Breakdown of Larva prope siparium iacet.
prope
near
iacere
to lie
siparium
the stage curtain
larva
the theatrical mask
Questions & Answers about Larva prope siparium iacet.
Why is siparium in the accusative case?
Because prope is acting as a preposition here, and as a preposition it takes the accusative.
So:
- prope = near
- siparium = curtain
- prope siparium = near the curtain
Even though English uses near without changing the noun, Latin shows the relationship by putting siparium into the accusative form.
What form is iacet?
Iacet is:
- 3rd person singular
- present tense
- active voice
- indicative mood
It comes from iaceō, iacēre, meaning to lie, to be lying, or to lie somewhere.
So iacet means:
- he/she/it lies
- he/she/it is lying
In this sentence, it agrees with larva, which is singular, so iacet means the larva lies / is lying.
Why isn’t there a word for the or a in the sentence?