Discipula bonum mercatorem amat.

The female student loves the good merchant.

Breakdown of Discipula bonum mercatorem amat.

• mercator: the merchant
• amare: to love
• discipula: the female student
• bonus: good

Questions & Answers about Discipula bonum mercatorem amat.

Why does "mercator" appear as "mercatorem"?

In Latin, the form "mercator" changes to "mercatorem" when it becomes the direct object of the sentence. This is because "mercator" is a third-declension noun, and its accusative singular form ends in "-em." Since it's being loved (i.e., it's the direct object) by "discipula," it must be in the accusative case.

Why is "bonum" used instead of "bonus" for "good merchant"?

While "bonus" is the nominative masculine singular form of the adjective "bonus, -a, -um," "bonum" is its accusative masculine singular form. Because "mercatorem" is in the accusative case (as the direct object), the adjective that modifies it must also be in the accusative case. Hence, "bonum" (masculine accusative singular) matches "mercatorem" in case, number, and gender.

Why is "discipula" in the nominative form?

"Discipula" is in the nominative case because she is the subject of the verb "amat" (loves). In Latin, the subject is ordinarily in the nominative case.

Is "discipula" specifically referring to a female student?

Yes. In Latin, "discipula" is the feminine form for a female student. The masculine form (for a male student) would be "discipulus."

How do we know that "mercatorem" is masculine?

"Mercator" is a third-declension noun that generally denotes a male person (a merchant). In dictionaries, you'll find it listed as "mercator, mercatoris (m.)," where "(m.)" indicates masculine. When adjectives like "bonum" match it in gender (as well as case and number), that helps confirm it's masculine.