Learn Hardcore Latin: Magistra dicit: "Nolite clamare, sed tacete et silentium amate!" - The female teacher says: "Do not shout, but be silent and love the silence!"

So Magistra dicit literally means The teacher says or The teacher is saying. Latin often uses the simple present where English might use “is saying.”

How is the direct speech (Nolite clamare, sed tacete et silentium amate!) connected to Magistra dicit?

Latin commonly introduces direct speech with a verb of saying (dicit) plus a colon or comma, just like English.

Structure:

Reporting clause: Magistra dicit = The teacher says
Direct quote: Nolite clamare, sed tacete et silentium amate! = the exact words the teacher says

You could also sometimes see inquit used in similar contexts, but dicit is a regular present tense verb and works fine here. The colon marks the start of the words actually spoken.

What exactly is going on grammatically in Nolite clamare?

Nolite clamare is a negative command addressed to more than one person.

nolite = 2nd person plural imperative of nolo, nolle = to be unwilling / not to want
clamare = present active infinitive of clamo, clamare = to shout

Literally: Be unwilling to shout = Do not shout.
So Latin forms the negative imperative with noli (singular) or nolite (plural) + infinitive, rather than with non + imperative.

Why doesn’t Latin just say non clamate for “don’t shout”?

In classical Latin, negative commands normally avoid non + imperative.

The standard ways to say “don’t … !” are:

noli
- infinitive (singular): Noli clamare! – Don’t shout!
nolite
- infinitive (plural): Nolite clamare! – Don’t shout!
Or in more formal/poetic style: ne
- perfect subjunctive

Non clamate would sound odd or wrong to a classical Latin ear, even though it’s tempting for an English speaker.

Why is clamare an infinitive instead of an imperative?

Because clamare depends on nolite.

nolite is the imperative: it gives the command (“be not willing”).
clamare is the infinitive that tells us what they are not to be willing to do.

So the construction is: Nolite (imperative) clamare (infinitive) = Do not shout.
In Latin, noli / nolite + infinitive is a fixed pattern for negative commands.

What is the difference between tacete and clamare in form and meaning?

Form:

tacete is 2nd person plural imperative of taceo, tacere (2nd conjugation)
clamare is the infinitive of clamo, clamare (1st conjugation)

Meaning:

tacete = be silent! / keep quiet! (command to “you all”)
clamare by itself = to shout

So:

Nolite clamare = Don’t shout.
tacete = Be silent.

The teacher is both forbidding shouting and positively ordering silence.

Why does tacete end in -ete, but amate ends in -ate, if both are commands to “you (plural)”?

They belong to different conjugations, which use different imperative endings.

taceo, tacere (to be silent) is 2nd conjugation:
- infinitive: tacere
- plural imperative: tacete (stem tace-
  - -te → tacete)
amo, amare (to love) is 1st conjugation:
- infinitive: amare
- plural imperative: amate (stem ama-
  - -te → amate)

So -ete vs -ate reflects the different vowel of the verb stem, not a difference in meaning. Both mean “you (plural), do X!”

What does sed do in this sentence?

sed is a coordinating conjunction meaning but.

It introduces a contrast:

Nolite clamare = Don’t shout
sed tacete et silentium amate = but be quiet and love silence

So sed opposes the forbidden action (clamare) to the desired ones (tacere, silentium amare).

What case is silentium, and why is it in that case?

silentium comes from silentium, -i (n.) – “silence.”

Here:

Case: accusative
Number: singular
Gender: neuter

It is the direct object of amate:

amate silentium = love silence

So silentium answers the question “love what?” and appears in the accusative as the object of the verb.

What are the full grammatical details of each verb: dicit, clamare, tacete, amate?

dicit
- Verb: dico, dicere
- Person/number: 3rd singular
- Tense: present
- Mood: indicative
- Voice: active
- Meaning here: (she) says / is saying
clamare
- Verb: clamo, clamare
- Form: present active infinitive
- Meaning: to shout
tacete
- Verb: taceo, tacere
- Person/number: 2nd plural
- Mood: imperative
- Tense: “present” in form, but imperatives mainly express a command, not time
- Meaning: be silent! / keep quiet!
amate
- Verb: amo, amare
- Person/number: 2nd plural
- Mood: imperative
- Meaning: love!

How would the commands change if the teacher were speaking to just one student instead of several?

For one person (2nd person singular), you would use the singular forms:

Noli clamare, sed tace et silentium ama!
- noli – singular imperative: don’t
- clamare – infinitive: shout
- tace – singular imperative: be quiet!
- ama – singular imperative: love!

So:

Plural: Nolite clamare, sed tacete et silentium amate!
Singular: Noli clamare, sed tace et silentium ama!

Is the word order in tacete et silentium amate fixed, or could it be different?

Latin word order is relatively flexible, so other orders are possible and still correct, for example:

tacete et amate silentium
silentium amate et tacete

The original tacete et silentium amate emphasizes the sequence be quiet and then love silence, but the basic meaning does not change if you rearrange silentium and amate. The key is that silentium remains the object of amate, regardless of word order.