Learn Hardcore Latin: Puer nunc parvum timorem sentit, sed cum amica sua ridet. - The boy now feels a little fear, but he laughs with his friend.

The subject is the person or thing doing the action.
Here, the boy is the one who feels (sentit) and laughs (ridet).
So we use puer (nominative), not puerum (accusative) or pueri (genitive/nominative plural).

So:
Puer = the boy (as subject)
Puerum = the boy (as object)
Pueri = of the boy or boys (depending on context)

What is the role of nunc in the sentence?

Nunc is an adverb meaning “now”.

It modifies the verb sentit (“feels”), telling us when the boy feels the fear.
Adverbs like nunc are not declined (they don’t change form); they just attach to the verb’s meaning.

So puer nunc sentit = the boy now feels.

Why is it parvum timorem and not parvus timor?

The difference is case:

timor is nominative singular – it would be used as a subject.
timorem is accusative singular – it is used as a direct object.

In this sentence, fear is what is being felt, so it is the object of the verb sentit (he feels something).

sentit quid? → parvum timorem (a small fear).

The adjective parvum must agree with timorem in:

case: accusative
number: singular
gender: masculine

So we get parvum timorem, a small fear (as object), not parvus timor (which would mean a small fear as the subject of a clause).

What does sentit mean exactly, and why that form?

Sentit is the 3rd person singular present active indicative of sentire (“to feel, perceive”).

3rd person singular because the subject is puer (he feels).
present tense because the action is happening now (supported by nunc).
indicative mood because this is a simple statement of fact.

So puer sentit = the boy feels (or is feeling).

What does sed do here?

Sed is a coordinating conjunction meaning “but”.

It connects two clauses and shows a contrast between them:
- clause 1: Puer nunc parvum timorem sentit – the boy now feels a small fear
- clause 2: cum amica sua ridet – (but) he laughs with his girlfriend/female friend

So sed marks the contrast: even though he feels fear, he laughs.

In cum amica sua ridet, why does cum mean “with” and not “when”?

Latin cum can mean both “with” (as a preposition) and “when” (as a conjunction), but their patterns are different:

Preposition “with”:
- Takes the ablative case.
- Structure: cum + ablative noun.
- Example here: cum amica sua – with his girlfriend/female friend.
Conjunction “when”:
- Introduces a subordinate clause with a verb, not just a noun.
- Example: cum ridet, laetus est – when he laughs, he is happy.

In cum amica sua ridet, the cum is attached to amica sua (a noun phrase in the ablative), not to ridet as a separate clause opener. So it clearly means “with”.

Why is it amica and not amico? Isn’t the friend usually masculine?

Amica is the feminine form of “friend” (or “girlfriend”).

amicus = male friend / boyfriend
amica = female friend / girlfriend

Here, the sentence is clearly talking about a female companion, so the word is amica (feminine), not amicus or amico (masculine forms).

Why is amica in the ablative (amica, not amicam)?

Because it is governed by the preposition cum (“with”).

cum
- ablative = “with [someone/something]”.
First-declension noun amica has amica as both:
- nominative singular (subject),
- ablative singular (with prepositions like cum).

Here it is ablative, because of cum:

cum amica = with (his) female friend.

Why is it sua and not eius for “his”?

Latin distinguishes between possessive of the subject and possessive of someone else:

sua (reflexive possessive) = his/her/its/their own (refers back to the subject of the clause).
eius = his/her/its (refers to someone else, not the subject).

In the clause cum amica sua ridet:

the subject is still puer (he laughs),
sua refers back to that subject: his own girlfriend/friend.

If it said cum amica eius ridet, it would imply:

he laughs with *someone else’s girlfriend/female friend*.

So sua is used to show it is the boy’s own amica.

Why is sua in the form sua and not something like suus or suam?

Suus, -a, -um is an adjective, so it must agree with the noun it modifies in:

gender: amica is feminine → so sua (feminine)
number: amica is singular → so sua (singular)
case: amica is in the ablative after cum → so sua must also be ablative

For a first-declension feminine noun like amica, the ablative singular is -ā, and the agreeing adjective also takes -ā:

amica suā (long -ā in classical pronunciation), which is spelled amica sua.

So:

suus amicus = his (own) male friend (nom. masc. sing.)
sua amica = his (own) female friend (nom./abl. fem. sing., depending on context)

Here: cum amica sua = with his (own) girlfriend/female friend (ablative).

Why is it just ridet and not something like “he is laughing” vs “he laughs”? Does Latin show that difference?

Latin present tense (ridet) can cover both English:

“he laughs” (simple present),
and “he is laughing” (present continuous).

Latin does not normally distinguish these two forms. Context chooses the best English translation.

Here, ridet simply tells us:

present, ongoing action: he laughs/is laughing (now) with her,
contrasting with the fear he feels.

Either “he laughs with his girlfriend/female friend” or “he is laughing…” is acceptable English.

Why doesn’t the second clause repeat puer? How do we know “he” is still the subject of ridet?

Latin often omits pronouns and repeated subjects when clear from context.

First clause: Puer… sentit – the boy feels.
Second clause: … sed cum amica sua ridet – but with his girlfriend/female friend he laughs.

Because no new subject is introduced, the default assumption is that the subject of ridet is the same as the earlier subject (puer).

Also, ridet is 3rd person singular, which matches puer. Latin relies heavily on verb endings and context instead of repeating subjects or using separate pronouns like “he.”