Learn Hardcore Latin: Puer mihi veritatem dicit.

The nominative is typically used for the subject of a finite verb.
Here puer is the one doing the action of dicit (says/tells), so it is the subject: “the boy” is the one telling.

What case is mihi, and why is it used instead of something like me?

Mihi is the dative singular of the first‑person pronoun.

mihi = to me / for me (dative)
me = me (accusative) or by/with/from me (ablative)

In Latin, the dative is used for the indirect object, the person who receives something (here, the information):

Puer mihi veritatem dicit
= The boy tells the truth to me.

If you used me instead (Puer me veritatem dicit), it would be ungrammatical, because veritatem is already the direct object; me cannot also be a direct object here. Latin marks “to me” with the dative mihi, not with a preposition plus accusative.

What exactly is an “indirect object,” and how is that shown in Latin here?

An indirect object is the person who receives something in the action of the verb. In English this is often shown either:

with word order:
He tells me the truth. (me = indirect object)
or with “to”:
He tells the truth to me.

In Latin, the indirect object is normally marked by the dative case, without a preposition. In this sentence:

mihi (dative) = the indirect object = the person to whom the truth is told.

What case is veritatem, and what is its function?

Veritatem is in the accusative singular.

Dictionary form: veritas, veritatis (f.) – truth
Accusative singular: veritatem

The accusative is typically used for the direct object of a verb, the thing directly affected by the action. Here:

veritatem is what is being told, so it is the direct object of dicit.

Why is it veritatem and not veritas?

Veritas is the nominative singular form (subject form). Here, “truth” is not the subject; it is the thing being told, so it must be in the accusative case:

Nominative: veritas – truth (as subject)
e.g. Veritas vincit. – The truth conquers.
Accusative: veritatem – truth (as direct object)
Puer veritatem dicit. – The boy tells the truth.

So veritatem is correct because the truth is the object, not the subject.

What form of the verb is dicit? What person and tense is it?

Dicit is:

verb: dico, dicere, dixi, dictum – to say, to tell
3rd person singular
present tense
active voice
indicative mood

So dicit means “he says,” “she says,” or “it says” (or “tells”).

A small present-tense paradigm:

dico – I say
dicis – you (sg.) say
dicit – he/she/it says
dicimus – we say
dicitis – you (pl.) say
dicunt – they say

How would the meaning change if the verb were dixit instead of dicit?

Dixit is the perfect tense, 3rd person singular of dico:

dixit = he/she/it said, has said, sometimes did say

So:

Puer mihi veritatem dicit.
= The boy *tells me the truth / is telling me the truth.* (present)
Puer mihi veritatem dixit.
= The boy *told me the truth / has told me the truth.* (completed past action)

Why is there no word for “the” in Puer mihi veritatem dicit?

Latin does not have definite or indefinite articles like English “the” and “a/an.”

puer can mean a boy or the boy
veritatem can mean truth, a truth, or the truth

Context decides which English article we should add. In ordinary English, we would usually say:

“The boy tells me the truth.”

But the Latin itself just has puer and veritatem, with no separate words for “the” or “a.”

Can the word order in this sentence be changed, and would the meaning change?

Yes, Latin word order is much more flexible than English because the endings show the roles of the words. All of these are grammatically possible and normally mean the same basic thing:

Puer mihi veritatem dicit.
Puer veritatem mihi dicit.
Veritatem mihi puer dicit.
Mihi puer veritatem dicit.
Veritatem puer mihi dicit.

In all of them:

puer (nominative) = subject
veritatem (accusative) = direct object
mihi (dative) = indirect object
dicit = verb

Differences are mostly in emphasis or style, not basic meaning. For beginners, it is helpful to keep the more “regular” order: Subject – Indirect Object – Direct Object – Verb.

Is the subject pronoun (like “he”) missing here? Why don’t we need a word for “he”?

Latin often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

dicit = he/she/it says (3rd person singular)
If Latin wanted to emphasize the subject pronoun, it could add is (he), but normally it is not needed:
- Is veritatem dicit. – He says the truth. (extra emphasis on “he”)

In Puer mihi veritatem dicit, puer is the subject; that already answers “who is saying,” so there is no need for a separate “he.”

Could we say “Puer verum mihi dicit” instead of “Puer mihi veritatem dicit”? What is the difference?

Yes, Puer verum mihi dicit is also grammatical, but there is a nuance:

veritas, veritatis (f.) = truth (abstract noun)
- veritatem = the truth (as a thing)
verus, vera, verum (adj.) can be used as a substantive (a noun-like adjective):
- verum (n. acc. sg.) = the true thing, what is true

So:

Puer mihi veritatem dicit. – The boy tells me the truth (with the abstract noun).
Puer verum mihi dicit. – The boy tells me what is true / the true thing.

In normal practice, veritatem dicere is a very standard way to say “tell the truth.”

How would I change mihi to say “to you,” “to him,” or “to us”?

You change the dative pronoun:

mihi – to me
tibi – to you (singular)
ei – to him / to her / to it
nobis – to us
vobis – to you (plural)
eis – to them

Examples:

Puer tibi veritatem dicit. – The boy tells you the truth.
Puer ei veritatem dicit. – The boy tells him/her the truth.
Puer nobis veritatem dicit. – The boy tells us the truth.

Could I leave out mihi if it’s obvious from context?

Yes. Latin can omit elements that are clear from context. If it is already known in the conversation that the boy is speaking to “me,” Latin might simply say:

Puer veritatem dicit. – The boy tells the truth.

However, if you specifically want to express “to me,” it is safer and clearer for learners always to include mihi. Native-style omission relies heavily on context.

How would I say “The boy will tell me the truth” or “The boy is going to tell me the truth” in Latin?

You would use the future tense of dico:

dicet – he/she/it will say / will tell

So:

Puer mihi veritatem dicet.
= The boy will tell me the truth.

Latin does not have a separate “going to” future; dicet covers “will tell” / “is going to tell.”