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I know that "nanos gigantium humeris insidentes" is "dwarves on the shoulders of giants".

But what is the properly written way of saying either "on the shoulders of giants" and/or "standing on the shoulders of giants"?

I don't trust google translate and I am doubting myself.

How would you literally translate [Super] "in humeris gigantium stamus"?

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  • Welcome to the site, Shannon! This is a good question, but it turns out that it has been asked before. I therefore marked it as duplicate so as to make the other question easier to find and have all the answers focused in one place. If the linked question doesn't answer your question satisfactorily, can you elaborate how yours is different from the other one? If you edit the question, it can be reopened, but there is nothing wrong with leaving the question as is (and as a duplicate).
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Jul 13, 2018 at 8:35

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If you are simply talking about the act of standing on the shoulders of giants, the following phrase with an infinitive and super with the accusative of place should work just fine:

stāre super [h]umerōs gigantium

to stand / [the act of] standing upon the shoulders of giants

If you are talking about a person or thing standing on the shoulders of giants, you should opt for a participle instead (again using super with the accusative of place). For the sake of simplicity, I will assume that the person or thing is simply a vir, virī, m., but you can obviously use whatever suits you:

vir stāns super [h]umerōs gigantium

a man standing upon the shoulders of giants

The case and number of vir and stans should be modified accordingly based on their function in the context(s) in which they are used.

Note that the noun humerus, humerī, m. is simply an alternate spelling of umerus, umerī, m., hence my annotations.

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    You should consider writing an answer under the linked question. This seems to be a duplicate of an earlier question, and it's best to have all the answers to the same question in the same place.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Jul 13, 2018 at 8:36

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