Breakdown of Filia respondet: "Fortasse cras cum eis curram; nunc domi manere melius est."
Questions & Answers about Filia respondet: "Fortasse cras cum eis curram; nunc domi manere melius est."
Filia means daughter.
It is in the nominative singular, which is the usual case for the subject of a verb.
So filia respondet literally means the daughter answers or the daughter is answering.
Respondet is the 3rd person singular present indicative of respondēre (to answer, to reply).
Literally, it is present: the daughter answers / is answering.
In a narrative context, English will often use the past: the daughter answered. Latin present can be used for lively storytelling (sometimes called the “historical present”), but grammatically it is just the present tense.
Fortasse is an adverb meaning perhaps or maybe.
It usually comes near the verb or at the start of the clause, but Latin word order is flexible, so all of these are acceptable, with slight differences of emphasis:
- Fortasse cras cum eis curram.
- Cras fortasse cum eis curram.
- Cras cum eis fortasse curram.
The meaning remains perhaps I will run with them tomorrow.
Formally, curram can be either:
- future indicative (I will run), or
- present subjunctive (that I may run / I might run).
With cras (tomorrow), Latin speakers normally understand it as future indicative: I will run.
So Fortasse cras cum eis curram is best taken as Perhaps tomorrow I will run with them.
In practice, not much here, because both fit the sense of a hesitant future action:
- As future indicative: Maybe tomorrow I will run with them.
- As potential subjunctive: Maybe tomorrow I might run with them.
Most learners are simply taught to take curram as future indicative when it’s accompanied by a clear future time word like cras. Grammatically, Latin does not always force you to choose between the two in isolation; context carries the meaning.
Cum is a preposition meaning with, and it takes the ablative case.
Eis here is the ablative plural of the 3rd‑person pronoun (is, ea, id), so cum eis means with them.
So cum eis curram = I will run with them.
With ego and tū (and their plural forms), Latin tends to attach -cum to the end:
- mē cum → mecum (with me)
- tē cum → tecum (with you)
- nōbīs cum → nobiscum (with us)
- vōbīs cum → vobiscum (with you all)
For 3rd‑person pronouns, the normal pattern is to keep cum in front: cum eō, cum eā, cum eis (with him / her / them).
Domi is the old locative case of domus (house, home). The locative is used mainly for place where with a few special nouns (cities, small islands, domus, rūs, etc.).
- domi manere = to stay at home
- in domo manere = literally to stay in the house
In most everyday contexts, they amount to the same thing; domi is simply the more idiomatic way to say at home.
Manere is the present active infinitive of manēre (to remain, to stay).
In nunc domi manere melius est, the infinitive phrase domi manere functions as the subject of est:
- literally: to stay at home now is better
- more natural English: it is better to stay at home now
Melius is the neuter comparative form of bonus (good). It often functions adverbially with forms of esse (to be) to mean better.
So melius est = it is better.
The full idea is: Among the possible actions, staying at home is the better one.
Latin often uses an infinitive phrase as the subject:
- domi manere = to stay at home
So structurally:
- domi manere (subject)
- melius est (predicate: is better)
English prefers to insert a dummy it: It is better to stay at home now, but Latin doesn’t need any extra pronoun.
The word order is quite flexible. You could see versions like:
- Filia respondet: Fortasse cras curram cum eis; melius est nunc domi manere.
- Filia respondet: Cras fortasse cum eis curram; domi manere nunc melius est.
All of these keep the same basic meaning. Latin relies more on endings (cases, verb endings) than on word order, so changes in word order mostly affect emphasis, not basic grammar.