Learn Hardcore Latin: Magister discipulos vocat: "Nolite timere, pueri, et venite huc." - The teacher calls the students: "Do not be afraid, children, and come here."

In Latin, the nominative case typically marks the subject—the person or thing performing the action of the verb. So magister vocat = the teacher calls.

Why is discipulos in the accusative case?

Discipulos is accusative plural because it is the direct object of vocat.

discipulos = the students / pupils (direct object, those being called)

The verb vocare (to call) is a transitive verb and takes a direct object: whom does the teacher call? → the students. Latin shows that role with the accusative case: magister discipulos vocat = the teacher calls the students.

Why does the sentence use nolite timere instead of something like non timete?

Latin has a special way to form a negative command (imperative):

noli
- infinitive = don’t … ! (addressing one person)
nolite
- infinitive = don’t … ! (addressing more than one person)

Here:

nolite = 2nd person plural imperative of nolle (to not want, to be unwilling)
timere = present active infinitive of timere (to fear, to be afraid)

So nolite timere literally means be unwilling to fear, which is used idiomatically as do not be afraid.
non timete would sound like you are not afraid or you do not fear in a more indicative, statement-like way, not a proper negative command.

Why is timere in the infinitive form after nolite?

The negative imperative with noli / nolite always takes an infinitive:

noli currere! – Don’t run! (to one person)
nolite currere! – Don’t run! (to several people)

So:

nolite (don’t, you all) + timere (to fear) → Don’t be afraid!

Grammatically, nolite means be unwilling, and the infinitive (timere) is the action you are to be unwilling to do.

Why is nolite plural? Could we have noli timere here instead?

Nolite is plural because the teacher is speaking to more than one person (the discipuli / pueri, i.e., several boys / students).

noli timere – addressing one person: Don’t be afraid (you, singular).
nolite timere – addressing several people: Don’t be afraid (you all).

In this sentence, pueri and discipulos are plural, so the correct form is nolite.

What form is venite, and how is it formed?

Venite is the 2nd person plural imperative of venire (to come).

For most 4th-conjugation verbs like venire, the imperative is formed as:

singular: veni! – come! (to one person)
plural: venite! – come! (to several people)

So here, venite matches nolite in speaking to multiple people: Don’t be afraid, boys, and come here.

Why is pueri used, and what case is it in?

Pueri here is vocative plural, used for direct address. The teacher is speaking to the boys:

pueri = boys! (O boys!)

For second-declension masculine nouns in -er like puer, the vocative plural is the same as the nominative plural:

nominative plural: pueri (boys as subject)
vocative plural: pueri (O boys! as direct address)

So in context, pueri is not the subject here but a form of direct address: Don’t be afraid, boys…

Why is there a comma before pueri and another before et venite?

The commas mirror the structure of English direct address and coordination:

Nolite timere, pueri, et venite huc.

pueri is set off by commas because it is a vocative (the people being addressed), often separated in writing:
- Don’t be afraid, boys, and come here.
et coordinates the two imperatives:
- nolite timere – don’t be afraid
- venite huc – come here

So the punctuation helps show:

who is being addressed (the pueri)
that there are two commands joined by et.

What exactly does huc mean, and how is it different from hic?

Huc means to this place or simply here in the sense of come here (towards me). It indicates motion toward a place.

Hic means this or here in the sense of in this place (location, not movement).

Comparison:

hic = here (where something is)
huc = here (to here, towards this place)
unde = from where?
hinc = from here

So venite huc is specifically come (towards) here.

Why is there a colon after vocat?

The colon introduces the teacher’s direct speech:

Magister discipulos vocat: Nolite timere, pueri, et venite huc.

This is similar to English:

The teacher calls the students: “Don’t be afraid, boys, and come here.”

Latin often uses a colon (or sometimes nothing, depending on edition) before quoted speech. It signals that the following words are what the magister actually says.

How do magister discipulos vocat and Nolite timere, pueri, et venite huc fit together logically?

The first part describes what is happening; the second part gives the content of what is said:

Magister discipulos vocat – a narrative statement:
- The teacher calls the students.
Nolite timere, pueri, et venite huc – the teacher’s actual words, commands to the students:
- Don’t be afraid, boys, and come here.

So the structure is:

Narration: who is speaking and to whom → magister (subject) + discipulos (object) + vocat (verb)
Direct speech: what is said → two imperatives directed at pueri.

Are discipuli and pueri just synonyms here, or do they have different meanings?

They overlap in meaning but are not exact synonyms:

discipuli (plural of discipulus) = students, pupils, disciples
- emphasizes their role as learners or followers of a teacher.
pueri (plural of puer) = boys
- emphasizes age/gender (young males), not specifically their student role.

In the narrative, they’re called discipulos because they are the teacher’s pupils. In direct address, he calls them pueri, highlighting them as boys. In many classroom contexts, the same group would be both discipuli and pueri.

Why are both commands given in the plural, even though the teacher could speak to each boy individually?

Latin, like English, switches between singular and plural “you” depending on how many people are addressed. Here, both imperatives are plural:

nolite – 2nd person plural: don’t (you all) be afraid
venite – 2nd person plural: come (you all) here

Because the subject of address (pueri, discipulos) is a group, the natural choice is the plural “you.” If the teacher were speaking to only one boy, the forms would be:

noli timere, puer, et veni huc. – Don’t be afraid, boy, and come here.