Qui festinat, saepius errat.

Here qui is a relative pronoun, but in this kind of sentence it works almost like the person who, whoever, or anyone who.

So qui festinat means:

• the one who hurries
• whoever hurries
• anyone who is in a hurry

This is a very common Latin way to make a general statement.

Latin often uses the masculine singular as a generic form when speaking generally.

So qui festinat does not have to mean only a man who hurries. It can mean a person who hurries in general.

If Latin wanted to refer specifically to a woman, it could use quae. If it wanted a plural idea, it could use qui festinant for those who hurry.

The subject is built into the verb endings.

In Latin:

• festinat = he/she/it hurries
• errat = he/she/it errs / makes mistakes

The ending -t tells you the verb is third person singular.

Because qui is singular, the verbs are singular too. Latin often does not need a separate word for he or she, because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

Both verbs are present indicative active, third person singular.

Latin often uses the present tense for:

• general truths
• proverbs
• habitual actions

So this does not just mean someone is hurrying right now and making a mistake right now. It expresses a general rule: people who hurry tend to make more mistakes.

Saepius is the comparative adverb of saepe.

• saepe = often
• saepius = more often

So the sentence says that the person who hurries errs more often.

The comparison is not stated explicitly with a word like than, but it is understood. The idea is something like:

• more often than someone who does not hurry
• more often than usual

This is normal Latin usage.

It is both, in a way.

Grammatically, qui festinat is a relative clause. But the whole clause functions as the subject of errat.

You can think of the structure like this:

• qui festinat = the one who hurries
• saepius errat = makes mistakes more often

So the whole sentence is built around:

• [the one who hurries] [errs more often]

Latin often omits the matching demonstrative that English sometimes uses.

English may say:

• he who hurries
• the one who hurries

Latin can simply say:

• qui festinat

A fuller Latin form such as is qui festinat is possible in some contexts, but here it is unnecessary. The shorter form is natural and elegant, especially in a proverb.

Yes, in English that is often a very natural translation.

Strictly speaking, qui is a relative pronoun, not a separate indefinite word meaning whoever. But in a general statement like this, English often prefers:

• whoever hurries makes more mistakes
• anyone who hurries makes more mistakes

So whoever is a good idiomatic translation, even if the Latin structure is literally the one who.

The verb errare can mean:

• to wander
• to go astray
• to be mistaken
• to make a mistake

Here, because of the proverb-like meaning, errat is best understood as makes mistakes or is mistaken.

This is also the source of English words such as error and err.

Latin word order is fairly flexible, because the grammar is shown mostly by endings rather than position.

So other arrangements are possible, such as:

• saepius errat qui festinat

That would still mean the same thing.

The given order, Qui festinat, saepius errat, is natural because it presents:

1. the kind of person being talked about
2. what happens to that person

It is a clear and balanced word order, which suits a proverb very well.

The comma is mainly a matter of modern punctuation, not ancient Latin grammar itself.

Ancient Latin texts were often written with little or no punctuation. Modern editors add punctuation to make reading easier.

Here the comma helps separate:

• qui festinat = the person described
• saepius errat = what is said about that person

So the comma is helpful, but it is not something that changes the grammar of the sentence.