Equus etiam agricolae utilis est in agris.

to be

Breakdown of Equus etiam agricolae utilis est in agris.

• in: in
• equus: the horse
• utilis: useful
• etiam: also
• agricola: the farmer
• ager: the field

Questions & Answers about Equus etiam agricolae utilis est in agris.

Why is agricolae used here instead of agricola?

Agricolae is in the dative singular, indicating that the horse is useful to the farmer. If we wanted to say "the farmer" as a subject, we would use the nominative form agricola.

What role does etiam play in the sentence?

Etiam means "also" or "even." It emphasizes that the horse is also useful to the farmer, in addition to any other benefits the horse might have.

Why does utilis come before est?

Latin word order is flexible. Utilis est means "is useful," and placing utilis before est can add emphasis on the adjective "useful." In classical Latin, we often see the verb at the end of the clause.

How do we know that in agris means "in the fields" and not something else?

The preposition in can take either the ablative or the accusative. Here it is with the ablative agris, which means in or on the fields. If it were accusative (in agros), it would mean into the fields.

Does equus have any special connotations here?

Not specifically. Equus simply means "horse," and it is the subject of the sentence. It emphasizes that the horse is a useful animal for the farmer’s work in the fields.