Breakdown of Mater rogat filiam: "Quid nunc facis in cubiculo?"
Questions & Answers about Mater rogat filiam: "Quid nunc facis in cubiculo?"
In Latin, the direct object of most verbs is put in the accusative case.
- mater = subject (nominative) → the mother
- rogat = verb → asks
- filiam = direct object (accusative) → (her) daughter
So mater rogat filiam literally means the mother asks the daughter.
If it were filia (nominative), it would mean the daughter is the one doing the action, which would change the meaning to the daughter asks.
Yes, you can, but it changes the structure:
mater rogat filiam: "Quid nunc facis in cubiculo?"
= The mother asks her daughter: "What are you doing...?" (direct speech)mater filiam rogat quid nunc faciat in cubiculo
= The mother asks her daughter what she is doing... (indirect question, in reported speech)
In direct speech, you quote the exact words, so you use normal verb forms: facis.
In an indirect question, Latin uses the subjunctive: faciat instead of facis.