Dum magistra docet, schola quieta manet.

to remain

Breakdown of Dum magistra docet, schola quieta manet.

• magistra: the female teacher
• schola: the school
• docere: to teach

Questions & Answers about Dum magistra docet, schola quieta manet.

What does dum mean here, and does it always take the present tense?

In this sentence dum means while in a purely temporal sense: it tells you that one action is happening at the same time as another.

With this temporal meaning, dum is normally followed by the present indicative in Classical Latin, even when English might use a progressive form like is teaching. So:

• dum magistra docet = while the teacher is teaching

Latin uses the simple present (docet) where English uses the progressive.

Dum can also take the subjunctive, but then it usually has a different nuance (such as until with a sense of intention or result). That is not the case here; here it is the straightforward temporal while plus present indicative.

What case is magistra, and why is it in that case?

Magistra is in the nominative singular case.

It is the subject of the verb docet. In Latin, the subject of a finite verb is normally in the nominative case. So:

• magistra (nominative subject) + docet (verb)
  = the teacher teaches

Why is it magistra and not magister?

Magister is the masculine form meaning male teacher or master.
is the feminine form meaning or (of a school).