Latin Language Blog

Below is a table of numbers in Latin to 20, including the Roman Numerals from 1 – 20.  We’ve added a video below with pronunciations so you can practice speaking these numbers, too.  Don’t skip that step, either; it’s very easy for self-guided language learners to skip speaking aloud, but it’s important for truly learning a new language.  Give your brain a hand and use your words!

When you’re ready for more, we’ve got Latin numbers 1 – 100 waiting for you.  Happy language learning!

And here’s the video:

A few years ago, before going on a trip abroad, it was habitual buying a travel guide of the destination which also included some useful phrases or basic expressions to comunicate with locals. Today, these guidelines are being relegated for Internet applications or smartphones, but if you ever have the good fortune to travel to the Ancient Rome, sure this guide will be very useful

If you are lucky enough to make beutiful Roman friends – or whatever -:

Nomen mihi est xxxx. Salve! / Hello! My name is xxxx

Magna cum voluptate / Nice to meet you

Estne pugio in tunica, an tibi libet me videre? / Do you have a dagger in your tunic or are you just happy to see me?

Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo / Don’t call me, I’ll call you

Hora et triginta minuta in mora es / You’re one hour and a half late

Lapsus linguae erat / It was a mistake

Noli me tangere / Don’t touch me

Volo, non valeo / I’d love to, but I can’t

Sirem improba / Damn tempting

Spero nos familiares / I hope we still can be friends

Vade retro! / Go (away)!

Haec omnia? / Is that all?

Nocte quater / Four times a night

Ursus perpauli cerebri sum / I am a bear with very little brain

In flagrante delicto / Red-handed

Fabricare diem / Make my day

Re vera, cara mea, mihi nihil refert / Frankly my dear, I don’t care

Anguis es / You’re a snake

In the streets of Rome:

Quo vadis? / Where are you going?

Mihi ignosce / I’m sorry

Ubi sum? / Where am I?

Auxilium mihi, si placet? / Can you help me, please?

Noli me necare, cape omnem pecuniam meam / Don’t kill me, here’s all my money

Pace tua / With your permission

Manus manum lavat / I will help you if you help me

Quod in abysso dices? / What the **** are you saying?

Necios quid dicas / I don’t know what you are talking about

Estne juxtim caupona/mansio? / Is there a bar/hotel near?

Cave canem / Beware of dog

Vade in pace / Go in peace

Utinam tuus currus deleatur! / I hope you have a cart accident!

Pedicabo te! / F*** you!

If you go shopping in a market:

Pecuniam mihi monstra / Show me your money

Quantum est? / How much is it?

Hoc est nimis! / It’s very expensive!

Pecuniam mihi redde / Give me my money back

Hoc affer tecum / Take it

In hac tunica obesa videbor? / Does this tunic make me look fat?

Pistrix rapax / Greedy shark

Vinum/fermentum bellum iucundumque est / Not bad this wine/beer

When you are back home:

Domus propia domus optima / Home sweet home

Deliranti isti Romani / These Romans are crazy

And if in your journey back you bring with you an Ancient Roman citizen you can help him/her integrate using the dictionary for translating modern terms, written by Cardinal Bacci in 1963:

Salivaria gummis / Chewing gum

Vinolentiam propensio / Alcoholism

Lucis horror / Photophobia

Fulminea verticularum occlusio / Zipper

Curatio per chimica medicamenta / Chemotherapy

Stomachi ac tenuis crassisque intestini inflammatio / Gastroenteritis

Absurda symphonia / Jazz

Homo machina / Robot

Inflatio venarum ani / Piles

Follius pedunque ludus / Soccer, football

Rotula moderatrix / Steering wheel

Nicotianum fumun sugere / No smoking

Latrina defluente aquae profluvio instructa / Toilet

In the current days we hear everywhere converstations about price increases, salary cuts… So in this post we are going to see what economic policies they carried out in the Ancient Rome. Thanks to the Edict of Maximum Prices or the Edict of Diocletian, let’s see what wages received in professions and  what prices consumers faced.

Diocletian was born into a poor family and climbed positions in the military hierarchy to become the commander of the cavalry of the emperor Caro. After the death of Caro and his son, Diocletian was acclaimed emperor by the army and ruled from 20th November 284 to 1st May 305.

During the second half of the third century the Roman Empire suffered a serious crisis, powered by civil wars, struggles for power, the pressure of the barbarians, plagues and a deep economic depression aggravated by monetary whims (coining more currency) of the greedy emperors. In 301, to bring some order, Diocletian decided to enact the Edict of Maximum Price to stabilize the currency and temper the severe economic crisis. The edict was of mandatory compliance throughout the Empire and also a higher pricing was punishable with death. These are some of the prices and wages, in dinars, which were fixed in the edict:

Wages

• Agricultural worker – 25/day
• Carpenter or building worker – 50/day
• Painter (walls, buildings…) – 75/day
• Painter (artworks) – 150/day
• Wool weaver – 175/cloak
• Baker – 50/day
• Shipbuilding, river and sea – 50/day and 60/day respectively
• Mule-skinner – 25/day
• Barber or hairdresser – 2/person
• Sewer Cleaner – 25/day
• Scribe – (to improve writing) 25/100 lines – (document drafting) 10/100 lines
• Teacher – 50/month for each pupil (children) – 250/month for each pupil (rhetoric lessons)
• Average legionary – 15,400/year (incluiding wheat)
• Praetorian guard – 19,000/year (incluiding wheat)

Prices

• Wheat – 100/1 modius (8,75 kg)
• Barley and rye – 60/1 modius
• Lentils – 100/1 modius
• Salt – 100/1 modius
• Beans – 100/1 modius
• Rice – 200/1 modius
• Wine – 30/1 sextarius (1/2 l)
• Homemade wine – between 8 and 16/1 sextarius
• Gallic beer – 4/1 sextarius
• Egyptian beer – 2/1 sextarius
• Honey – 40/1 sextarius
• Olive oil – 40/1 sextarius
• Pork or venison – 12/1 pound (326 gr)
• Beef – 8/1 pound
• A Chicken – 60
• A pheasant – 250
• Sea fish – between 16 and 24/1 pound
• River fish – between 8 and 12/1 pound
• Salted fish – 6/1 pound
• Butter – 16/1 pound

It is very difficult to make a comparison of these prices with existing prices but this can be used to get an idea of what every Roman citizen could buy with their wages and the differences between the various professions. In addition, we must also take into account the percentage of the wage we spend on food has nothing to do with the percentage used in ancient Rome. A curiosity: the reward for a victory of a gladiator could equal the annual salary of a teacher.