Learn Hardcore Latin: Magistra fabulae verbum novum addit. - The female teacher adds a new word to the story.

magistra is nominative singular → the form used for the subject of the sentence.
It is feminine → the -a ending in the 1st declension typically marks feminine nouns (magistra, puella, femina, etc.).

So magistra = a/the (female) teacher and it is the one doing the action (adds).

How do we know that magistra is the subject of the sentence?

We know magistra is the subject because of:

Case:
- magistra is in the nominative case (the “subject case” in Latin).
- Other nouns here (fabulae, verbum) are not in nominative.
Verb agreement:
- The verb is addit = “(he/she/it) adds”, 3rd person singular.
- A singular noun in nominative (magistra) naturally matches that.

Latin relies on endings, not word order, to show who is subject and who is object.
Even if you rearranged the words, as long as magistra keeps its nominative ending, it would still be the subject.

What case is fabulae, and what does it mean in this sentence?

The form fabulae could be several cases (1st declension), but here it is best understood as:

Dative singular → usually translated “to/for the story”.

So the structure is:

magistra = the teacher (subject, nominative)
verbum novum = a new word (direct object, accusative)
fabulae = to the story (indirect object, dative)
addit = adds

Meaning: “The teacher adds a new word to the story.”

Latin doesn’t need a separate word for “to” here, because the dative ending -ae on fabulae already carries the “to/for” meaning.

Could fabulae also be genitive (“of the story”)? How would that change the meaning?

Formally, fabulae can be:

dative singular = to/for the story
genitive singular = of the story

So in theory:

Magistra fabulae verbum novum addit could be read as
“The teacher of the story adds a new word.”
(magistra fabulae = teacher of the story)

However, in normal classroom/reading context, speakers would usually understand it as:

dative: The teacher adds a new word to the story.

Why prefer dative?

The verb addit (adds) naturally takes something being added (direct object: verbum novum) and something it is added to (indirect object: dative: fabulae).
“teacher of the story” (magistra fabulae) is a possible phrase, but it feels less natural in the basic beginner-style sentence you’re looking at.

So yes, genitive is technically possible, but dative is by far the likelier reading here.

Why is there no separate word for “to” before fabulae?

Latin often uses case endings instead of prepositions.

English: to the story
Latin: fabulae (dative singular)
→ the -ae ending already includes the “to” idea.

Latin can use prepositions like ad (to, towards) or in (into, in), but with many verbs (including addere, “to add”) a plain dative case is enough:

Magistra fabulae verbum novum addit.
= The teacher adds a new word to the story.

What is the relationship between verbum and novum?

Verbum = word
Novum = new (adjective)

They form a noun + adjective pair:

Both are neuter.
Both are singular.
Both are in the accusative case (direct object of addit).

In Latin, an adjective must agree with the noun it modifies in:

Gender (masculine/feminine/neuter),
Number (singular/plural),
Case (nominative/accusative/etc.).

So here:

verbum – neuter, singular, accusative
novum – neuter, singular, accusative

Because the adjective novum matches verbum in all three, we know novum is describing verbum → “a new word.”

Why does novum come after verbum? Could it come before, like novum verbum?

In Latin, the usual position of many adjectives is after the noun:

verbum novum = literally “word new” → a new word

However, Latin word order is flexible, and you can also say:

novum verbum

This does not change the basic meaning (a new word), but:

Putting an adjective before the noun often gives it a little emphasis or makes it sound more poetic / stylistic.
For a beginner sentence, verbum novum is a very normal, neutral order.

In both cases, agreement (gender, number, case) is what really matters; the order is secondary.

What form and tense is addit, and how can it be translated into English?

Addit is:

From the verb addō, addere, addidī, additum (to add).
3rd person singular, present tense, indicative mood, active voice.

It can be translated into English as:

“she adds” (simple present)
“she is adding” (present progressive)
In some contexts, “she does add” (emphatic)

Latin has just one present tense form here; English has several present forms, so you pick the most natural one for the context. In this sentence, “The teacher adds a new word (to the story)” or “is adding” are both fine.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in the Latin sentence?

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

So:

magistra can mean “a teacher” or “the teacher”.
verbum novum can mean “a new word” or “the new word”.
fabulae can be “to a story” or “to the story”.

Which one you choose in English depends on context, not on a specific Latin word. Latin simply leaves the definiteness/indefiniteness to be inferred.

How would the sentence change if the teacher were male, or if there were more teachers or more words?

A few useful variations:

Male teacher (singular)
- Magister fabulae verbum novum addit.
  (magister = male teacher, nominative singular masculine)
Many female teachers
- Magistrae fabulae verbum novum addunt.
- magistrae = teachers (feminine plural, nominative)
- addunt = they add (3rd person plural present)
Many male (or mixed) teachers
- Magistri fabulae verbum novum addunt.
Many new words
- Magistra fabulae verba nova addit.
  - verba = words (neuter plural, accusative)
  - nova = new (neuter plural, accusative, agreeing with verba)

You can see how endings on nouns (magistra / magistrae / magister / magistri / verbum / verba) and on the verb (addit / addunt) change to show who is doing the action and how many things or people are involved.