Learn Hardcore Latin: In quieta nocte corpus sororis bene dormit, sed mens vigilat. - In the quiet night the sister's body sleeps well, but her mind keeps watch.

In quieta nocte corpus sororis bene dormit, sed mens vigilat.

In the quiet night the sister's body sleeps well, but her mind keeps watch.

Breakdown of In quieta nocte corpus sororis bene dormit, sed mens vigilat.

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Questions & Answers about In quieta nocte corpus sororis bene dormit, sed mens vigilat.

What does in quieta nocte literally mean, and why are the words in that order?

In quieta nocte literally means “in the quiet night.”

in = in, during
nocte = night in the ablative singular (from nox, noctis, f.)
quieta = quiet, calm, feminine ablative singular, agreeing with nocte

Latin often places adjectives either before or after the noun fairly freely. So:

in quieta nocte = in the quiet night
in nocte quieta would mean the same thing, just with a slightly different emphasis or style.

Both are correct; the word order here is normal Latin.

Why is nocte in the ablative case instead of nominative or accusative?

The preposition in can take either the ablative or the accusative, with a change in meaning:

in
- ablative = in, on, during (location or time)
in
- accusative = into, onto (motion toward)

Here, we are talking about when something happens: in quieta nocte = in the quiet night / during the quiet night.

So nocte is in the ablative case to show time when under the influence of in.

Why is it quieta nocte and not something like quiete nocte or quieti nocte?

The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

nocte is feminine, singular, ablative.
quietus, -a, -um is a first/second‑declension adjective.

The feminine ablative singular of quietus is quieta:

nominative sg. fem.: quieta
genitive sg. fem.: quietae
dative sg. fem.: quietae
accusative sg. fem.: quietam
ablative sg. fem.: quieta

So quieta nocte is exactly the right form: in the quiet night.

What does corpus sororis mean exactly, and what is the function of sororis?

corpus sororis means “the body of the sister” or “the sister’s body.”

corpus = body, nominative singular, neuter (subject of dormit)
sororis = of the sister, genitive singular of soror, sororis, f.

The genitive (sororis) is used here as a possessive or descriptive genitive: it tells you whose body it is.

So corpus sororis bene dormit = the sister’s body sleeps well.

Could corpus sororis also mean “the corpse of the sister”?

In classical Latin, corpus primarily means “body” (living or in a more neutral sense).

It can be used for a dead body in some contexts, but cadaver is more strictly “corpse.”
In a neutral context like this, corpus sororis is naturally understood as “the sister’s body”, not necessarily a corpse.

Context would determine whether death is implied; this sentence doesn’t suggest that.

Why is corpus the subject of dormit, and not sororis?

In Latin, the subject is normally in the nominative case.

corpus = nominative singular (so it’s the subject)
sororis = genitive singular, which depends on corpus and means of the sister

So grammatically:

corpus = body = subject
dormit = sleeps = verb
corpus dormit = the body sleeps

sororis is not the subject; it just specifies whose body.

Why is it bene dormit and not something like bonum dormit or bonus dormit?

bene is an adverb, meaning “well.” It modifies the verb dormit (sleeps), telling how the body sleeps.

bonus (m.), bona (f.), bonum (n.) are adjectives meaning “good.”
Adjectives modify nouns, not verbs.

So:

corpus bene dormit = the body sleeps well.
If you wrote corpus bonum dormit, it would literally mean something like “the good body sleeps” – describing the body, not the manner of sleeping, and even that is stylistically odd.

Latin strictly distinguishes adjectives and adverbs here, and bene is the right form to modify dormit.

What person and number is dormit, and how does it agree with corpus?

dormit is:

3rd person
singular
present tense
indicative mood

It comes from dormio, dormire (to sleep).

Because corpus is singular, the verb must also be singular, so corpus dormit = the body sleeps.

Even though corpus is neuter, Latin verbs do not have a special neuter form; they just match person and number, not gender.

What is the difference in meaning between corpus and mens here?

In this sentence:

corpus = the body (physical, the flesh, what sleeps)
mens = the mind, spirit, or intellect (what thinks, stays awake)

So the idea is:

The sister’s body sleeps well,
but the mind stays awake.

It’s a contrast between the physical and the mental/spiritual parts of a person.

Why is mens nominative, and what does it agree with?

mens (mind) is in the nominative singular and is the subject of vigilat.

mens vigilat = the mind is awake / the mind keeps watch.

There is no adjective agreeing with mens here; it stands alone as the subject of the second clause after sed (but).

What does vigilat mean exactly, and is it transitive or intransitive here?

vigilat comes from viglio, vigilare. In this sentence it means:

“is awake”, “keeps watch,” or “stays awake.”

Here, vigilat is intransitive:

It does not take a direct object.
mens vigilat simply means the mind is awake / keeps watch.

What is the function of sed in this sentence?

sed is a coordinating conjunction meaning “but.”

It joins two contrasting clauses:

In quieta nocte corpus sororis bene dormit
mens vigilat

So the structure is:

In the quiet night the body of the sister sleeps well, *but the mind is awake.*

sed signals the contrast between sleeping body and wakeful mind.

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Latin has no articles (no “the”, “a”, or “an”).

So:

corpus sororis can mean the sister’s body or a sister’s body, depending on context.
mens can be the mind or a mind.

When translating into English, you supply “the” or “a” as appropriate to make natural English, but in Latin they are simply absent.