Dominus in sella sedet, servus ante eum stat.

The master sits in the chair, the servant stands before him.

Breakdown of Dominus in sella sedet, servus ante eum stat.

• in: on
• sedere: to sit
• stare: to stand
• eum: him

Questions & Answers about Dominus in sella sedet, servus ante eum stat.

How do I know which words are the subjects in this Latin sentence?

The subjects are dominus and servus.

• dominus is the subject of sedet (the one who sits).
• servus is the subject of stat (the one who stands).

You can tell because:

• They are both in the nominative case (the case normally used for the subject).
• Their endings -us are the typical nominative singular endings for masculine nouns of the second declension.

Why do dominus and servus both end in -us? What does that ending mean?

The ending -us here marks:

• Case: nominative (subject form)
• Number: singular
• Gender: masculine
• Declension: second declension

So dominus = master (as subject), servus = slave/servant (as subject).

If these words were direct objects, you would normally see -um instead:

• dominum = master (object)
• servum = slave/servant (object)

What tense and person are sedet and stat, and how do they relate to English?

Both and are: