Rex vatem laudat.

to praise

Breakdown of Rex vatem laudat.

• rex: the king
• vates: the poet; bard

Questions & Answers about Rex vatem laudat.

What do the individual words mean?

• rex = king
• vatem = prophet, seer, or poet depending on context
• laudat = praises or is praising

So the sentence means The king praises the prophet/poet.

How do we know rex is the subject?

We know rex is the subject because it is in the nominative case, the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

The form rex is the nominative singular of rex, regis (king).

So rex = the king as the one doing the action.

How do we know vatem is the direct object?

We know vatem is the direct object because it is in the accusative case, which is commonly used for the direct object in Latin.

The verb laudat means praises, so someone is doing the praising and someone is receiving it:

• rex = the one praising
• vatem = the one being praised

So vatem is the direct object: the prophet/poet.