Puer intrat cubiculum quod parvum est.

The boy enters the bedroom which is small.

Breakdown of Puer intrat cubiculum quod parvum est.

• esse: to be
• puer: the boy
• intrare: to enter
• parvus: small
• qui: which
• cubiculum: the bedroom

Questions & Answers about Puer intrat cubiculum quod parvum est.

What does each Latin word in Puer intrat cubiculum quod parvum est mean on its own?

• puer – boy
• intrat – enters, goes into (3rd person singular, present tense of intrāre)
• cubiculum – room, often bedroom (neuter noun)
• quod – which (here: a relative pronoun referring to cubiculum)
• parvum – small (neuter singular form of the adjective parvus, -a, -um)
• est – is (3rd person singular, present tense of esse)

What grammatical role does puer have, and why is it in that form?

Puer is the subject of the sentence: the boy enters…

• It is in the nominative singular, because subjects of finite verbs in Latin are normally in the nominative case.
• Its dictionary form is puer, puerī (2nd declension, masculine).

Why does intrat not need a preposition like in to mean enters?

Latin often uses verbs of motion without a preposition where English needs one:

• intrare already has the idea to go in / to enter built into it.
• You simply say intrare
  • a direct object in the accusative:
    
    • puer intrat cubiculum – the boy enters (the) room.

If you used in, you would normally combine it with an accusative to mean into:

• puer in cubiculum intrat – the boy enters into the room (also acceptable, just longer).

Here, the simple intrat cubiculum is completely normal Latin.

What case, number, and gender is cubiculum, and why?

• Case: accusative
• Number: singular
• Gender: neuter

Reason: cubiculum is the direct object of intrat (the boy enters what? – the room). Direct objects go into the accusative.

Cubiculum belongs to the 2nd declension neuter:

• nominative singular: cubiculum
• accusative singular: cubiculum (same form as nominative, as with all neuter nouns)

So it looks like nominative, but in this sentence it functions as accusative. Context and role in the sentence tell you that.

What exactly is quod doing here? Is it a conjunction or a pronoun?

Here quod is a relative pronoun, not a conjunction.

• It introduces the relative clause quod parvum est – which is small.
• It refers back to cubiculum, so in English you could almost read it as “the room, which is small”.

As a relative pronoun, quod takes:

• gender and number from its antecedent (cubiculum, which is neuter singular)
• case from its function in its own clause.

In quod parvum est, quod is the subject of est, so it is nominative neuter singular.

Why is it quod parvum est and not qui parvus est or quae parva est?

The form of the relative pronoun must match the gender and number of its antecedent:

• Antecedent: cubiculum – neuter, singular
• So the relative pronoun must be quod – nominative neuter singular

Then everything in that clause agrees with this neuter subject:

• parvum (predicate adjective) is neuter singular
• est agrees in person and number with its subject (3rd person singular).

Qui parvus est would match a masculine singular noun (like puer).
Quae parva est would match a feminine singular noun (like puella).

Why is the adjective parvum and not parvus or parva?

Parvum is the neuter singular form of the adjective parvus, -a, -um (small).

Adjectives must agree with the noun (or pronoun) they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here parvum describes quod (which refers to cubiculum, neuter singular). So the adjective has to be:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative (because it’s in a “X is Y” structure with a nominative subject)

Hence: parvum est – is small (neuter).

Is quod parvum est a complete sentence on its own?

Grammatically, quod parvum est could be a complete clause:

• Subject: quod
• Verb: est
• Complement: parvum

So structurally it is a full clause.

However, in this sentence it functions as a relative clause, attached to cubiculum, giving extra information about it. It is not intended here as a standalone sentence; it depends on the main clause puer intrat cubiculum.

Could I say Puer intrat parvum cubiculum instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Puer intrat parvum cubiculum. – The boy enters a small room.

Difference in feel:

• parvum cubiculum uses a simple attributive adjective: it just tells you the room is small, as a basic description.
• cubiculum quod parvum est uses a relative clause:
  
  • It can make the smallness feel a bit more emphasized or added as extra information.
  • It’s similar to the English difference between:
    
    • the small room
    • the room which is small

In many contexts they will translate the same, but Latin stylistically likes both options for variety or emphasis.

Is quod parvum est restrictive (like “the room that is small”) or non‑restrictive (like “the room, which is small”)?

Latin does not mark this difference clearly with commas the way English does.

• In English,
  
  • the room that is small (restrictive) narrows down which room.
  • the room, which is small (non‑restrictive) merely adds extra information.

In Latin, quod parvum est could be understood either way, depending on context:

• If several rooms are in play, it likely means the room that is small (restrictive).
• If only one room is meant, it’s more like the room, which is small (non‑restrictive).

The Latin grammar is the same; context drives the interpretation.

Why doesn’t Latin use a word for “the” or “a” in puer and cubiculum?

Classical Latin has no articles (the, a/an).

• puer can mean a boy or the boy.
• cubiculum can mean a room or the room.

Which one you choose in English depends on context:

• New information: often a boy enters a room.
• Known or specific: the boy enters the room.

Latin leaves that to context rather than separate words.

Could quod here mean “because” (since it is small) instead of “which”?

Latin quod can indeed be a conjunction meaning because, but in this sentence that reading is unlikely:

• Structure: cubiculum quod parvum est strongly suggests quod = which (relative pronoun) referring to cubiculum.
• A because meaning would usually connect more directly to the verb intrat and often come earlier or more clearly as a reason clause:
  
  • e.g. Puer intrat cubiculum, quod parvum est, could in theory be read as “the boy enters the room, because it is small”, but that is not the most natural reading.

The grammar (agreement with cubiculum) and word order strongly favor the relative pronoun “which” interpretation here.

What tense and aspect are intrat and est, and how do they compare to English?

Both intrat and est are:

• present tense
• 3rd person singular
• indicative mood

In most contexts they match the English simple present:

• puer intrat – the boy enters / is entering
• quod parvum est – which is small

Latin present can often be translated either as English simple present (enters) or present progressive (is entering), depending on what sounds more natural in context.