Questions & Answers about Si hoc non vis, alius id accipere potest.
Why are there two different words, hoc and id, if they both seem to mean it?
They are both neuter singular pronouns, but they do slightly different jobs here.
- hoc means this or this thing. It points to something more immediately present or closer in the speaker’s mind.
- id means it or that. It is often used to refer back to something already mentioned.
So in Si hoc non vis, alius id accipere potest, Latin is very naturally saying something like:
- If you do not want this, someone else can accept it.
English might use the same word both times, but Latin often likes this distinction:
- first point to the thing: hoc
- then refer back to it: id
What form is vis, and why isn’t it something more regular like vultis or voles?
vis is the 2nd person singular present active indicative of velle, meaning to want.
The verb velle is irregular. Its present tense forms are:
- volō = I want
- vīs = you want
- vult = he/she/it wants
- volumus = we want
- vultis = you all want
- volunt = they want
So non vis means you do not want.
A native English speaker often expects Latin verbs to follow regular patterns, but is one of the important irregular verbs you simply have to learn as its own set.