Insula magnum aedificium est.

to be

Breakdown of Insula magnum aedificium est.

• magnus: large
• insula: the apartment block
• aedificium: the building

Questions & Answers about Insula magnum aedificium est.

What case is insula, and what is it doing in the sentence?

Insula is nominative singular. Here it is the subject of the sentence: the thing being talked about.

It is also a first-declension noun, which is why its basic singular form ends in -a.

Why is it magnum and not magna?

Because magnum agrees with aedificium, not with insula.

In Latin, an adjective must match the noun it describes in:

• gender
• number
• case

Aedificium is neuter singular nominative, so the adjective must also be neuter singular nominative: magnum.

If the adjective were describing insula instead, it would be magna, because insula is feminine.

Is aedificium the direct object?