Breakdown of Dea bellum non amat, imperator pacem amat, et nos omnes possumus dormire.
et
and
non
not
nos
we
amare
to love
imperator
the emperor
bellum
the war
pax
the peace
posse
to be able
dea
the goddess
dormire
to sleep
omnes
all
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Latin grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Dea bellum non amat, imperator pacem amat, et nos omnes possumus dormire.
Why is bellum in the accusative case?
Bellum (meaning war) is the direct object of the verb amat (she/he loves). In Latin, direct objects typically appear in the accusative case, so bellum becomes bellum rather than bellus or another form.
Why does non come between bellum and amat?
Latin word order is very flexible, but a common pattern is Subject–Object–Verb. Here, non (not) modifies amat (loves), so it’s placed directly before the verb to negate it. Translated loosely, it reads as The goddess does not love war.
Why is imperator in the nominative case?
Imperator (meaning commander or emperor) is the subject of the next clause. In Latin, subjects are in the nominative case, so imperator stands in contrast to dea, which is also nominative in the first clause.
Why is pacem in the accusative case?
Like bellum, pacem (peace) is the direct object of amat in the second clause, so it appears in the accusative case, reflecting that the imperator is loving peace.
Why do we say possumus and not possum?
Possumus is the first-person plural form of the verb posse (to be able). Since the sentence refers to nos omnes (we all), Latin uses the plural form to match that subject, hence possumus (we are able).
Why is dormire in the infinitive?
In Latin, the verb posse (to be able) is usually followed by an infinitive, indicating what action someone is capable of doing. Therefore, possumus dormire literally means we are able to sleep, which translates neatly to we can sleep.
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
You've reached your AI usage limit
Sign up to increase your limit.