Mox puer fortis erit, et miles erit.

to be

Breakdown of Mox puer fortis erit, et miles erit.

• puer: the boy
• et: and
• mox: soon

Questions & Answers about Mox puer fortis erit, et miles erit.

What does mox do in this sentence?

Mox is an adverb meaning soon. It tells you when the statement is true. Since it is an adverb, it does not change its form.

Why is erit used here instead of est?

Erit is the future tense of esse (to be), in the third person singular: he/she/it will be.

So:

• est = is
• erit = will be

Because the sentence is talking about what the boy will be, Latin uses erit.

Why is erit repeated after miles? Could Latin leave it out?

Yes, Latin could leave it out. A sentence like Mox puer fortis erit, et miles could still be understood as Soon the boy will be brave, and a soldier.

But repeating erit is perfectly normal and often clearer. It gives the sentence a balanced structure:

• puer fortis erit
• et miles erit

So the repetition is not wrong or strange; it is just explicit and neat.

Why is the word order puer fortis and not fortis puer?