The phrase, 'God willing' in Latin...

[sandyRoe]

I always thought it was Deo Volente. Can it be Volente Deo, as well?

[MarkRae]

Yes - that's the way Latin works...

[gingejbee]

Isn't the verb always at the end in Latin?

[MarkRae]

Usually, but not always. This isn't a proper sentence, cf 'per ardua ad astra'...

[gingejbee]

no... but there doesn't appear to be a verb either!

[mike11111]

This a phrase rather than a clause or sentence so there is no finite verb. There is a participial form of the verb, though, Volente, from Volo, velle, volui, which follows the assumed subject of the phrase.

[MarkRae]

Not uncommon in Latin phrases, cf 'in loco parentis'...

[mike11111]

Volente Deo, though unusual, is not grammatically incorrect. It would slightly alter the import of the phrase by emphasising Volente (willing) as opposed to Nolente (unwilling). The word order could also be changed by Latin poets for reasons of scansion.

[mike11111]

I'm on a roll here. Last night we had the subjunctive, today the ablative absolute.

[MarkRae]

Would that you were, Mike - would that you were...

[Lie-in King]

Now, THIS is clever! :-)

I never studied Latin & only know a few phrases...

[sandyRoe]

Subjunctives, ablative absolutes, all double dutch to me.
Volente Deo was given as a crossword answer and I thought it wrong. I live and learn.

[MarkRae]

semper in excrementum, sul profundis variat...

[mike11111]

You don't know what you missed LIK. I loved it. There is a very funny clip from the Life of Brian which depicts a graffiti artist caught in the act writing bad Latin. To fully appreciate it it you would have to have been taught Latin at school, as the way the centurion reprimands him is archetypical of how a Latin master would have corrected the errors of his pupils. I think they modelled that centurion on my Latin master.

[mike11111]

Ablative absolutes were kids' stuff! Semi-deponent verbs, now there was something to get your teeth into.

[MarkRae]

"Second declension, Rae, second declension!"

[mike11111]

Anyone up for the accusative and infinitive?

[MarkRae]

Too easy...

[mike11111]

Fair enough. We won't go into gerunds and gerundives, then.

[MarkRae]

quod erat demonstrandum

[mike11111]

At the end of my second year at grammar school my headmaster (a classicist who studied at Cambridge with Enoch Powell) summoned me to his study and informed me that though he was pleased that I had won all the Latin prizes for the past two years he was less than happy with my performance in Geography and Art (which was truly woeful).

"You will be pleased to know that I have decided that you will no longer go to those classes - instead you will be doing Greek, and I shall be teaching you!"