Discipulus libros legit, ita mens eius non est tristis.

to be

Breakdown of Discipulus libros legit, ita mens eius non est tristis.

• legere: to read
• discipulus: the student
• liber: the book

Questions & Answers about Discipulus libros legit, ita mens eius non est tristis.

What is discipulus, and how is it functioning in the sentence?

Discipulus means “student, pupil”.

Grammatically:

• Case: nominative
• Number: singular
• Gender: masculine (by default; it can be used of a male student)
• Function: subject of legit

So Discipulus libros legit = “The student reads books.”
Latin has no article, so discipulus can be translated as “a student” or “the student” depending on context.

Why is it libros and not libri?

Both libri and libros come from liber, libri (m.) = “book.” The forms are different cases:

• libri can be nominative plural (“books” as subject) or genitive singular (“of the book”)
• libros is accusative plural, used for a direct object

In Discipulus libros legit:

• discipulus = subject (who is doing the action)
• libros = direct object (what is being read)

So it must be libros (accusative plural) because the student is reading books.

What tense and person is legit, and why does it look like another tense I’ve seen?