Gloria Patri

Glory Be

Level 1

A short prayer of praise, learned whole.

How It Works

LatinEnglish
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Sicut erat in principio,As it was in the beginning,
et nunc, et semper,and now, and always,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.and for ever and ever. Amen.

The last line sounds like seh-koo-LOH-room in Church Latin and sye-koo-LOH-room in classical Latin, because ae sounds like eh in one and like eye in the other.

This short prayer ends many psalms and follows each decade of the Rosary. Its last words, saecula saeculorum, mean the ages of ages. Level 5 explains that pattern.

The verb erat (was) is the past form of est, which you know already.

Examples (5)

  1. Gloria Patri.

    Glory to the Father.

    Patri means to the Father. It is the dative of pater.

  2. Et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.

    And to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

    Filio and Spiritui are also dative. Sancto agrees with Spiritui.

  3. Sicut erat in principio.

    As it was in the beginning.

    Erat means was. In principio is in plus the ablative, the pattern you know from in villa.

  4. Et nunc et semper.

    And now and always.

    Nunc means now and semper means always.

  5. Et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

    And for ever and ever. Amen.

    Literally into the ages of ages.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative for the one who receives the glory.

    Gloria Patrem.
    Gloria Patri.

    Patrem is the accusative, the form for the thing a verb acts on. The prayer gives glory to the Father, so it needs the dative Patri.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Gloria PatriLevel 1Glory Be

Learn This First

The Gloria Patri is chanted in Church Latin, so the Church sounds come first.

Words in This Pattern

gloriapaterfiliusspiritusSpiritus Sanctusin saecula saeculorum