Breakdown of Concordia ex fide et bona voluntate nascitur.
Questions & Answers about Concordia ex fide et bona voluntate nascitur.
Why is concordia the subject of the sentence?
Because concordia is in the nominative singular, which is the normal case for the subject in Latin. It is the thing that is born / arises.
So structurally:
- concordia = the subject
- nascitur = the verb
- ex fide et bona voluntate = a prepositional phrase showing the source or origin
Even if English might sometimes begin with the source phrase, Latin makes it clear through case endings that concordia is the subject.
Why are fide and voluntate in the ablative case?
They are ablative because they follow the preposition ex, and ex takes the ablative.
So:
- ex fide = from faith
- ex bona voluntate = from good will / from goodwill
The ablative after ex often expresses source, origin, or cause. In this sentence, harmony arises from these things.
What exactly does ex mean here?
Here ex means from, out of, or arising from.
It does not mean physical motion only. In Latin, ex can also be used in a more abstract sense, like:
- coming from a quality
- arising from a cause
- resulting from a condition
So Concordia ex fide et bona voluntate nascitur means that harmony comes out of or arises from faith and goodwill.
Why is there only one ex before both fide and bona voluntate?
Because one preposition can govern more than one noun when they are joined by et.
So:
- ex fide et bona voluntate
means the same as:
- ex fide et ex bona voluntate
Latin often leaves the second preposition unstated when the meaning is clear. English does the same sometimes: from faith and goodwill instead of from faith and from goodwill.
Why is it bona voluntate and not bonae voluntatis?
Because bona voluntate is part of the phrase governed by ex, so it must be in the ablative.
- voluntas is a 3rd-declension feminine noun
- its ablative singular is voluntate
- the adjective bonus, -a, -um must agree with it in gender, number, and case
- so feminine ablative singular bona goes with voluntate
That is why the phrase is:
- bona voluntate = from good will / from goodwill
By contrast, bonae voluntatis would be genitive singular, meaning something like of good will, which would not fit after ex.
Is bona voluntas a special expression in Latin?
Yes. Bona voluntas can mean good will, good intentions, kindly disposition, or goodwill.
So in this sentence, bona voluntate is not just mechanically good + will. It functions as a natural idea: goodwill or benevolent intention.
That is a useful thing to remember, because many Latin noun + adjective combinations become standard expressions.
Why does nascitur look passive if the meaning is active?
Because nascor, nasci, natus sum is a deponent verb.
A deponent verb:
- has passive forms
- but an active meaning
So nascitur looks like a passive form, but it means:
- he/she/it is born
- arises
- comes into being
In this sentence, concordia nascitur means harmony arises or harmony is born, not harmony is being born by someone.
What tense is nascitur?
It is present tense, 3rd person singular.
So it means:
- is born
- comes into being
- arises
Because the subject concordia is singular, the verb is singular too: nascitur, not nascuntur.
Why is the verb at the end of the sentence?
Because Latin often places the verb at or near the end, especially in straightforward prose.
So this order:
- Concordia ex fide et bona voluntate nascitur
is very natural.
But Latin word order is much freer than English word order because Latin uses endings to show grammatical roles. You could rearrange the sentence and still keep the same basic meaning, for example:
- Ex fide et bona voluntate concordia nascitur.
That might shift emphasis slightly, but the grammar stays clear.
Could concordia mean more than just harmony?
Yes. Depending on context, concordia can mean:
- harmony
- agreement
- unity
- concord
So even if your translation gives harmony, it helps to know that the Latin word has a broader range. It often refers to people being of one mind or living in peaceful agreement.
What are the dictionary forms of the main words in this sentence?
They are:
- concordia, concordiae — harmony, agreement
- ex — out of, from
- fides, fidei — faith
- et — and
- bonus, -a, -um — good
- voluntas, voluntatis — will, goodwill
- nascor, nasci, natus sum — to be born, arise
Knowing the dictionary forms helps you see why the sentence has these shapes:
- concordia = nominative singular
- fide = ablative singular
- bona voluntate = ablative singular phrase
- nascitur = present 3rd singular of a deponent verb
How would this sentence be pronounced?
A classical-style pronunciation would be approximately:
- kon-KOR-di-a eks FEE-day et BO-na wo-lun-TAH-tay NAS-ki-tur
A few helpful points:
- c is always hard, like k
- v is pronounced like w in classical pronunciation
- ae sounds roughly like ai in aisle
- ti in voluntate stays t, not English sh
- the stress falls on:
- con-COR-di-a
- FI-de or FEE-de
- volun-TA-te
- NAS-ci-tur
If you are using ecclesiastical pronunciation, some sounds will differ, but the grammar is the same.
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