Mater addit: "Noli mendacium dicere, sed veritatem iterum dic."

the mother

Breakdown of Mater addit: "Noli mendacium dicere, sed veritatem iterum dic."

• sed: but
• dicere: to say
• nolle: to not want

Questions & Answers about Mater addit: "Noli mendacium dicere, sed veritatem iterum dic."

What is the form and meaning of addit in Mater addit?

Addit is the 3rd person singular present active indicative of addeō, addere – “to add.”

• Mater addit = “The mother adds / goes on to say.”
• It’s in the present tense, describing what the mother is doing as she speaks.
• Here it introduces additional speech after something she has already said, like English “she adds,” “she continues,” or “she goes on.”

How does noli mendacium dicere express “don’t tell a lie”? Why noli?

Latin often forms a negative command with noli / nolite + infinitive.

• noli is the 2nd person singular imperative of nolō = “to be unwilling, to not want.”
• Literally: noli mendacium dicere = “be unwilling to say a lie,” which functions as “don’t say a lie / don’t tell a lie.”
• Structure:
  • noli – “don’t (you)…”
  • dicere – infinitive, “to say”
  • mendacium – “a lie,” object of dicere

So noli + infinitive is a standard, natural way in Latin to say “don’t do X.”

Why is it noli dicere in the first command, but dic in veritatem iterum dic?

Because Latin treats negative and positive commands differently:

• Noli dicere: