Pater ei panem dat.

the father

Breakdown of Pater ei panem dat.

• panis: the bread
• dare: to give
• ei: him

Questions & Answers about Pater ei panem dat.

How do I know which word is the subject, the direct object, and the indirect object in Pater ei panem dat?

Latin uses endings (cases) instead of word order to show each word’s function.

• pater = nominative singular → this is the subject: the father
• panem = accusative singular → this is the direct object: bread
• ei = dative singular → this is the indirect object: to him / to her

So the structure is:

• pater (subject) ei (to him/her) panem (bread) dat (gives).

Why is it pater and not patrem?

Because pater is the nominative form, used for the subject of the sentence.

The noun is:

• pater (nominative, “father” as subject)
• patris (genitive, “of the father”)
• patrem (accusative, “father” as direct object), etc.

In Pater ei panem dat, father is doing the action (he is the giver), so it must be nominative: pater, not patrem.

Why is panem ending in -em?