Noli canem laedere.

Noli is the 2nd‑person singular imperative of nolle (nolo, nolle, nolui = to be unwilling / not to want). In negative commands, Latin often uses noli + infinitive to mean don’t … (literally be unwilling to …).

Latin commonly forms negative commands with noli (sg.) / nolite (pl.) + infinitive:

• Noli laedere = Don’t hurt (him/it).
• Nolite laedere = Don’t hurt (him/it), you all.

You can also make a negative command with ne + present subjunctive (e.g., ne laedas), but noli + infinitive is very frequent and straightforward.

Canem is accusative singular because it is the direct object of laedere (to hurt). The verb’s action is done to the dog.

The dictionary form is canis, canis (masculine or feminine; often masculine when it means dog). It’s a 3rd‑declension noun.

A few forms:

• nominative: canis (dog)
• accusative: canem (dog as object)
• genitive: canis (of the dog)

Yes. Latin has no articles (the/a), so canem can be the dog or a dog depending on context. In many classroom translations, it’s given as the dog because the context often implies a specific dog.

Laedere is the present active infinitive of laedo, laedere, laesi, laesum = to hurt, injure, harm, offend. It’s a 3rd‑conjugation verb.

Make both the command and the object plural:

• Nolite canes laedere. Here nolite is the plural imperative, and canes is accusative plural.

Yes, a common alternative is ne + present subjunctive:

• Ne canem laedas. = Don’t hurt the dog. This is more “straight negative command” in form, while noli + infinitive is idiomatic and very common.

Latin word order is flexible because endings show grammatical roles. Noli canem laedere is a normal, clear order (command + object + verb). You could also see:

• Noli laedere canem. Both mean the same thing; changing order can shift emphasis slightly (often the final position gets emphasis).

In this pattern, yes: noli/nolite + infinitive is used to give a negative imperative. Outside this pattern, forms of nolo behave as a normal verb meaning to not want (e.g., nolo id = I don’t want that).

In a common classroom/Classical-style pronunciation:

• Noli: NOH-lee
• canem: KAH-nem
• laedere: often taught as LIE-deh-reh (with ae as a diphthong)

(Exact pronunciation can vary depending on whether you’re using Classical or Ecclesiastical conventions.)