Breakdown of Nuntius prope ignem sedet et “Possumus multum laborare!” clamat.
laborare
to work
et
and
multum
a lot
sedere
to sit
Questions & Answers about Nuntius prope ignem sedet et “Possumus multum laborare!” clamat.
What case is nuntius, and why is it in that case?
Nuntius is nominative singular. It is the subject of the sentence: the messenger is the one who sits and shouts. In Latin, the subject of a finite verb is normally in the nominative case.
Why is it ignem after prope, not ignis?
Because prope is being used as a preposition here, and as a preposition it takes the accusative case. The noun ignis means fire in the dictionary form, but its accusative singular is ignem. So prope ignem means near the fire.
Is prope always a preposition?
Not always. Prope can be:
- a preposition, meaning near, with the accusative
- an adverb, meaning near or nearly
In this sentence, it is clearly a preposition because it is followed by ignem.
Why are there two verbs, sedet and clamat, with only one stated subject?
Latin does not need to repeat the subject if it is still the same. Here nuntius is the subject for both sedet and clamat. English often works the same way: The messenger sits and shouts.