Olim avia quoque cum eis saepe saltabat, sed nunc adhuc lente ambulat.

Once grandmother also often used to dance with them, but now she still walks slowly.

Breakdown of Olim avia quoque cum eis saepe saltabat, sed nunc adhuc lente ambulat.

• sed: but
• cum: with
• ambulare: to walk
• saepe: often
• nunc: now
• quoque: also
• lente: slowly
• avia: the grandmother
• eis: them
• olim: once
• adhuc: still
• saltare: to dance

Questions & Answers about Olim avia quoque cum eis saepe saltabat, sed nunc adhuc lente ambulat.

What exactly does olim mean here, and does it always refer to the past?

Olim is an adverb of time. In this sentence it means “once, formerly, at one time” and clearly refers to the past.

Typical meanings of olim:

• Past: once, formerly, long ago
• Non‑specific time: at some time, at one point
• In some contexts (especially later Latin), it can also mean “someday, at some future time”, but that’s not the meaning here.

So in this sentence, olim contrasts with nunc (“now”):

• olim – in the past
• nunc – now

Why is avia in the nominative, and what is its form?

Avia is in the nominative singular, and it is the subject of both verbs saltabat and ambulat.

• Dictionary form: avia, aviae (f.) – grandmother
• Declension: 1st declension
• Here: avia (nominative singular, feminine) = “the grandmother / grandma”

Latin usually puts the subject in the nominative case, and that subject continues to be understood for following verbs unless a new subject is introduced. So avia is also the subject of ambulat, even though it is not repeated.

How does quoque work here, and why does it come after avia?

Quoque means “also, too”. It normally comes immediately after the word it emphasizes or attaches to.

Here we have:

• avia quoque = “the grandmother also” / “grandma too”

That suggests: she too used to dance with them (maybe along with others).

If you moved quoque:

• quoque avia – less natural; would often be taken as emphasizing “also as for grandmother,” but Latin really prefers [word] + quoque.
• cum eis quoque – “also with them,” i.e. she danced not only in other situations but also with them.

So position of quoque matters for emphasis, and the normal pattern is “X quoque” meaning “X also.”

What is eis in cum eis, and why is it in that form?

Eis is a form of the 3rd‑person pronoun is, ea, id (“he, she, it; that; they”). Here it means “them”.

In cum eis:

• cum takes the ablative case when it means “with (someone).”
• eis is ablative plural of is, ea, id (all genders look the same in the ablative plural: eīs).

So:

• cum eis = “with them”

You might also see eis cum (same meaning; Latin word order is flexible), but the standard is cum + ablative.

Compare:

• mecum, tecum, nobiscum, vobiscum – here cum is enclitic and attached to the pronoun, but with is, ea, id you normally keep cum separate: cum eo, cum ea, cum eis, etc.

What exactly does saepe do here, and where can it appear in the sentence?

Saepe is an adverb meaning “often”. It modifies the verb saltabat (“she used to dance”).

So saepe saltabat = “she often used to dance” / “she danced often.”

Position: adverbs in Latin are fairly flexible. You could see:

• cum eis saepe saltabat
• saepe cum eis saltabat
• cum eis saltabat saepe

All are possible; each slightly shifts emphasis, but the meaning “often” still goes with saltabat. The version you have is perfectly natural.

Why is saltabat in the imperfect tense instead of the perfect?

Saltabat is the imperfect indicative active of saltare (“to dance”). The imperfect is used for:

• Ongoing or repeated past actions
• Background, habitual actions

So saltabat here suggests:

• “she used to dance”
• “she would dance (habitually)”
• “she was dancing (repeatedly / regularly)”

If we had used the perfect, e.g. saltavit, it would sound more like a completed single event: “she danced (once / at some point).” In this context, we want the idea that in the past grandma often used to dance, so the imperfect is correct.

Why is ambulat in the present tense when saltabat is in the imperfect?

The contrast in tenses is deliberate and important:

• saltabat = imperfect: describes what she used to do in the past.
• ambulat = present: describes what she now does.

Together with olim (“once / formerly”) and nunc (“now”), this gives a clear contrast:

• formerly she often danced
• now she walks slowly

So the switch from imperfect to present marks the change from a past habit to the current situation.

What is the difference between nunc and adhuc, and why are both used?

• Nunc means “now, at this moment.”
• Adhuc means “still, up to now, even now.”

Together, nunc adhuc intensifies the idea that the situation has lasted up to the present and continues now:

• nunc – we’re talking about the present
• adhuc – the state has continued up to the present, and she still walks slowly

If you said only:

• nunc lente ambulat – “now she walks slowly” (neutral present statement)
• adhuc lente ambulat – “she still walks slowly” (emphasizes continuity from before)

Nunc adhuc puts both nuances into play: now, she still (even now) walks slowly.

How is lente formed from lentus, and what does it mean exactly?

Lente is an adverb meaning “slowly.”

It is formed from the adjective lentus, lenta, lentum (“slow”) using a regular pattern:

• Many 1st/2nd declension adjectives form adverbs by adding -e to the feminine nominative singular ending -a:
  
  • clarus → clare (clearly, brightly)
  • longus → longe (far, at length)
  • lentus → lente (slowly)

So:

• lentus = slow (adjective, describing a noun)
• lente = slowly (adverb, describing how she walks)

Here lente modifies ambulat: “she walks slowly.”

Is the subject of ambulat also avia, even though it’s not repeated?

Yes.

In Latin, once a subject is established, it is normally understood to continue for following verbs in the same sentence or closely linked sentences, unless a new subject is clearly introduced.

• Olim avia quoque cum eis saepe saltabat, sed nunc adhuc lente ambulat.

There is no new noun in the nominative, and the verb ambulat is 3rd person singular, so it naturally refers back to avia:

• “Once grandma also often danced with them, but now (she) still walks slowly.”

Could the word order be changed, and would that change the meaning?

Latin word order is flexible, so you can rearrange most of these words without changing the basic meaning, though emphasis can shift. For example:

• Olim avia cum eis quoque saepe saltabat
• Olim quoque avia saepe cum eis saltabat
• Olim saepe avia quoque cum eis saltabat

All still mean roughly: Once, grandma also often danced with them.

Similarly in the second clause:

• sed nunc lente adhuc ambulat
• sed adhuc nunc lente ambulat

Still understandable, but the normal, smooth Latin order is close to what you already have. Latin tends to be:

• fairly free with adverb placement (olim, saepe, nunc, adhuc, lente),
• with the verb often toward the end of its clause, especially in classical prose.

What does saltare really mean — “to dance” or “to jump”?

Saltare primarily means “to jump, leap, hop.” From this sense it also developed the meaning “to dance”, since many dances involve jumping and lively movement.

In practice:

• In many contexts, especially with humans as subject and no further object, saltare is well translated as “to dance.”
• In some contexts (animals, physical motion, etc.), it will be more like “to jump” / “to leap about.”

Here, with avia as subject and the context contrasting it with walking, “to dance” is the natural translation.