Latin Help

A discussion of the peculiarities of languages and the differences between them.
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Dr. Goodword
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Latin Help

Postby Dr. Goodword » Mon Aug 07, 2006 12:27 pm

I think I may have found a noteworthy Latin tongue-twister but my Latin isn't good enough to crack it. Can anyone tell me what the following means?

Certe malus mala malum non est magnum;
tamen ego malo mala mala malo malo;
tu fortasse malis malis malis malum malum.

It seems to have to do with bad apples but I can't navigate it with complete certainty.
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Brazilian dude
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Postby Brazilian dude » Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:27 pm

Certe malus mala malum non est magnum;
tamen ego malo mala mala malo malo;
tu fortasse malis malis malis malum malum.
Are you sure this is the exact quotation? The first line doesn't make much sense. The second and third mean:
in the same way I prefer bad apples with a bad tooth; you perhaps prefer a bad apple with bad teeth. It doesn't make sense, anyway.

Maybe you mean this one:

Malo malo malo
Totum percurrere pontum
Quam mandere
Mala mala malis malis

I'd rather sail all over the sea than eat bad apples with bad teeth.

Others that you may like:

Ave, ave, aves esse aves?
Good day, grandfather, do you wish to eat birds?

Nix, nox, nux mihi fuerunt nex
The snow, the night, the nut were death to me.

Necandus necavist necaturum.
That which should be killed killed that which ought to kill.

Brazilian dude
Languages rule!


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