In insula magna silva est, et multi senes ibi habitant.

to be

Breakdown of In insula magna silva est, et multi senes ibi habitant.

• habitare: to live
• magnus: large
• et: and
• multus: many
• insula: the island
• silva: the forest
• senex: the old man
• ibi: there

Questions & Answers about In insula magna silva est, et multi senes ibi habitant.

Why is insula magna in the ablative case here?

Because the preposition in used with a stationary location normally takes the ablative case in Latin. So in insula magna means on the large island where nothing is moving into or out of the island but rather locating something on it.

What is the subject of the verb est in the first clause?

The subject is silva (forest). In the phrase in insula magna silva est, the forest is what is said to exist (or "be") on the large island.

Why is magna also in the ablative case?

Since magna is an adjective modifying insula, it must match insula in case, number, and gender. Because insula is ablative singular feminine (due to in + ablative), magna also appears as ablative singular feminine.

What does ibi mean and why is it used?

Ibi means there in Latin. It is used here to specify where the many old men (multi senes) are living. Thus ibi points back to the same location mentioned earlier (the island).

Why is multi senes in the nominative plural?

They are the subject of the verb habitant (they live). In Latin, subjects typically show up in the nominative case, and since there are many old men, it is nominative plural (masculine).

Could senes be any other case than nominative here?

No, because senes is clearly the subject of habitant. To match the finite verb in person and number, senes must be nominative plural. If it were serving any other function (like an object of a preposition), it would appear in another case.