Latin Negative Commands (Prohibitions)
In Latin, a prohibitive expresses a command telling someone not to do something. There are several main constructions to express this:
[1] nolī(te) + infintive
Literally: be unwilling (to do something); this is the most familiar way to give a negative command. It is the construction that has been used up to now and is not a subjunctive form.
nōlī hoc facere │ Don’t do this!
nōlīte mentīrī │ Don’t lie!
[2] nē + present / perfect subjunctive (negative jussive subjunctive)
The negative of the jussive subjunctive expresses “let him/her/them not…” and is equivalent to a prohibitive.
Form: nē + present subjunctive or perfect subjunctive (emphasizes immediacy, completeness, or politeness).
Compare with affirmative jussive:
id faciat │ Let him do it
nē id faciat │ Let him not do it / He should not do it
[i] Examples with present subjunctive:
Nē ex urbe discēdat │ Let her not depart from the city
Nē putēs tē sapientem esse │ Do not think you are wise
Nē metuās │ Do not fear
Nē repugnētis │ Do not resist
Nē ā flūmine fugiātis │ Do not flee from the river
More literary examples:
Quī in tēctō est, nē dēscendat tollere aliquid dē domō suā (Vulgate) │ He who is on the roof, let him not come down to take anything from his house
Nocte veniente nē puerī deforis ludant │ Since night is coming, don’t let the boys play outdoors / the boys should not play … [literally: let not the boys play … ]
Sed dē argumentō nē exspectētis fābulam (Plautus) │ But do not expect the plot of the story
Et ait angelus eī: Nē timeās… (Vulgate) │ And the angel said to her: Do not be afraid
[ii] Examples with perfect subjunctive:
Singular:
Nē necesse habuerīs (Cicero) │ Do not consider it necessary
Nē Apellae quidem dīxerīs (Cicero) │ Do not even tell Apella
Cavē quicquam, nisi quod rogābō tē, mihi responderīs (plautus) │ Mind you don't give me any reply except what I ask
Plural:
Nē vōs quidem mortem timuerītis (Cicero) │ Do not even fear death
[3] Other negative words + subjunctive
Sometimes other negatives replace nē:
Tū illī nihil dīxerīs (Cicero) │ Say nothing to her
Dē mē nihil timuerīs (Cicero) │ Do not be afraid for me
Nec mihi illud dīxerīs (Cicero) │ And do not say this to me
[4] cavē(te) + present subjunctive
The verb caveō, cavēre (“beware”) can form negative commands with the present subjunctive:
Cavē festinēs │ Don’t hurry
Cavē aliquid dīcās │ Don’t say anything
Cavē aliter faciās (Cicero) │ Be careful not to do otherwise
Bibliothēcam tuam cavē cuīquam dēspondeās (Cicero) │ Be sure you don’t promise your library to anyone
Librōs vērō tuōs cavē cuiquam trādās (Cicero) │ Be sure you don’t hand your books over to anybody
Tū Antōnī leōnēs pertimēscās cavē (Cicero) │ Don’t be too afraid of Antony’s lions
Sed cavē … existimēs mē … abiēcisse cūram rēī pūblicae (Cicero) │ But do not think that I have abandoned concern for the Republic
Cavēte rūmōrēs crēdulitāte vestrā ālātis (Livy) │ Take care that you do not nourish rumors by your gullibility
KEY POINTS: prohibition; negative jussive; cavē
- nōlī(te) + infinitive: simple negative command
- nē + subjunctive: negative jussive; “let him/her/them not…”; can use present or perfect subjunctive
- other negatives: emphasize prohibition or restriction
- cavē(te) + subjunctive: “beware” constructions
The video provides an overview of the different ways in which prohibitions or negative commands can be expressed in Latin.
It is important to note that Latin sometimes expresses these ideas in other ways—for example, nē + the indicative may appear in poetry or early Latin. However, for the purposes of this discussion, the focus should remain on the use of the subjunctive to express prohibitions, rather than being sidetracked by less common forms.
