Miles saepe in urbe vigilat.

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Breakdown of Miles saepe in urbe vigilat.

• urbs: the city
• saepe: often
• miles: the soldier
• vigilare: to keep watch

Questions & Answers about Miles saepe in urbe vigilat.

Why is Miles used here instead of Miles in another form (like Militem or Militis)?

Miles is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence. Latin uses different endings for nouns depending on their function in the sentence. Since the soldier is the one performing the action, the nominative case is required.

What part of speech is saepe, and how does it function in the sentence?

Saepe is an adverb meaning "often." Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Here, saepe modifies vigilat to indicate how frequently the soldier keeps watch.

Why is in urbe in the ablative case (urbe) instead of accusative (urbem)?

The preposition in in Latin can take either the accusative or ablative, depending on the context. When it indicates motion toward, it takes the accusative, but when it indicates location (being inside something), it takes the ablative. So in urbe shows the soldier is "in the city" (location), hence the ablative case.

What does vigilat mean literally, and how is it conjugated?

Vigilat comes from the verb vigilāre, meaning "to keep watch," "to stay awake," or "to be on guard." It is the third person singular present indicative active form. It indicates a single subject (the soldier) performing the action in present time.

Is there a reason the adverb saepe is placed before in urbe rather than after?

Latin word order is flexible; adverbs can move around for emphasis or style. Saepe often appears before its verb, but it can appear in different positions. The positioning here places emphasis on how frequently the soldier keeps watch before specifying where.