Multi numquam sine amicitia vivunt.

many

Breakdown of Multi numquam sine amicitia vivunt.

• numquam: never
• amicitia: the friendship
• sine: without

Questions & Answers about Multi numquam sine amicitia vivunt.

What does multi mean here, and where is the noun it goes with?

Multi means “many”. Literally it’s the nominative plural of the adjective multus, -a, -um (“much, many”).

In this sentence it is used on its own as a noun (a “substantive adjective”). The full idea is:

• multi (homines) = many (people)

Latin often omits a very obvious noun like homines (“people”), especially when adjectives like multi, pauci, boni, mali etc. are used. English usually has to supply people in translation.

What case, number, and gender is multi, and how do we know?

Multi is:

• case: nominative
• number: plural
• gender: masculine

We know it’s nominative plural because it is the subject of vivunt (“they live”) and must agree with that verb in person and number (3rd person plural).

The masculine is the default for a mixed or generic group of humans in Latin, so multi here is naturally understood as many people.

What exactly does numquam mean, and how is it different from just non?

Numquam is an adverb meaning .