Breakdown of Dum pluvia cadit, populus ante portam exspectat; deinde omnes per portam intrant.
intrare
to enter
per
through
dum
while
deinde
then
Questions & Answers about Dum pluvia cadit, populus ante portam exspectat; deinde omnes per portam intrant.
What does dum mean here, and what kind of clause is Dum pluvia cadit?
Dum means while (or as long as) and introduces a temporal clause:
- Dum pluvia cadit = While the rain is falling / While it is raining.
It sets the time frame for the main action: populus ante portam exspectat (the people wait in front of the gate). In Classical Latin, dum with a present indicative often corresponds to an English progressive tense (is falling, is waiting).
Why is cadit in the present tense and not something like a continuous form?
Latin does not have a special continuous or progressive tense like English (is falling, are waiting). The simple present often does the same job.
- cadit = falls / is falling
- exspectat = waits / is waiting
With dum, the present very often implies an ongoing or simultaneous action, so English naturally translates it with is falling or is raining.
Could Latin also say pluit instead of pluvia cadit?
Yes. Latin commonly uses the impersonal verb pluit = it is raining / it rains.