Magistra discipulae narrat: “Tempus est bonum.”

(The female teacher tells the female student: “Time is good.”)

Breakdown of Magistra discipulae narrat: “Tempus est bonum.”

• esse: to be
• tempus: the time
• magistra: the female teacher
• discipula: the female student
• narrare: to tell
• bonus: good

Questions & Answers about Magistra discipulae narrat: “Tempus est bonum.”

Why is "discipulae" in the dative case?

In Latin, indirect objects often appear in the dative case. Here, discipulae is dative because she is the recipient of the teacher’s words. The sentence essentially means “The teacher tells (something) to the student.”

What does "narrat" mean, and how is it different from other verbs like "dicit"?

Narrat generally means “tells” or “relates.” It can convey a sense of narrating or explaining in more detail, whereas dicit is more like “says” in a straightforward manner. Both can introduce direct speech, but narrat may imply a bit of storytelling or explanation.

How does "Magistra" function grammatically in the sentence?

Magistra is in the nominative case, functioning as the subject of the verb narrat. She’s the one performing the action of telling.

Why is "Tempus est bonum" expressed in this order rather than "Tempus bonum est"?

Latin word order is flexible. Tempus est bonum (Time is good) emphasizes that "time" is being defined as “good” by placing bonum after the verb. But Tempus bonum est would be acceptable too, just with a slightly different emphasis.

What are the gender and number of "tempus" and "bonum"?

In this phrase, tempus is a neuter singular noun (third declension). Bonum is a neuter singular adjective agreeing with tempus, so both share the same gender (neuter) and number (singular).