Volsella prope praesegmen in tonstrina est.

to be

Breakdown of Volsella prope praesegmen in tonstrina est.

• in: in
• prope: near
• tonstrina: the barber's shop

Questions & Answers about Volsella prope praesegmen in tonstrina est.

What is the subject of the sentence?

The subject is volsella.

You can tell because:

• it is in the nominative singular
• the verb is est, which is also singular
• so volsella ... est means the volsella is ...

For a learner, the important point is that Latin shows grammatical role mainly through case endings, not just word order.

Why is volsella singular when English might use a plural word like tweezers?

Because Latin and English do not always divide objects the same way.

In English, some tools are normally named with a plural form: scissors, tongs, tweezers.
In Latin, the corresponding noun can be singular. So volsella is grammatically singular, which is why the verb is est, not sunt.

So even if the English translation uses a plural-looking word, the Latin grammar here is singular.

What case is volsella?

It is nominative singular.

That is the normal case for the subject of a sentence.
Volsella is a first-declension feminine noun, so its nominative singular form ends in -a.

What does prope do here?