Alteri stipulari nemo potest
“No one can stipulate for another.”
Roman law
What does “Alteri stipulari nemo potest” mean?
Alteri stipulari nemo potest translates as “No one can stipulate for another.”
In Roman law you could not make a binding promise in favor of a third person. Modern law has largely relaxed this rule, which makes the maxim a classic starting point for discussing third-party contracts.
“Alteri stipulari nemo potest” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Alteri | to another person | dative singular (masculine or feminine) of alter, “the other, another”; here the person who would benefit from the promise |
| stipulari | to stipulate | present infinitive of stipulor, “I demand a formal promise” (a deponent verb: passive form, active meaning) |
| nemo | no one | nominative singular of nemo, “nobody”; the subject of the sentence |
| potest | is able, can | third person singular, present indicative active, of possum, “I am able, I can” |
How to pronounce “Alteri stipulari nemo potest”
The two systems differ only in the i of stipulari (short i versus a clear ee) and in how the vowels are coloured. Stress alteri on the first syllable, stipulari on the third (-LAH-), nemo on the first and potest on the second.
The story behind it
Literally the line says “to another, to stipulate, no one can”. A stipulatio was the Roman formal contract made by question and answer: one party asked, “Do you promise?”, and the other replied, “I promise”. The person who asked was the stipulator.
The rule belongs to Roman contract law and is recorded in Justinian’s Digest and Institutes, the sixth-century compilation of Roman legal writing. In the classical law a stipulation was understood to bind only the two parties who spoke the words, so a promise made in favour of an outsider generally had no effect.
Civil-law and common-law systems later developed exceptions and then fuller doctrines of third-party rights. Today the maxim is mostly a teaching tool, quoted to introduce the old rule before showing how modern law has relaxed it.
How to use “Alteri stipulari nemo potest”
Best as a heading or epigraph for a lecture, essay or exam answer on privity of contract and third-party beneficiaries. It is a specialist legal maxim, so it suits a law-school or legal-history setting more than a general motto or tattoo.
- Latin
- Alteri stipulari nemo potest
- English
- No one can stipulate for another.
- Source
- Roman law
- Era
- Legal Latin
- Theme
- Law
Common mistakes
- It is about contracts, not about speaking for someone in general. “Stipulari” means to take a formal promise, not simply to state or stipulate in the loose modern English sense.
- Alteri is a dative (“to or for another”). Changing it to alterum or alter changes the grammar and the meaning.
- The rule is not a current law in most places. Modern systems allow third-party beneficiaries in many situations, so do not quote it as today’s rule without saying so.
- The English verb “stipulate” comes from the same Latin word, but its everyday meaning (“to specify as a condition”) is narrower than the Roman procedure.
Questions about “Alteri stipulari nemo potest”
What does “Alteri stipulari nemo potest” mean literally?
“No one can stipulate for another.” A stipulation was a formal Roman promise, so the line says you could not take a binding promise in favour of someone else.
Where does “Alteri stipulari nemo potest” come from?
It is a rule of Roman contract law recorded in Justinian’s Digest and Institutes. It is a legal maxim rather than a line from a literary author.
Is “Alteri stipulari nemo potest” still the law?
Not in its strict form. Many modern legal systems allow third-party beneficiaries, so the maxim is mainly used to explain the historical starting point.
How do you pronounce “Alteri stipulari nemo potest”?
In Classical Latin: AL-teh-ree stih-poo-LAH-ree NEH-moh POH-test. Church Latin changes only the i of stipulari to a clearer ee.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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