Learn Hardcore Latin: Mater addit: "Noli mendacium dicere, sed veritatem iterum dic." - Mother adds: "Do not tell a lie, but tell the truth again."

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:
- noli is an imperative (2nd sg.) + infinitive dicere.
- This is the idiomatic pattern for a negative command: noli + infinitive.
dic:
- dic is the 2nd person singular imperative of dico.
- Used for a positive command: “say / tell.”

So:

noli mendacium dicere = “don’t tell a lie.”
veritatem iterum dic = “tell the truth again.”

What cases are mendacium and veritatem, and what are they doing in the sentence?

Both are accusative singular and function as direct objects of “to say/tell”:

mendacium (from mendacium, -i, n.) – “a lie”
- Object of dicere in mendacium dicere – “to say a lie / to tell a lie.”
veritatem (from veritas, -atis, f.) – “truth”
- Object of dic in veritatem iterum dic – “say the truth again.”

So both are “what is being said” and therefore sit in the accusative as objects of the verb of speaking.

Why is it veritatem and not veritas?

Veritas is the nominative singular (used mainly for subjects), but here “truth” is not the subject; it’s what is being told.

Dictionary form: veritas, veritatis (f.)
Nominative: veritas – “truth” (as subject)
Accusative: veritatem – “truth” (as direct object)

Since the command is “tell the truth,” “truth” is the object of dic, so the accusative veritatem is required.

What exactly does iterum mean in veritatem iterum dic, and where can it go?

Iterum is an adverb meaning “again” or “a second time.”

veritatem iterum dic = “tell the truth again.”
Word order in Latin is flexible, so other possible orders include:
- iterum veritatem dic
- dic iterum veritatem
- dic veritatem iterum

All are understandable. The chosen order veritatem iterum dic puts “truth” closer to “say,” with iterum modifying the action of saying (“say [it] again”). Context and emphasis will guide exact placement.

Is there a reason for the word order noli mendacium dicere instead of noli dicere mendacium?

Latin word order is flexible; both are fine and grammatical:

noli mendacium dicere
noli dicere mendacium

Both mean “don’t tell a lie.” The difference is subtle and mostly about rhythm and emphasis. Latin often likes to place infinitives and their objects close together, but it does not have a strict “verb–object” rule the way English tends to. In ordinary prose, either order would be acceptable.

Why is there no tu (“you”) in noli mendacium dicere and veritatem iterum dic?

Latin does not need a subject pronoun when the verb form already shows the person:

noli – imperative 2nd person singular: “(you) don’t…”
dic – imperative 2nd person singular: “(you) say…”

Since the verb endings (or imperative forms) already mark “you,” the explicit pronoun tu is usually omitted unless you want to emphasize it (“you don’t tell a lie,” in contrast to someone else).

What does Mater addit: with a colon tell us about the structure of the sentence?

Mater addit: introduces direct speech:

Mater addit: – “The mother adds:”
What follows in quotation marks is exactly what she says: Noli mendacium dicere, sed veritatem iterum dic.

So structurally:

Narrative clause in Latin: Mater addit
Followed by a colon and the exact words spoken (the two imperatives).

Latin authors can introduce direct speech with verbs of saying (dicit, inquit, ait, addit, etc.) and punctuation does the job of marking what is spoken, just like in English.

Why is it noli and not nolite? How would you say this to more than one person?

Noli is the singular imperative (“you” = one person):

noli – “don’t (you, singular)”
nolite – “don’t (you, plural)”

In our sentence, the mother is speaking to one person (presumably one child):
Noli mendacium dicere…

If she were speaking to several children, she would say:

Nolite mendacium dicere, sed veritatem iterum dicite.

So:

Singular: noli … dicere / dic
Plural: nolite … dicere / dicite

Is there a special single verb in Latin for “to lie,” or is mendacium dicere the normal expression?

Latin does have verbs that mean “to lie” (tell a lie):

mentior, mentīrī, mentītus sum (deponent) – “to lie, to tell a falsehood.”
- e.g. noli mentiri – “don’t lie.”

However, Latin very commonly uses the phrase:

mendacium dicere – literally “to say a lie,” i.e. “to tell a lie.”

Both are classical and natural. This sentence chooses mendacium dicere, a very clear, easy-to-understand expression for learners and perfectly good Latin.

Could this sentence have used a different negative command, like ne mentiaris or ne dicas mendacium?

In principle, yes—Latin has several ways to make negative commands, especially with the subjunctive or ne + perfect subjunctive. For example:

Ne mentiaris. – “Don’t lie.” (2nd person sing. present subj.)
Ne dicas mendacium. – “Don’t say a lie.”

However, for everyday direct commands in Classical Latin, noli / nolite + infinitive is a very natural and common pattern:

Noli mendacium dicere – clear, idiomatic “don’t tell a lie.”

So the sentence’s choice is stylistically simple and straightforward, which is especially suitable for learners.