Nomen militis est Marcus, sed multi eum timidum vocant.

to be

Breakdown of Nomen militis est Marcus, sed multi eum timidum vocant.

• sed: but
• multus: many
• miles: the soldier
• nomen: the name
• Marcus: Marcus
• eum: him
• timidus: timid
• vocare: to call

Questions & Answers about Nomen militis est Marcus, sed multi eum timidum vocant.

Why is militis in the genitive case?

Because it modifies nomen. In Latin, "the name of the soldier" is expressed as nomen militis, with militis in the genitive to show possession or belonging.

Why is Marcus in the nominative case?

Because Marcus is the complement of nomen in Nomen militis est Marcus. In Latin, a predicate noun or adjective usually takes the nominative.

Why is timidum in the accusative instead of timidus?

Latin uses an accusative predicate when verbs like vocare ("to call") take an object. Here, timidum is a predicate adjective agreeing with eum in gender, number, and case.

What does eum refer to in the sentence?

It refers back to the soldier. Since the subject of vocant is multi, the third-person pronoun eum (rather than a reflexive pronoun) is used to point back to the soldier.

Why is the second clause structured as multi eum timidum vocant?

In Latin, the word order can vary, but it's common to place the subject (multi) first, then the object (eum), followed by the verb (vocant). The adjective timidum follows the direct object because it agrees with eum and describes what many people are calling him.