Ora pro nobis

Pray for Us

Level 1

A short request, said to Mary and the saints.

How It Works

LatinEnglish
Sancta Maria, mater Dei,Holy Mary, mother of God,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus.pray for us sinners.
Sancte Francisce, ora pro nobis.Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sancta Clara, ora pro nobis.Saint Clare, pray for us.

Ora is the singular command. Said to several saints, a litany uses the plural orate.

Pro takes the ablative, so nobis is the ablative here. In Latin the same form nobis also means to us.

The names in front change their endings when they are called: Franciscus becomes Francisce. A woman's name in -a, like Clara, stays the same.

Examples (5)

  1. Ora pro nobis.

    Pray for us.

    Ora is the command and pro nobis means for us.

  2. Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.

    Holy Mary, pray for us.

    Sancta Maria is the person who is called. Ora pro nobis is the request.

  3. Sancte Francisce, ora pro nobis.

    Saint Francis, pray for us.

    Francisce is the form for calling Franciscus.

  4. Sancta Clara, ora pro nobis.

    Saint Clare, pray for us.

    Clara ends in -a and does not change when she is called.

  5. Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus.

    Mother of God, pray for us sinners.

    Peccatoribus agrees with nobis and is ablative plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out pro and putting the people in the accusative.

    Ora nos.
    Ora pro nobis.

    Ora nos is correct Latin, but it means beg us. To pray for someone, Latin needs pro with the ablative.

How It Connects

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

Ora pro nobisLevel 1Pray for Us

Learn This First

The litany line is prayed in Church Latin, so the Church sounds come first.

Words in This Pattern

oroproego