Magistra multum laborat in urbe.

The teacher works a lot in the city.

Breakdown of Magistra multum laborat in urbe.

• laborare: to work
• in: in
• multum: a lot
• urbs: the city
• magistera: the teacher

Questions & Answers about Magistra multum laborat in urbe.

Why is Magistra in the nominative case?

Magistra is the subject of the sentence, so Latin puts it in the nominative case. In this sentence, the teacher (magistra) is the one performing the action — working (laborat).

What does multum modify or refer to here?

Multum is an adverbial accusative indicating the extent or amount of the action. It expresses “a lot” or “much.” Instead of agreeing with a noun, it qualifies the verb laborat, describing how much the teacher works.

Why does laborat end with -t?

Latin verbs change their endings to show person and number. Laborat ends with -t because it is a third-person singular form in the present tense, meaning “he/she/it works.”

Why is the preposition in followed by urbe in the ablative case?

When in indicates location (“in” or “within”), the object of in goes in the ablative case. Urbe is the ablative singular form of urbs (city), so in urbe means “in the city.”

Does Latin’s word order matter here (subject + adverb + verb + prepositional phrase)?

Latin word order is relatively flexible because of its case system, but the usual tendency is to place the verb at the end. The sentence Magistra multum laborat in urbe is perfectly acceptable. You might also see variations, such as Multum magistra laborat in urbe, which would not change the overall meaning; it might only add different emphasis.

How do I know that magistra is feminine?

The ending -a in the nominative singular is typically feminine for first-declension nouns. Additionally, the meaning of magistra as “female teacher” confirms its feminine form.

What if I wanted to say “The teacher works a little in the city”?

You would replace multum with parum — another adverbial accusative. So the sentence would become Magistra parum laborat in urbe, where parum means “a little.”