Learn Hardcore Latin: Magistra eis libros dat. - The teacher gives them books.

Magistra is nominative singular (feminine), so it is the subject: “the (female) teacher” is doing the action.
The verb dat (“gives”) is 3rd person singular and agrees with magistra.

So we know magistra is the one who gives, not eis or libros.

What case is magistra, and how can I tell?

Magistra is nominative singular (first declension, feminine).

You can tell because:

First-declension feminine nominative singular often ends in -a (e.g. puella, magistra, terra).
In a basic sentence, the nominative form is the default subject form.

So magistra = “(the) teacher” as the subject of the verb.

What does eis mean here, and what case is it?

In this sentence, eis means “to them.”

It is:

Dative plural of the 3rd-person pronoun (is, ea, id = “he, she, it; they”).
The dative case often marks the indirect object, the person to whom or for whom something is given, shown, told, etc.

So eis is “to them,” not the subject and not the direct object.

Could eis be another case, and if so, why isn’t it that here?

Yes. Eis can also be ablative plural (“by them, with them, from them”).

However:

The verb dat (“gives”) very typically takes a dative for the recipient.
The sentence pattern here is: subject (nominative) – indirect object (dative) – direct object (accusative) – verb.

Because the verb is “to give,” the context clearly makes eis the dative: “to them,” not “by them.”

What is libros, exactly?

Libros is:

The accusative plural of liber, libri (masculine) meaning “book.”
The accusative case usually marks the direct object of the verb (the thing directly affected by the action).

So libros = “books” as the direct object: they are what the teacher is giving.

Why doesn’t Latin use words like “the” or “a” in Magistra eis libros dat?

Latin has no separate words for “the” or “a/an”. The noun forms alone carry enough information through case endings and context.

So magistra could mean:

“the teacher”
“a teacher”

Libros could be:

“the books”
“some books”
Which article you use in English depends on the context, not on a special word in the Latin sentence.

How do we know which noun is the direct object and which is the indirect object?

By case endings, not by position in the sentence.

In Magistra eis libros dat:

Libros is accusative plural → direct object (“books”).
Eis is dative plural → indirect object (“to them”).

So even though eis comes before libros, the endings tell us their grammatical roles, not the order.

Could the word order of this sentence change in Latin?

Yes. Latin word order is flexible because endings show function. All of the following can mean the same thing:

Magistra eis libros dat.
Magistra libros eis dat.
Libros eis magistra dat.
Eis magistra libros dat.

The basic meaning stays: “The teacher gives them books.”
Changing order can add emphasis or style, but not usually change who is subject/object, because the cases do that job.

Why is the verb dat and not something like do or dant?

The verb is from do, dare, dedi, datus (“to give”).

Do = 1st person singular present (“I give”).
Das = 2nd person singular present (“you give”).
Dat = 3rd person singular present (“he/she/it gives”).
Dant = 3rd person plural present (“they give”).

Because the subject magistra is singular, we need dat:

Magistra dat = “The (female) teacher gives.”

What tense is dat, and how would I say “gave” or “is giving”?

Dat is present tense and usually corresponds to:

“gives”
often also “is giving” in a simple English context.

To say “gave,” you use the perfect:

Magistra eis libros dedit. = “The teacher gave them books.”

Latin does not always distinguish “gives” vs. “is giving” as clearly as English; context decides.

Why is it magistra and not magister here?

Magister is masculine: “male teacher” or “teacher” (by default masculine).
Magistra is feminine: “female teacher.”

So magistra tells you the teacher is female. Grammatically, it is a first-declension feminine noun in the nominative singular.

Is liber always “book”? I’ve seen it meaning “free” too.

There are actually two different words in Latin:

Līber, librī (masculine noun) = “book”
- Accusative plural: librōs → our libros.
Līber, lībera, līberum (adjective) = “free.”

So in Magistra eis libros dat, libros must come from the noun meaning “book,” not the adjective “free.” The form and context show that it is a noun used as a direct object.