Support This Website at No Cost to You!!!

Latin Phrase: Drink Now, Die Later!

by Vani
(London)

Dear Latin Teacher,

Please translate asks into Latin and translate this phrase into English: "DUM VIVES, HOMO, BIBE NAM POST MORTEM NIHIL EST."

Thank you, Vani

Dear Vani,

Your Latin phrase is read aloud and translated below:




While you live, man, drink, for after death there is nothing


The verb vives is future tense, so the phrase literally means As long as you will live...

What does this really mean, though? Drink until you die? Drink now, die later?

Although the great nothingness might drive some to drink, others find another use for their time on earth.

Learning Latin, for example.

In Latin there are several verbs meaning to ask. Here are a few:

rogat: He asks

interrogat: He asks rather pointedly

quaerit: He seeks, asks for

petit: He seeks, looks for

orat: He begs, beseaches

poscit: He demands

Hope this helps, and thanks for asking a Latin teacher!

Sincerely,

John

See more Latin roots

Return to Vocabulary Lesson Plans

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ask a Latin Teacher.