Domine, non sum dignus

Lord, I Am Not Worthy

Level 1

The prayer before communion, learned whole.

How It Works

LatinEnglish
Domine, non sum dignusLord, I am not worthy
ut intres sub tectum meum,that you should enter under my roof,
sed tantum dic verbo,but only say the word,
et sanabitur anima mea.and my soul will be healed.

The words come from the Roman centurion in the Gospel of Matthew, who says sed tantum dic verbo et sanabitur puer meus, my servant will be healed. The Mass changes puer meus to anima mea.

Dignus sounds like DEEN-yoos in Church Latin and DEENG-noos in classical Latin, because gn sounds like ny in one and like ng-n in the other. Sanabitur is sah-NAH-bee-toor in Church Latin.

Non sum is made of two words you know, non and sum. The subjunctive intres comes at Level 5.

Examples (5)

  1. Domine, non sum dignus.

    Lord, I am not worthy.

    Domine is the form for calling Dominus. Sum is I am. Dignus agrees with the speaker.

  2. Ut intres sub tectum meum.

    That you should enter under my roof.

    Intres is a special verb form that follows ut. Level 5 explains it. Sub tectum is under plus the accusative.

  3. Sed tantum dic verbo.

    But only say the word.

    Dic is a command: say. Verbo is ablative: with a word.

  4. Et sanabitur anima mea.

    And my soul will be healed.

    Sanabitur is a future passive. Anima mea is the subject.

  5. Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum.

    Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.

    The whole first half, learned as one line.

How It Connects

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

Domine, non sum dignusLevel 1Lord, I Am Not Worthy

Learn This First

The line says I am not worthy, so non comes first, and it is said with Church sounds.

Words in This Pattern

Dominusnonsumdignus