Breakdown of Discipulus cum amico ad insulam navigat.
amicus
the friend
discipulus
the student
cum
with
ad
to
insula
the island
navigare
to sail
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Questions & Answers about Discipulus cum amico ad insulam navigat.
Why is discipulus used in the nominative case?
Latin sentences typically place the subject in the nominative case. Discipulus is the subject of the verb navigat (“sails”), so it appears in the nominative singular form.
Why does amicus appear as amico instead of amicum?
When used with the preposition cum (“with”), the noun must be in the ablative case. Therefore, amicus (nominative) becomes amico (ablative) after cum, showing the meaning “with a friend.”
Why does the sentence say ad insulam rather than ad insula or ad insulae?
The preposition ad (“to” or “toward”) is always followed by an accusative noun. Insulam is the accusative singular form of insula.
Is it normal that cum amico comes before ad insulam, rather than after the verb?
Yes, Latin word order is more flexible than English because Latin relies on case endings. Cum amico can appear before or after navigat, and the meaning remains the same. Word order often emphasizes what the speaker or writer wants to highlight.
Why is the verb navigat in the third-person singular form?
The subject discipulus is a singular noun (one student), so the verb navigat matches it in person (third person) and number (singular). This is how agreement between subject and verb works in Latin.
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