--- title: "Licet Mihi in Elementary Latin" description: "Licet mihi means \"it is permitted for me\" in Latin, showing how permission is expressed with an impersonal verb and a dative pronoun." canonical: "https://fiveable.me/elementary-latin/key-terms/licet-mihi" type: "key-term" subject: "Elementary Latin" unit: "Unit 3" --- # Licet Mihi in Elementary Latin ## Definition Licet mihi means "it is permitted for me" or "I am allowed" in Elementary Latin. It shows permission with the impersonal verb licet and the dative pronoun mihi. ## What It Is Licet mihi is the Latin way to say "it is permitted for me" or "I am allowed." In Elementary Latin, you meet it as a fixed-looking phrase that teaches both vocabulary and grammar at once: licet is the verb for permission, and mihi is the dative form of ego, meaning "to me" or "for me." The phrase can feel backwards if you are thinking in English. English usually says "I am allowed to..." with the person as the subject, but Latin often uses an impersonal verb and puts the person in the dative case. So the real idea is not "I permit" but "it is permitted to me." That shift is one reason this phrase shows up in early Latin reading and grammar drills. Licet is irregular because it does not behave like a neat first, second, or third conjugation verb in the patterns you expect from regular present tense forms. In class, that means you cannot just guess its shape from the usual endings and move on. You have to recognize it as one of those verbs that needs memorizing as its own pattern, much like sum or eo later in the course. Mihi is doing important grammar work here. It is not the subject of the verb, and it is not the direct object. It is a dative of reference, the case Latin uses for the person who is affected by the permission. If you see licet with another pronoun, like tibi or ei, the meaning stays the same but the person who is allowed to do something changes. A simple example is licet mihi ire, which means "it is allowed for me to go" or "I may go." The infinitive after licet names the action that is permitted. That pattern makes the phrase useful when you are translating short Latin sentences, because you have to notice both the verb and the infinitive that completes the idea. This construction also shows why Latin grammar is so case-based. The meaning comes less from word order and more from the relationship between forms: licet + dative + infinitive. Once you know that structure, you can read permission expressions more quickly and stop trying to force them into an English subject-verb pattern. ## Why It Matters Licet mihi matters because it teaches one of the most common translation habits in Latin: the language often marks roles with case endings instead of word order. If you can spot the dative pronoun after licet, you immediately know who has permission, even if the sentence looks odd in English. It also gives you a clear example of an impersonal verb. Licet does not work like a normal verb where a named person is the subject doing the action. Instead, the sentence centers on whether something is permitted, and the person appears in the dative. That is a pattern you will keep seeing in other Latin constructions, so learning it here saves confusion later. For reading, this phrase helps you translate short statements of permission, ability, or allowance without overthinking them. In a classroom passage, a line like licet mihi dicere can appear in dialogue, moral discussion, or a simple narrative scene where a character asks or states permission. Recognizing the structure lets you move from word-for-word decoding to real meaning. It also connects directly to irregular verbs in the course. Elementary Latin does not just want you to memorize endings, it wants you to notice when a verb breaks the usual pattern and to read around that irregularity. Licet is one of the forms that trains that habit. ## Connections ### Licet Licet mihi depends on licet, the verb of permission. The phrase is easier to read when you treat licet as an impersonal verb, then identify the dative person that follows it. The rest of the sentence often includes an infinitive that tells you what action is allowed. ### Mihi Mihi is the dative pronoun meaning "to me" or "for me." In this phrase, it shows who is granted permission, not who performs the action itself. If you can spot mihi quickly, you can separate the person involved from the action in the infinitive. ### Impero Impero also deals with authority, but it means "I command" rather than "it is permitted." Comparing the two helps you see how Latin expresses different power relationships. Impero usually takes a dative indirect object too, so the grammar may look similar even when the meaning changes. ### [sum, esse, fui](/elementary-latin/key-terms/sum-esse-fui) Sum is another irregular verb you need to recognize by sight. It does not use the standard conjugation patterns, just like licet refuses to act like a regular textbook verb. Learning both together builds your ability to identify forms that must be memorized instead of guessed. ## On the AP Exam A quiz or translation question may give you licet mihi plus an infinitive and ask for the meaning in English. Your job is to notice that licet is not a normal personal verb and that mihi is dative, so the sense is "it is permitted for me." If the sentence changes the pronoun, you adjust the person who has permission, not the action. In a reading passage, you may also be asked to identify the grammar of mihi or explain why the sentence does not use a subject in the usual English way. A good answer points out the impersonal verb, the dative of reference, and the infinitive that completes the thought. That is exactly the kind of careful form spotting Latin exercises reward. ## Key Takeaways - Licet mihi means "it is permitted for me" or "I am allowed," not "I permit myself." - Licet is an impersonal verb, so the person allowed to do something is usually in the dative case. - Mihi tells you who receives the permission, while the infinitive after licet tells you what action is allowed. - This phrase is a good example of how Latin uses case endings and irregular verbs together to build meaning. - If you can recognize licet plus a dative pronoun, you can translate permission phrases much faster in short readings. ## FAQs ### What is licet mihi in Elementary Latin? Licet mihi means "it is permitted for me" or "I am allowed." It uses licet as an impersonal verb and mihi as a dative pronoun, so the sentence focuses on permission rather than a normal subject doing the action. ### Why is mihi in the dative case with licet mihi? Mihi is dative because Latin marks the person who has permission with the dative of reference. The verb licet does not take a normal subject the way English does, so the allowed person appears in the dative instead. ### How do you translate licet mihi ire? Licet mihi ire means "it is allowed for me to go" or more naturally "I may go." Licet shows permission, mihi tells you who has it, and ire is the action in the infinitive. ### Is licet mihi a regular Latin verb form? No, licet is irregular and does not fit neatly into the standard conjugation patterns you learn first. That is why it is usually taught alongside other irregular verbs, so you learn to recognize its form instead of expecting a regular ending. ## Related Study Guides - [3.5 Irregular verbs](/elementary-latin/unit-3/irregular-verbs/study-guide/h1ce1ec6KOy8jEWh) ## About This Document Canonical Fiveable pages are available as Markdown at the same path plus `.md`. - [llms.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms.txt): index of Fiveable's sections and URL patterns - [llms-full.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms-full.txt): complete subject and unit listing - [MCP server](https://fiveable.me/mcp): call Fiveable as tools instead of fetching pages (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp`) - [MCP server for AP teachers](https://fiveable.me/mcp/teachers): a teacher's classes, assignments and AP-rubric grading (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp/teacher`) ## Structured Data ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/elementary-latin/key-terms/licet-mihi#resource","name":"Licet Mihi in Elementary Latin","url":"https://fiveable.me/elementary-latin/key-terms/licet-mihi","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP® / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/elementary-latin/key-terms/licet-mihi#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-07-03T02:21:22.597Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"Elementary Latin Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/elementary-latin/key-terms"},"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://fiveable.me/editorial#content-team","name":"Fiveable Content Team","url":"https://fiveable.me/editorial","parentOrganization":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/#organization"},"member":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amanda DoAmaral","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/adoamaral"]},{"@type":"Person","name":"Becky Bahr","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-bahr-b52743132"]}]},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/elementary-latin/key-terms/licet-mihi#term","name":"licet mihi","description":"Licet mihi means \"it is permitted for me\" or \"I am allowed\" in Elementary Latin. 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