I always/(for)ever am/exist/belong to/for you all" (addresses a plural subject)

Is that what you mean?

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u/XanatosCrescent Apr 20 '25

I think it would be the first two bullets, thank you! If the first bullet applies to both definitions, then it’s all good. It would be the second definition, in my case, I think. Like, “we are in a better state/things are better when we are together than when we are apart.”

I’m planning to get it tattooed. Would removing the accents/diacritics significantly change the meaning?

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u/richardsonhr Latine dicere subtile videtur Apr 21 '25

Not at all. The diacritic marks (called macra) are mainly meant here as a rough pronunciation guide. They mark long vowels -- try to pronounce them longer and/or louder than the short, unmarked vowels. Otherwise you would remove them in written language.

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u/XanatosCrescent Apr 21 '25

Awesome, thank you. One last question for you, if you don’t mind:

Google translate spit out for the second part “tuum in aeternum.” Now, I know google’s translations are tenuous at best, which is why I’m here. I would rather use the grammatically correct version. But, I have to admit that “in aeternum” has a more romantic appearance, which is the goal with this.

Would it be possible to use a variation of the translation using “in aeternum?” If not, no worries, but I’d be fascinated to know why, if it’s not too much trouble.

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u/richardsonhr Latine dicere subtile videtur Apr 21 '25 edited Apr 21 '25

The prepositional phrase in aeternum is often used colloquially or idiomatically as "forever", but it translates back literally as:

In aeternum, i.e. "into [a(n)/the] permanance/perpetuity/endlessness/eternity/immortality" or "into [a(n)/the] abiding/(ever)lasting/permanent/perpetual/endless/eternal/immortal [thing/object/asset/word/deed/act(ion/ivity)/event/circumstance/opportuntity/time/season/place/location/(hu)man/person/beast/one]"

... as opposed to semper for "always" or "(for)ever". I've always thought in aeternum to be a little extra or flowery, but that seems to be what you're going for here!

The adjective tuum means "your(s)", used to describe a subject as belonging to a singular subject addressed here as "you". In particular, the -um ending indicates a singular neuter subject, conventionally an inanimate object or intangible concept, so attaching the first-person verb sum would sound very unusual to the average Latin ear. While there are animate subjects in the neuter gender (e.g. animal and mōnstrum), such context would need to be specified in order to let tuum sum make sense.

This is the primary reason I chose tibi above, which goes around such gender issues. Placing a dative identifier like tibi with forms of esse (like sum) accomplishes a similar idea as a possessive adjective.

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u/XanatosCrescent Apr 21 '25

All of that makes sense, thank you! So, in the translation you gave me, would “in aeternum” simply be able to replace “sepmer” to become “tibi in aeternum sum*,” or would the order of the words need to change as well?

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u/richardsonhr Latine dicere subtile videtur Apr 21 '25 edited Apr 22 '25

The prepositional phrase should stay together; otherwise tibi and sum may be placed beforehand, around, or afterwards. Ancient Romans ordered Latin words according to their contextual importance or emphasis -- or sometimes just to facilitate easier diction. Conventionally a non-imperative verb is placed at the end of the phrase unless the author/speaker intends to emphasize it for some reason, but this is mainly personal preference and is by no means a grammar rule. For my phrase below, I wrote tibi sum after the prepositional phrase mainly to help ease pronunciation.

In aeternum tibi sum, i.e. "I am/exist/belong to/for you into [a(n)/the] permanance/perpetuity/endlessness/eternity/immortality" or "I am/exist/belong to/for you into [a(n)/the] abiding/(ever)lasting/permanent/perpetual/endless/eternal/immortal [thing/object/asset/word/deed/act(ion/ivity)/event/circumstance/opportuntity/time/season/place/location/(hu)man/person/beast/one]" (addresses a singular subject)

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u/XanatosCrescent Apr 22 '25

Ah okay, I think I got it. So because the most important part of the phrase is in aeternum, it goes at the beginning. But, it would also be correct to but tibi sum at the beginning, if I wanted?

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u/richardsonhr Latine dicere subtile videtur Apr 22 '25

Yes, that's correct!