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I’m trying to find a translation for what would become something like a Friday patch. It’s a fun way to poke.

“We fixed it.”

“You’re welcome.”

From what I’ve found so far it would be something like:

“Emendavi”

“Nihil Est”

I don’t know how to conjugate the first word though so it makes sense.

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I would say a more appropriate word for repair in your context is reficio, rather than emendo. For what I can see in L&S, the latter seem to be used more abstractly, or for non-physical things. Conversely, reficio seem to refer to physical things, including examples like walls, gates, weapons, and so on. L&S also gives it the translation "repair", which emendo does not have. Another option could be resarcio, which is used with clothes, and can be translated as "to patch", which is perhaps more analog to what a software update is.

So, for reficio, the conjugation in your example would be refecimus. For resarcio, it would be resarsimus.

Finally, "You are welcome" is an expression, so translation is more complex. There is already a dedicated post on this site about it, suggesting there is not a native equivalent, but nihil est might be a decent modern compromise. Now, nihil est means "it is nothing". So in the context of a finished past action (it was fixed and the problem is no more, hopefully), it is better to use the perfect tense: Nihil fuit.

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  • This is awesome thank you! The thing I liked about emendavi is that it’s “to makes something better” and I think that’s what I was going for, not fix in the sense of repair, but like taking someone else’s product and fixing it, and making it better.
    – hungry
    Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 23:35
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There is one case where Cicero says "gaudeo" 'I am happy (to have helped).'

If that's OTT there are three milder terms for "Fine!"
licet, 'That's OK.'
placet, lit. 'It pleases.'(I think that's what Her Majesty says when she approves a law)
lubet, lit. 'I'm glad.' also libenter 'gladly' (used both colloquially (Plautus, Terence), and formally (Cicero)

[lucet, in an earlier post was apparently a misprint for lubet in the dictionary]

As they are impersonal verbs there is no need to alter the endings: suits all occasions.

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    Don't impersonal verbs still mark tense and aspect, just not person or number?
    – Draconis
    Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 16:09
  • Ah, yes; suits all occasions within the context of "a fun way to poke." English "you were welcome" subjunctive "may you be welcome" don't figure. BUT they are possible.
    – Hugh
    Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 19:34
  • Shouldn't this be a more appropriate answer for the linked post (about "you're welcome") rather than this one?
    – luchonacho
    Commented Sep 5, 2019 at 8:27

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