English to Latin

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » 07 Mar 2005 17:27

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus.

kokoyaya · Post by **kokoyaya** » 07 Mar 2005 17:29

Please read the Before sending a request, please read this... topic and rephrase your request

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » 07 Mar 2005 18:14

My friends and I make a toast 'Happy Birthday Baby Jesus' on Christmas. I would like to make it in Latin this year.

kokoyaya · Post by **kokoyaya** » 07 Mar 2005 18:15

Lucy wrote:My friends and I make a toast 'Happy Birthday Baby Jesus' on Christmas. I would like to make it in Latin this year.

Great

A Latin-speaker should answer your request

Latinus · Post by **Latinus** » 07 Mar 2005 18:24

I think it's :

felix dies natalis Jesus

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » 07 Mar 2005 23:06

Thank you for your help. No 'baby'? Should I use 'infant'?

Sisyphe · Post by **Sisyphe** » 08 Mar 2005 01:11

Latinus wrote:I think it's :

felix dies natalis Jesus

The vocative case of "Jesus" is unregular, it is "Jesu" (cf. the latin prayer like that one.

Thank you for your help. No 'baby'? Should I use 'infant'?

"Infans" in latin means "from birth to 6 years old". "Infans Jesu" is the most usual expression. But if you really want to say "baby", you can use "alumnus" :

Felix dies natalis, alumne Jesu !

Latinus · Post by **Latinus** » 08 Mar 2005 02:41

Sisyphe wrote:
Latinus wrote:I think it's :

felix dies natalis Jesus
The vocative case of "Jesus" is unregular, it is "Jesu" (cf. the latin

It's the point where I was unsure...

(and I was right

)

Thanks

Olivier · Post by **Olivier** » 08 Mar 2005 08:19

maybe accusative case = I/we wish something ?
-- Olivier

tom · Post by **tom** » 08 Mar 2005 11:00

yes, I would also have said "felicem diem" ; but maybe you can keep "felix dies", using then "Iesu" (a happy birthday may happen to Jesus). About "baby", you find sometimes "infantulus"

in some texts of the middle ages (of course this was not Jesus' time... but Jesus himself was not speaking latin, was he ?).

So I suggest :
felicem diem, infantule Iesu
or
felix dies infantulo Iesu

Sisyphe · Post by **Sisyphe** » 08 Mar 2005 13:50

Olivier wrote:maybe accusative case = I/we wish something ?
-- Olivier

It may be. Wishes are often at accusative case (but no necessary).

In fact, I have to confess that I do not know (and, as far I know, no one knows) how exactly the Latin speakers wished an happy birthday to each other. They might have used a more idiomatic (but pagan) expression, like dii te juvent or di meliora duint (let the gods help you, let the gods give you good things).

Both of Tom's propositions are good.

(@Tom : infantulus does appear before middle-age, at Apulaeus. I am quite sure Cicero had used it, but there is no testification).

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » 08 Mar 2005 20:39

To all,

Thank you.

I originally brought this question to my Catholic priest who replied, "We don't speak Latin any more."

LokaNova et Freelang

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