Breakdown of Servus in cubiculo infero dormit.
in
in
dormire
to sleep
cubiculum
the bedroom
servus
the servant
Questions & Answers about Servus in cubiculo infero dormit.
What are the main parts of Servus in cubiculo infero dormit?
The sentence breaks down like this:
- servus = the subject, slave
- in cubiculo infero = a prepositional phrase, in the lower room/bedroom
- dormit = the verb, sleeps
So the basic structure is:
subject + place + verb
Latin often puts the verb at the end, so this word order is very normal.
How do I know servus is the subject?
Servus is in the nominative singular, which is the case usually used for the subject of the sentence.
Also, the verb dormit is third person singular = he/she/it sleeps, so it matches a singular subject like servus.
So servus is naturally understood as the slave or a slave doing the action.
Why is cubiculo not cubiculum?
Because after in meaning in for location, Latin normally uses the ablative case.
The noun is:
- dictionary form: cubiculum = room, bedroom
- ablative singular: cubiculo
So:
- in cubiculo = in the room
- but cubiculum by itself would not fit here after in for location
Why does take the ablative here?