Learn Hardcore Latin: Dum coquus carnem in culina coquit, domina cum hospite de cena loquitur. - While the cook cooks meat in the kitchen, the lady of the house speaks with the guest about the dinner.

Word

Dum coquus carnem in culina coquit, domina cum hospite de cena loquitur.

Meaning

While the cook cooks meat in the kitchen, the lady of the house speaks with the guest about the dinner.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Breakdown of Dum coquus carnem in culina coquit, domina cum hospite de cena loquitur.

What exactly does dum mean in this sentence, and does it always mean while?

Here dum means while and introduces a time clause:

Dum coquus carnem in culina coquit = While the cook is cooking meat in the kitchen

Common meanings of dum:

while (with an indicative verb, describing something happening at the same time as the main action)
as long as (often with verbs that imply duration)
until (more often with the subjunctive in Classical Latin, especially in later authors or certain styles)

So here dum is best taken simply as while: two actions happening simultaneously.

Both verbs are in the present tense. How do we know it means while the cook is cooking, not while the cook cooks?

Latin present tense is flexible. It can correspond to several English forms:

coquit can be:
- he cooks (simple present)
- he is cooking (present progressive)
loquitur can be:
- she speaks / she talks
- she is speaking / she is talking

Context tells us this is an ongoing background situation (a scene being set), so English tends to prefer the progressive:

While the cook is cooking meat in the kitchen, the mistress is talking with the guest about the dinner.

But While the cook cooks... the mistress talks... is also grammatically fine English; it just sounds more like a general or habitual statement.