Milites arcem defendunt.

The soldiers defend the citadel.

Breakdown of Milites arcem defendunt.

• miles: the soldier
• defendere: to defend
• arx: the citadel; summit

Questions & Answers about Milites arcem defendunt.

What does each word mean?

• milites = soldiers
• arcem = citadel, fortress, or stronghold
• defendunt = defend or are defending

So the sentence means The soldiers defend the citadel or The soldiers are defending the citadel.

How do we know milites is the subject?

Milites is in the nominative plural, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

Also, the verb defendunt ends in -unt, which means they. That matches a plural subject, so milites is the group doing the action.

Why is arcem spelled that way instead of arx?