Vox discipuli clara est.

The student's voice is clear.

Breakdown of Vox discipuli clara est.

• esse: to be
• discipulus: the student
• vox: the voice
• clarus: clear

Questions & Answers about Vox discipuli clara est.

What does each Latin word in Vox discipuli clara est mean, and what are their dictionary forms?

• vox – “voice”
  
  • Dictionary form: vox, vocis (f.) – “voice”
• discipuli – “of the student” (or “of the disciple”; see below on case)
  
  • Dictionary form: discipulus, discipuli (m.) – “student, disciple”
• clara – “clear”
  
  • Dictionary form: clarus, clara, clarum – “clear, bright, famous”
• est – “is”
  
  • Dictionary form: sum, esse – “to be”

So the sentence means: “The voice of the student is clear.”

Why doesn’t the Latin sentence use a word for “the” like in English?

Latin normally has no separate words for “the” or “a/an.”

• vox can mean “voice,” “the voice,” or “a voice,” depending on context.
• The same is true for any noun: Latin leaves it to context to decide whether you should translate with “the” or “a/an.”

So vox discipuli clara est is best translated, from context, as “The student’s voice is clear.”

What grammatical role (case) does each noun have in this sentence?

• vox – nominative singular (subject of the sentence)
• discipuli – genitive singular (“of the student”)
• clara – nominative singular adjective agreeing with vox (predicate adjective linked by est)
• est – verb “is” (3rd person singular present)

So the structure is:

• Subject: vox
• Possessor (genitive): discipuli
• Linking verb: est
• Predicate adjective: clara

How do we know that vox, not discipuli, is the subject?

1. Case:

   • vox is nominative, the usual subject case.
   • discipuli is genitive, which typically shows possession or “of”-relationships, not the subject.

2. Meaning:

   • The sentence says “the voice … is clear,” which makes most sense with “voice” as the thing being described.

So vox is the subject (“voice”), and discipuli depends on it (“of the student”).

Why does discipuli end in -i? Is it singular or plural?

For second-declension masculine nouns like discipulus, the ending -i can be:

• Genitive singular – “of the student”
• Nominative plural – “students”

In this sentence it must be genitive singular, because:

• It follows another noun (vox) and directly depends on it, fitting the common pattern “NOUN + genitive” → “the NOUN of X.”
• The verb est is singular, matching vox, not discipuli.

So here discipuli = “of the student.”

What exactly does the genitive discipuli express here?

The genitive discipuli shows a possessive or belonging relationship:

• vox discipuli = “the voice of the student” / “the student’s voice.”

This is a very common use of the genitive:

• liber magistri – “the teacher’s book” (“the book of the teacher”)
• porta urbis – “the gate of the city”

So discipuli tells you whose voice it is.

Why is the adjective clara feminine and not clarus or clarum?

Adjectives in Latin must agree with the noun they describe in:

• Gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
• Number (singular / plural)
• Case (nominative, genitive, etc.)

Here:

• vox is feminine, singular, nominative.
• The adjective describing it must also be feminine, singular, nominative.

From clarus, clara, clarum we choose:

• clarus – masculine nominative singular
• clara – feminine nominative singular ✔
• clarum – neuter nominative/accusative singular

So clara correctly agrees with vox.

Is clara here an adverb, like English “clearly”?

No. clara is an adjective, not an adverb.

• clara (adj.) = “clear” (describing a noun: the voice is clear)
• The related adverb would be clare = “clearly.”

In this sentence:

• clara est = “is clear” (describing vox)
• If it were clare est, it would mean something like “is clearly” or “exists clearly,” which is not the standard way to say “the voice is clear.”

So clara is an adjective in the predicate position: vox … clara est = “the voice is clear.”

Why is est at the end? Could we change the word order?

Latin word order is quite flexible, especially with forms of “to be” (esse).

• Vox discipuli clara est is perfectly normal.
• So are:
  
  • Vox discipuli est clara.
  • Clara est vox discipuli.
  • Clara vox discipuli est.

The endings, not the position, show how words relate to each other. The main differences between these orders are emphasis and style, not basic meaning.

• Putting clara first (e.g. Clara est vox discipuli) emphasizes “clear” a bit more, like saying “Clear is the student’s voice.”

How do we know that clara goes with vox and not with discipuli?

Agreement tells you:

• vox – feminine, singular, nominative
• clara – feminine, singular, nominative
• discipuli – masculine, singular genitive (or nom. plural, but here genitive by function)

Since clara matches vox in gender, number, and case, they go together.
It does not match discipuli (which is genitive and masculine), so it is not describing discipuli.

What is the gender and declension of vox, and is there anything irregular about it?

• vox is feminine.
• It belongs to the 3rd declension.
• Dictionary form: vox, vocis (f.)

Some key forms:

• Nominative sg.: vox – “voice” (subject)
• Genitive sg.: vocis – “of the voice”
• Accusative sg.: vocem – “voice” (object)

Nothing especially irregular; it is a typical 3rd-declension noun with a consonant stem (voc-).

How would I say “The students’ voices are clear” in Latin?

You need plural forms for both “voices” and “students’,” and a plural verb and adjective:

• Voices → voces (nominative plural of vox)
• Of the students → discipulorum (genitive plural of discipulus)
• Are → sunt (3rd person plural of sum)
• Clear (plural feminine nominative to agree with voces) → clarae

Result:
Voces discipulorum clarae sunt.
= “The students’ voices are clear.”

Could I also say “The clear voice of the student is loud” using this pattern?

Yes. You would add another adjective and a new verb meaning “is loud”:

• “voice” – vox (nom. sg.)
• “of the student” – discipuli (gen. sg.)
• “clear” – clara (fem. nom. sg. agreeing with vox)
• “loud” – magna (literally “great,” often used of “loud” for a voice) or fortis (“strong, powerful”)
• “is” – est

For example:

• Vox discipuli clara et magna est.
  
  • “The student’s voice is clear and loud.”

Notice both adjectives clara and magna are feminine nominative singular, agreeing with vox.