Breakdown of Donec imber desinat, intra domum manemus.
Questions & Answers about Donec imber desinat, intra domum manemus.
Donec means until here. It introduces a temporal clause: a clause that tells us up to what point the action of the main clause continues.
So in this sentence:
- Donec imber desinat = until the rain stops
- intra domum manemus = we stay inside the house
The idea is: we remain inside up to the point when the rain stops.
Because after donec, Latin often uses the subjunctive when the action is viewed as anticipated, future, or not yet completed from the speaker’s point of view.
So:
- desinit = it stops (indicative)
- desinat = it may stop / should stop / stops in a subjunctive clause
Here the rain has not stopped yet. The stopping is something expected in the future, so desinat is natural.
This is a common pattern with temporal conjunctions in Latin.
Desinat is:
- 3rd person singular
- present subjunctive active