Filius in horto saepe ludit.

The son often plays in the garden.

Breakdown of Filius in horto saepe ludit.

• in: in
• hortus: the garden
• filius: the son
• ludere: to play
• saepe: often

Questions & Answers about Filius in horto saepe ludit.

Why is filius in the nominative case?

Since filius is the subject of the sentence, it must be in the nominative case. In Latin, the subject usually appears in the nominative, and filius follows the second declension pattern.

Why does it say in horto and not something like in hortum?

Latin uses in + ablative (here in horto) to show location or place where something is happening. In + accusative (like in hortum) indicates motion towards a place. Since the sentence implies that the son is already in the garden playing, the ablative is used.

What part of speech is saepe, and what does it modify?

Saepe is an adverb meaning "often." It modifies the verb ludit, indicating how frequently the son plays.

Why is there no article like "the" before filius or horto?

Classical Latin does not use articles the way English does. It simply uses case endings to show a word’s function in a sentence, so words like "the" or "a" don’t appear in Latin.

Is there anything special about the word order in Filius in horto saepe ludit?

Latin word order is more flexible than English. Here, Filius is placed first to emphasize the subject. In horto stresses location before the adverb saepe, and finally ludit is placed at the end to wrap up the action. However, saepe could also appear in different positions without changing the basic meaning.