Catholic

The Our Father in Latin: Pater Noster Word by Word

A phrase-by-phrase analysis of the Pater Noster — Latin, English, Greek original, and theological depth — with a pronunciation guide and practice method.

The Our Father in Latin

Pater Noster

Learn to understand, pronounce, memorize, and finally pray the Our Father in Latin.

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The Prayer Jesus Taught, in the Language of the Church

When Jesus gave His disciples the prayer we now call the Our Father, He spoke in Aramaic. The Greek text of Matthew 6:9-13 became the basis for theological reflection in the early Church. Jerome's Latin Vulgate (c. 405 AD) fixed the form that the Western Church would pray for over fifteen centuries — and still prays today in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

To pray the Pater Noster in Latin is to enter a stream of unbroken worship stretching from the Roman catacombs to the present day. Its power multiplies when you understand what each phrase is actually saying — in Latin, in Greek, and in theological depth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes its longest single section (CCC 2759–2865) to this prayer, calling it, after Tertullian's De Oratione (c. 200 AD), "the summary of the whole Gospel."

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

The Shape of the Prayer

Address

Pater noster

qui es in caelis

God's Glory and Will

sanctificetur nomen tuum

Adveniat regnum tuum

Fiat voluntas tua

sicut in caelo et in terra

Our Needs and Mercy

Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie

et dimitte nobis debita nostra

sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris

Temptation and Deliverance

Et ne nos inducas in tentationem

sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Phrase by Phrase

Latin	English	Greek Original	Theological Note
Pater noster	Our Father	Πάτερ ἡμῶν (Pater hēmōn)	Pater (Father) — the revolutionary address Jesus taught. To speak to the God of Israel as Abba was audacious intimacy. Noster (our) — never "my Father." Prayer is communal by nature.
qui es in caelis	who art in heaven	ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς	Caelis is plural in Latin, as is the Greek ouranois — "the heavens," evoking cosmic transcendence. God is Father, yet infinite.
sanctificetur nomen tuum	hallowed be thy name	ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου	Sanctificetur — passive subjunctive: "may your name be made holy." We are petitioning God to act, while also declaring our own intention to honor His name in our lives.
Adveniat regnum tuum	thy kingdom come	ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου	Adveniat — "let it come." CCC 2816 notes this petition covers both the final coming of Christ and the present growth of God's reign in our hearts.
Fiat voluntas tua	thy will be done	γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου	Fiat — "let it be." The same word Mary spoke at the Annunciation (Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, Luke 1:38). This is the hinge of the prayer: surrender to divine will.
sicut in caelo et in terra	on earth as it is in heaven	ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς	Sicut — "just as." The petition imagines earth transformed to mirror the perfect worship of heaven.
Panem nostrum quotidianum	our daily bread	τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον	Quotidianum = daily. The Greek epiousios is nearly unique in ancient Greek literature — it may mean "supersubstantial" or "for the coming day." Jerome translated it differently in Luke (cotidianum) and Matthew (supersubstantialem), leaving open the Eucharistic depth.
da nobis hodie	give us this day	δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον	Hodie — today. The prayer is deliberately rooted in the present moment, not in anxiety about tomorrow.
et dimitte nobis debita nostra	and forgive us our trespasses	καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν	Debita = debts (literally). The Greek opheilēmata also means debts. Luke's version uses hamartias (sins). Both images capture real moral obligation before God.
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris	as we forgive those who trespass against us	ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν	The most alarming phrase in the prayer: our forgiveness of others conditions our request. Augustine called this the most terrifying line a Christian ever prays.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem	and lead us not into temptation	καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν	The 2018 updated French translation (ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation — "do not let us enter into temptation") clarifies that God does not cause temptation (James 1:13) but rather protects us from being overcome by it.
sed libera nos a malo	but deliver us from evil	ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ	A malo — from evil. The Greek tou ponērou is genitive and may be masculine (from the Evil One) or neuter (from evil itself). Most Fathers read it as personal — a petition against Satan directly.

Why the Latin Still Matters

The USCCB notes that the Latin text remains normative for the Roman Rite (USCCB). Praying in Latin is not archaeology — it is participation in the universal prayer of the Church across time and geography. When you pray Pater noster in Rome, in Lagos, or in Manila, you are praying with one voice.

Helper

Pronunciation Guide (Ecclesiastical Latin)

Latin Phrase	Pronunciation	Key Rule
Pater noster	PAH-tehr NOH-stehr	a = broad "ah"
sanctificetur	sahn-ktee-fee-CHEH-toor	c before e/i = "ch"
quotidianum	kwoh-tee-dee-AH-noom	qu = "kw"
dimittimus	dee-MEET-tee-moos	double consonants held slightly
tentationem	ten-tah-tsee-OH-nem	ti before vowel = "tsee"

The Agnioz Pater Noster Memory Method

This method moves through nine steps, from first understanding a phrase to finally praying it without needing the page at all:

Understand — Know what the phrase means.
Hear — Listen carefully to correct pronunciation.
Speak — Say the phrase aloud.
Hide — Remove the text.
Retrieve — Say or type it from memory.
Correct — Immediately fix errors.
Connect — Attach the phrase to everything learned before it.
Review — Return later and retrieve it again.
Pray — When the words become easier to recall, direct your attention away from memorization and toward God.

An interactive version of this method — with a guided pronunciation video, phrase-by-phrase practice, and a distraction-free Prayer Mode — is available below.

Latin is a treasured language of the Roman Church, but the purpose of this exercise is to help the faithful pray with understanding and attention — not to suggest that Latin prayer is somehow superior, or that the Our Father must be prayed in Latin.

Watch & Listen

A guided pronunciation tutorial for the Pater Noster, for reference alongside the lessons above.