I.Conversational Latin
Lingua Latina Conlocutioni
Cocktail Party Chitchat
Hot enough for you?
Satine caloris tibi dies est?
Run into much traffic on the way over?
Eratne turba magna vehiculorum obviam tibi venienti huc?
What do you think I paid for this watch?
Quanto putas mihi stetisse hoc horologium carpale?
You know what I think? I think . . .
Visne scire quid credem? Credo . . .
that all wrestling is fixed.
luctationes omnes praestitutas esse.
that flying saucers are real.
astronaves orbiculares exsistere.
that Elvis is still alive.
Elvem ipsum etiam vivere.
that the weather has been altered by rocket launches.
missiones pyraulorum statum caeli mutavisse.
that no one?s barbecue sauce is better than mine.
neminem facere liquamen assatorium melius quam meum.
Conversation Fillers
Is that so?
Ain tu?
Really?
Vero?
You don?t say!
Dic! Itane est?
You can say that again!
Hercle qui tu recte dicis!
You know what they say . . .
Ut proverbium loquitur vetus . . .
here today, gone tomorrow.
quod adest hodie, cras aberit.
seen one, seen them all.
uno cum noris, omnia noris.
what goes around, comes around.
circumit ad idem, unde profectum est, reveniet.
que sera, sera.
quod fiet, fiet.
Conversation Enders
God! Look at the time! My wife will kill me!
Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit!
Excuse me. I?ve got to see a man about a dog.
Mihi ignosce. Nunc est mihi cum quodam negotium de cane.
Darn! There goes my beeper!
Heu! Tintinnuntius meus sonat!
I?m outta here.
Abeo.
Have a nice day.
Sit hic dies tibi iucundus.
Pithy Latin Expressions
By that very fact.
Ipso facto.
No way.
Nullo modo.
Read my lips.
Lege labia.
A done deal.
Pactum factum.
Fat chance.
Forsitan fiat.
Accidentally on purpose.
Casu consulto.
Royally screwed.
Raptus regaliter.
In a world of hurt.
Oppido dolens.
Hopefully.
Spes est.
Copyright © 2004 by Henry Beard. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
