Vos in urbe manetis et senes spectatis.

(You [plural] remain in the city and watch the old men.)

Breakdown of Vos in urbe manetis et senes spectatis.

• in: in
• et: and
• urbs: the city
• senex: the old man
• manere: to remain
• vos: you
• spectare: to watch

Questions & Answers about Vos in urbe manetis et senes spectatis.

Why do we use vos instead of tu?

In Latin, tu is the singular second-person pronoun, while vos is the plural second-person pronoun. Since the sentence Vos in urbe manetis et senes spectatis refers to more than one person, vos is used to address everyone collectively.

How do we know that manetis means “you (plural) stay” or “remain”?

Latin verbs change their endings to show person and number. -tis at the end of a verb typically indicates second-person plural. Manetis comes from the verb manēre (“to stay” or “to remain”) and the -tis ending means “you (all) stay” or “you (all) remain.”

Why is senes in the accusative case here?

The word senes (“old men”) can be either nominative or accusative in the plural because it has the same form for both cases. In this sentence, the subject is already clear (vos), and senes is the direct object of spectatis (“you watch”). That means senes is functioning in the accusative case even though it looks the same as the nominative plural.

What’s the difference between spectatis and videtis?

Both spectatis and videtis involve seeing, but with a slightly different focus. Spectatis (“you watch”) implies actively looking at or observing someone or something, while videtis (“you see”) is more general and can mean simply perceiving with the eyes. In the sentence, spectatis suggests the action of watching the old men intentionally.

What role does et play in this sentence?

In Latin, et is a coordinating conjunction meaning “and.” Here it connects two actions: manetis (“remain”) and spectatis (“watch”). So the sentence Vos in urbe manetis et senes spectatis translates as “You (plural) remain in the city and watch the old men.”