Psilothrum prope dropacem est.

The depilatory ointment is near the depilatory plaster.

Breakdown of Psilothrum prope dropacem est.

• esse: to be
• prope: near
• psilothrum: the depilatory ointment
• dropax: the depilatory plaster

Questions & Answers about Psilothrum prope dropacem est.

How do I know psilothrum is the subject, since -um can also be an accusative ending?

That is a very reasonable question. In Latin, a neuter second-declension noun has the same form in the nominative singular and accusative singular: -um.

So psilothrum could be either in form, but its job in the sentence shows it is the subject. The clue is that dropacem is already tied to prope, and prope takes the accusative. That leaves psilothrum as the word functioning as the subject with est.

So:

• psilothrum = subject
• est = singular verb
• prope dropacem = prepositional phrase

Why is dropacem in the accusative instead of the nominative, even though the sentence uses est?

Because dropacem is not a predicate noun directly linked to est. It is the object of the preposition prope.

The preposition prope normally takes the accusative case, so we get dropacem.

This is an important point for learners: after est, not every noun has to be nominative. If a noun belongs to a preposition, it follows the case required by that preposition.

So here:

• prope = preposition
• dropacem = accusative singular after prope

What does prope mean here?