Pater Noster: Lord's Prayer in Latin

The Pater Noster is the Lord's Prayer in Latin — the form prayed and sung in the Western Church for centuries. Below you'll find the full Latin, a guide to saying it the way it's chanted, and a clear English meaning line by line, with a note on the one word that often surprises people.

Working with a passage of your own? Latin translator translates Latin both ways.

Prayer in Latin

Matthew 6:9b-13; traditional Latin prayer

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.

Transliteration

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.

How to say it

PAH-ter NOS-ter, kwee ess in CHEH-lees. sahnk-tee-fee-CHEH-toor NO-men TOO-oom. ahd-VEH-nee-aht RENG-noom TOO-oom. FY-aht vo-LOON-tahs TOO-ah. PAH-nem NOS-troom kwoh-tee-dee-AH-noom dah NO-bees HO-dee-eh.

What it means in English

Our Father, who are in the heavens; may your name be sanctified. May your kingdom come. May your will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but free us from evil. Amen.

The familiar wording (Traditional public-domain English form):

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Other wordings you may see

Clementine Vulgate Matthew 6:11

Panem nostrum supersubstantialem da nobis hodie.

Matthew's Vulgate line uses supersubstantialem, 'supersubstantial' or 'above-the-substance.' The common Latin prayer uses quotidianum, 'daily,' under the influence of Luke 11:3 and liturgical tradition.

A few things worth knowing

  • The common Pater Noster uses panem nostrum quotidianum, 'our daily bread.' In the Clementine Vulgate's Matthew text, the word is supersubstantialem.
  • The Latin prayer does not include the doxology 'For thine is the kingdom...' in the main Roman form shown here.
  • Caelis is often printed coelis or caelis depending on typographic convention; this page uses the standard ae spelling.

Pater Noster meaning

Pater noster means 'our Father.' The prayer is the traditional Latin form of the Lord's Prayer, rooted in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 and used widely in Western Christian liturgy, music, and private devotion.

Daily or supersubstantial bread

The biggest Latin wording surprise is bread. Readers often expect quotidianum because that is the familiar prayer text. Matthew's Vulgate, however, famously has supersubstantialem, a literal Latin rendering of Greek epiousion that became important in theological discussion.

Where this text comes from

We use Traditional Latin Pater Noster; biblical base in the Clementine Vulgate, Matthew 6:9b-13 and Luke 11:3, a public-domain edition, so the wording here is stable and free to read, copy, and share. You can check the source for yourself.

More prayers and verses in their original languages

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Pater Noster mean?
Pater Noster means 'Our Father' in Latin. It is the opening phrase of the Lord's Prayer.
How do you say 'daily bread' in the Latin Lord's Prayer?
The traditional prayer says panem nostrum quotidianum, 'our daily bread.' The Clementine Vulgate's Matthew text says panem nostrum supersubstantialem.
Does the Latin Lord's Prayer include 'For thine is the kingdom'?
Not in the common Roman Latin form shown here. That doxology is familiar from the KJV and Byzantine Greek tradition, but it is not part of the main Clementine Vulgate Matthew text.