I'd like some help with a Latin word phrase, please.

[Cerridwen]

Status quo is "that which is."

I'd like to find a phrase (hopefully a succinct phrase), also in Latin, that conveys, "that which could be."

[Contrary1]

1. ut quod could exsisto

:)

[Cerridwen]

2. could translates to could?

:D

[On the Road]

3. I Believe That Was a Joke

unfortunately I don't remember Latin verbs well enough to make an attempt, but I believe it would be in the subjunctive mood.

[Cerridwen]

4. Yah, I'm never sure around here.

It's why I asked. :D

I'm also looking at "potential" as an alternative word.

Maybe I need to look elsewhere than Latin.

Thanks, btw.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. I was trying to remember if there is a future subjunctive

It seems there isn't, and you have to use the present subjunctive (and that might be the intention in the OP anyway - 'that which could be now, if we'd made different decisions')

So 'status quo sit'?

[Cerridwen]

9. Thank you, muriel.

"that which could be now, if we'd made different decisions" is part of it. I was hoping to go more for something having to do with what could happen should "we" proceed in "opposition to" that which is.

Oof.

[Contrary1]

5. According to the online translators, could = could

http://www.freemorn.com/translator/english_to_latin.html

[Cerridwen]

7. Thanks. I got that, too, which is why I posted the thread here.

I couldn't *snort* tell if the translator was working or if "could" translates as "could."

[Posteritatis]

12. That's because the online translators aren't handling "could" at all

Most of them just do a straight word-for-word substitution, which is impossible to do effectively when you're talking about Latin.

[Cerridwen]

13. Thank you.

I saw that. It's why I started the thread here because I know some here have knowledge of Latin.

[Posteritatis]

15. Yeah, translators are sketchy at the best of times

Translating a highly inflected language like Latin or ancient Greek is not the best of times. ;) When you've got concepts like "shall we hew (them) asunder?" able to translate into a single word(!!), straight word-for-word substitution stops working, and that sort of thing is what that translator's using.

My Latin's too weak to give a straight answer to your question, but I'm reasonably sure "could be" would come out as a single word, and probably not in the first person singular like I think it was in the autotranslation.

[lunatica]

8. ut quod could exsisto is what I got from this online translator

http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate

[Posteritatis]

10. And this is why online translators are, without exception, crap

If you'd asked it to translate "that which sfjkshldfjk be" it would've given you "ut quod sfjkshldfjk existo."

[lunatica]

27. online translators can be quite funny too

Al Gore translates as the bloody

interesting in a kind of ironic way, no?

[Cerridwen]

11. Yeah, me, too.

That "could" in there is interesting.

:D

[crispini]

14. Status ante?

Ante = after? (I'm just guessing here)

[NoPasaran]

20. "Ante" is before

So "Status quo ante" refers to a state which existed prior to some given action.

[AngryAmish]

16. Cathargo delenda est

[Cerridwen]

17. LOL

Thanks. That's one thought.

:rofl:

[Solly Mack]

18. quod futurus?

and can be?

[Cerridwen]

22. Nice.

That's the gist of it.

I so hate being handicapped by my English-mostly-only background. :(

[NoPasaran]

19. How about "A posse ad esse"

From possibility to actuality.

[Cerridwen]

23. I like that thought, too.

Thank you.

:hi:

[Contrary1]

21. How about this?

That which is possible: ut quod est possibilis or status quo possibilis ???

Hey, if it wasn't part of the old time Catholic prayer book, I probably never heard it. :)

[Cerridwen]

24. :D

Are you telling me if I'd read more Catholic prayer books my Latin would be better? LOL

I read my uncle's books for Catechism and I remember them being strictly English. :D

[pinto]

25. This might work -

status quo (esset) futuri

that which (might be) in the future

though as in 'status quo', leaving out the verb might get to it -

status quo futuri

:shrug:

[Cerridwen]

26. Thank you.

That "works" for me also.

I appreciate it.

:D