Mater aut pater cum puero domi manet.

Mother or father stays at home with the boy.

Breakdown of Mater aut pater cum puero domi manet.

• puer: the boy
• pater: the father
• mater: the mother
• cum: with
• manere: to stay
• domus: the home
• aut: or

Questions & Answers about Mater aut pater cum puero domi manet.

Does this sentence mean that both the mother and the father stay at home, or just one of them?

The Latin sentence Mater aut pater cum puero domi manet means that exactly one of them stays at home, not both.

• aut … aut (or just aut linking two words) normally means either … or in a mutually exclusive way.
• So the sense is: “Either the mother or the father stays at home with the boy.”

If Latin wanted to say both stay at home, it would typically use et:

• Mater et pater cum puero domi manent.
  The mother and the father stay at home with the boy.

Why is manet singular, and not plural manent, when there are two possible subjects (mater aut pater)?

The verb is singular because only one of them is actually doing the action at any given time.

• mater aut pater = the mother or the father (one or the other, not both).
• Since the meaning is that one person stays at home, the verb agrees with that single subject in sense, so it is 3rd person singular: manet (“stays / remains”).

If the subject were clearly plural, Latin would use a plural verb:

• Mater et pater … manent.
  The mother and the father … stay.

What cases are mater, pater, puero, and domi, and why are those cases used?

• mater – nominative singular: subject of the verb manet.
• pater – nominative singular: another possible subject, linked with aut (“or”).
• puero – ablative singular: governed by cum (“with”) → cum puero (“with the boy”).
• domi – locative singular (an old case form): means “at home”.

So structurally:

• Mater aut pater – subject ("the mother or the father")
• cum puero – ablative with cum, expressing accompaniment ("with the boy")
• domi – locative expressing place where ("at home")
• manet – verb ("stays/remains")

Why is it cum puero and not cum puerum or cum pueri?

The preposition cum (“with”) in Classical Latin always takes the ablative case.

• 2nd declension masculine puer, pueri:
  • nominative singular: puer (“boy” – as subject)
  • genitive singular: pueri (“of the boy”)
  • accusative singular: puerum (direct object)
  • ablative singular: puero

So:

• cum puero = with the boy (correct)
• cum puerum – wrong case for cum in Classical Latin
• cum pueri – again wrong case for cum (that is genitive)

Rule to remember: cum + ablative → “with someone/something”.

What exactly is domi? Why not in domo or domum?

domi is the locative case of domus (“house, home”) and means “at home”.

• domi – “at home” (static location, no preposition)
• in domo – also “in the house, at home”, but more literally “inside the house”
• domum – accusative of motion towards: “home(wards), to the house”

Common patterns:

• domum it – “he/she goes home”
• domi manet – “he/she stays at home”

In this sentence domi manet emphasizes remaining at home, not going there.

How flexible is the word order? Could I say Mater aut pater domi cum puero manet or Cum puero mater aut pater domi manet?

Yes, Latin word order is quite flexible, and your alternatives are grammatically fine:

• Mater aut pater cum puero domi manet. (original)
• Mater aut pater domi cum puero manet.
• Cum puero mater aut pater domi manet.
• Domi mater aut pater cum puero manet.

Because Latin uses endings to show function (subject, object, etc.), the grammar does not depend on word order as strongly as in English.

However:

• Placing domi near manet (domi manet) feels natural, as they form a tight unit: “stays at home.”
• cum puero can move around for emphasis or style without changing the basic meaning.

What is the difference between aut and et, and is there a difference between aut and words like vel?

• et = and
  
  • Mater et pater domi manent. – “The mother and the father stay at home.”
• aut = or (normally exclusive “either … or”)
  
  • Mater aut pater domi manet. – “Either the mother or the father stays at home (but not both).”

Compared with other “or” words:

• vel = “or” in a more neutral or “inclusive” way; sometimes like “or maybe / or for example”
• sive / seu = “or if”, often used in sive … sive (“whether … or …”)

So aut is the right choice here to express a clear choice between mother and father.

What are the grammatical forms of mater and pater, and how would their plurals look?

Both are nominative singular nouns, acting as subjects:

• mater – “mother”
  • nominative singular: mater
  • nominative plural: matres
• pater – “father”
  • nominative singular: pater
  • nominative plural: patres

So:

• Mater aut pater domi manet.
  “The mother or the father stays at home.”

Plural subjects:

• Matres aut patres domi manent.
  “The mothers or the fathers stay at home.”
• Matres et patres domi manent.
  “The mothers and the fathers stay at home.”

Does puer mean specifically a boy, or can it mean “child” in general?

In Classical Latin, puer primarily means boy, often a young boy.

• It can sometimes mean “child” in a more general sense, but it is grammatically masculine, and its default sense is male.
• If you wanted to stress “child” more neutrally, Latin might use:
  • infans, infantis – “infant, very young child”
  • liber, liberi (more often in plural liberi) – “children” (of parents)

For “son” specifically, Latin uses filius (plural filii):

• cum filio – “with (his/her) son”
• cum filia – “with (his/her) daughter”

Here, cum puero most naturally means “with the boy”.

How would the sentence change if both parents stay at home, or if there are several children?

1. Both parents stay at home with the boy:

   • Mater et pater cum puero domi manent.
     “The mother and the father stay at home with the boy.”
   • Changes:
     • et instead of aut (“and”, not “or”)
     • manent instead of manet (plural verb for the two parents)

2. The mother or the father stays at home with the children (plural):

   • Mater aut pater cum pueris domi manet.
     
     • pueris = ablative plural of puer (“boys, children” with cum)
     • Verb still manet, because the subject is still “the mother or the father” (one person).

3. Both parents with several children:

   • Mater et pater cum pueris domi manent.

What exactly does manet mean? Is it more like “stays” or “remains,” and does it imply duration?

manet is the 3rd person singular present indicative of manere, which means “to stay, remain, continue, endure.”

In this context:

• manet ≈ “stays” / “remains” at home
• It naturally suggests continuing in a place or state, rather than just briefly being there.

Possible English renderings:

• “The mother or the father stays at home with the boy.”
• “The mother or the father remains at home with the boy.”
• Context could also justify “is staying (at home)” in more conversational English.

A past version would be, for example:

• Mater aut pater cum puero domi mansit. – “The mother or the father stayed at home with the boy.”

Can cum ever come after puero, like puero cum, and if so, why is it before the noun here?

Yes, in Classical Latin cum can appear after a personal pronoun or noun, especially in a more “tight” phrase:

• mecum – “with me”
• tecum – “with you”
• nobiscum – “with us”
• puero cum – “with the boy”

So you could see something like:

• Mater aut pater puero cum domi manet.

However:

• For regular, straightforward prose, cum before its object (cum puero) is more common and clearer for learners.
• The postposition (putting cum after the noun or pronoun) is frequent with pronouns and is more a matter of style and rhythm than a change in meaning.

In this sentence, cum puero is the standard, easy-to-read order.