Nauta aquam bibit et cibum amat.

(The sailor drinks water and loves the food.)

Breakdown of Nauta aquam bibit et cibum amat.

• et: and
• bibere: to drink
• aqua: the water
• nauta: the sailor
• cibus: the food
• amare: to love

Questions & Answers about Nauta aquam bibit et cibum amat.

Why does nauta end in -a but refer to a male sailor?

In Latin, many nouns that end in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. Nauta belongs to a group of first-declension nouns that are masculine by meaning. Other examples include poēta (poet) and agricola (farmer).

How do I identify the direct object in this sentence?

In Latin, the direct object usually appears in the accusative case. Here, aquam (water) and cibum (food) are both in the accusative singular, indicating they are direct objects of the verbs bibit and amat, respectively.

Why does bibit end in -it and amat end in -at?

These are both present tense, third-person singular forms of their verbs. Bibit (he/she/it drinks) comes from the verb bibere (to drink), and amat (he/she/it loves) comes from the verb amāre (to love). The different endings reflect their respective conjugation groups and standard third-person singular forms.

What role does et play here?

Et is a coordinating conjunction in Latin and means and. It connects the two clauses so the sentence reads as a single statement: The sailor drinks water AND loves food.

Do I need to worry about word order in this sentence?

Latin word order is more flexible than English because meaning is largely determined by word endings (cases and verb conjugations). The standard order is often Subject–Object–Verb (SOV), but variations are common. Here, nauta (subject) + aquam (object) + bibit (verb), then cibum (object) + amat (verb) is perfectly acceptable.

Is aquam and cibum singular or plural?

Both are in the accusative singular form. Aquam is the singular accusative of aqua (meaning water), and cibum is the singular accusative of cibus (meaning food).