Imperator pacem multum amat, sed miles bellum non timet.

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Breakdown of Imperator pacem multum amat, sed miles bellum non timet.

• non: not
• sed: but
• amare: to love

Questions & Answers about Imperator pacem multum amat, sed miles bellum non timet.

Why are imperator and miles not ending in -m, while pacem and bellum are?

Because imperator and miles are the subjects of their clauses, so they are in the nominative case:

• imperator = the commander / general
• miles = the soldier

But pacem and bellum are the direct objects of the verbs, so they are in the accusative case:

• pacem = peace
• bellum = war

A very common Latin pattern is:

• nominative for the doer
• accusative for the thing affected by the action

So:

• Imperator pacem amat = the commander loves peace
• Miles bellum non timet = the soldier does not fear war

Why is pacem the form used here instead of pax?

Pax is the dictionary form or nominative singular of the noun, meaning peace. But in this sentence, peace is the thing being loved, so it must be in the accusative singular:

• pax = peace, as subject
• pacem = peace, as direct object

So Latin changes the noun ending to show its job in the sentence.