Translation from English into Latin
What the English-to-Latin domain tests
You must produce grammatical Latin, not a cipher of English words. The exam rewards correct case endings, verb agreement, and the right subordinate construction.
Rules that decide marks
- Case by function: subject nominative, direct object accusative, indirect object dative, possession genitive, means, manner, and agent ablative (agent with ab).
- Verb agreement: number and person follow the subject; uterque and quisque are singular, while pars may take either number.
- Clause choice: purpose ut/ne + subjunctive; result ut + subjunctive after tam/tantus; indirect statement accusative + infinitive; indirect question subjunctive after rogavit, nesciebat; cum + subjunctive for circumstance.
- No English articles: do not translate 'the' or 'a'.
- Word order: subject–object–verb is normal; adjectives often follow nouns; esse usually stands last.
Worked example
'The soldiers who had been sent by the general reported that the enemy was approaching the camp.'
- Main subject 'soldiers' → milites, nominative plural.
- The relative clause is indicative: qui ab imperatore missi erant (passive pluperfect, agent with ab).
- Verb of reporting → nuntiaverunt.
- Indirect statement takes accusative + infinitive: hostes ... appropinquare; motion toward uses ad + accusative: ad castra. Result: Milites, qui ab imperatore missi erant, nuntiaverunt hostes ad castra appropinquare.
Traps
- Using the accusative for the subject of a passive verb.
- Translating 'that' as quod in indirect statement; Latin uses the infinitive.
- Omitting ne in negative purpose clauses and noli + infinitive in negative commands.
- Marking the agent with a bare ablative instead of ab + ablative.