Latin translation?

Question

I need to have the phrase "one must die" translated into Latin.
I have a tattoo which says "one must live" (Oportet Vivere) and I want one on the other side of my back to match it. Any help woudl be super appreciated.

Answer 1

"MEMENTO MORI" ( be mindful of dying)
It's not exactly the translation but it fits the meaning.
In fact the wider translation is "Don't forget that one day you must die". The legend says that "Memento mori" had been whispered into the ear of a Roman general during a triumphal parade.
As alternative you may switch the existing phrase into
"OPORTET MORI" as opposition to "OPORTET VIVERE"

Answer 2

Follow the link below to see the dictionary entry

Oportet mori would be fine, and it would coincide with your previous tattoo.

oportet is used to convey a necessity of reason or duty
and necesse est (from where we get necessary) is used to convey a compulsion.

Cicero In the Prosecution Against Verres:

qvi ut primvm in illvd oppidvm venit, statim, tamquam ita fieri non solvm OPORTET sed etiam NECESSE esset.

"Who, when he first came into that city, steadily, as in such a way that it was not only licensed (OK) but also a required thing to be done"

(Cicero speaking of the manner in which this man entered the city for the purpose of tearing down the city's prized monument)

oportet is more of a lessened form of necesse est

mori opus est (one needs to die)
debet mori (One ought to die, one is indebted to die, one owes to die, one must pay his dues and die)

You can use other words to mean "to die"
interere-to die, to perish, to go to ruin (more of an image of breaking apart, scattered, and lost, more of an obliterated death)

abire-to die, to go away (the polite form as we use "pass away")

defvngi-to die, to decease, to depart (we get the word defunct from this)

abolescere-to snuff out, decay, die, die out

decidere-to fall, to die (non virtute hostium sed amicorvm perfidiā decidi, "not by the virtue of enemies but by the treachery of friends have I died"), this word is used most frequently with those slain in battle

oportet vivire moriendvm est, would make a distinction between the two verbs. It would have the essential meaning of "one who strives to live eventually dies." or "one ought to live, but must die" oportet is much weaker than the necessity shown by the passive paraphrastic construction moriendvm est (yes Latin has crazy names for its grammar just to make it more complicated). If you want to make them equal I would repeat oportet. If you had the philosophical edge in mind, go with moriendvm est.

bibamvs, moriendvm est "Let us drink, for it is inevitable that we die" Seneca i.e. drink now die later
sort of a variation of carpe diem but better because there is drinking.

You may want to get a second opinion from the Latin forum at textkit.com. You can get a version in Ancient Greek while you are at it.

Bona fortuna

Answer 3

moriendum est

Literally means "There must be a dying," i.e. "one must die."

Oportet really means "It is right, it is proper, it is good" and does not really convey necessity, however if you wanted to maintain symmetry you would have "Oportet Mori," meaning "It is proper to die." That just sounds suicidal, though.

That is a problem with getting tattoos in a language you don't understand just because they look "exotic."

Answer 4

This topic is worth more attention

Answer 5

babelfish.altavista.com

freetranslation.com