Nunc mater laboriosior est quam pater, nam tota domus cura eius est et tamen gaudet.

Now mother is more hardworking than father, for the whole house is her responsibility and yet she rejoices.

Breakdown of Nunc mater laboriosior est quam pater, nam tota domus cura eius est et tamen gaudet.

• esse: to be
• domus: the house
• et: and
• pater: the father
• mater: the mother
• quam: than
• nam: for
• nunc: now
• tamen: nevertheless
• gaudere: to rejoice
• totus: whole
• laboriosus: hardworking
• cura: the responsibility
• eius: her

Questions & Answers about Nunc mater laboriosior est quam pater, nam tota domus cura eius est et tamen gaudet.

What exactly is laboriosior, and how is it formed?

Laboriosior is a comparative adjective.

• Positive (basic) form: laboriosus, -a, -um = hardworking, industrious
• Comparative form: laboriosior, -ius = more hardworking, rather hardworking
• Superlative form: laboriosissimus, -a, -um = very / most hardworking

In the sentence:

• laboriosior is feminine nominative singular, agreeing with mater.
• So mater laboriosior est means the mother is more hardworking.

Why is it quam pater and not quam patrem or quam patre?

In comparisons with quam, Latin usually puts the second item in the same case as the first.

• First item: mater (nominative, subject of est)
• Second item: pater must also be nominative.

So:

• mater laboriosior est quam pater
  = the mother is more hardworking than the father

If you said quam patrem (accusative) or quam patre (ablative), it would break that rule and sound wrong in Classical Latin with quam.

Could this have been written using the ablative of comparison instead of quam?

Yes, Latin also compares using the ablative of comparison without quam. For example:

• mater patre laboriosior est
  literally: the mother is more hardworking than the father
  (patre = ablative of comparison)

So there are two main ways:

1. mater laboriosior est quam pater (with quam
   • same case)
2. mater patre laboriosior est (without quam, second term in ablative)

Your sentence simply chooses the first pattern.

What role does nam have, and how is it different from enim?

Nam is a coordinating conjunction meaning for, because, introducing an explanation or reason.

• Nunc mater laboriosior est quam pater, nam…
  = Now the mother is more hardworking than the father, for…

Difference from enim:

• nam normally stands first in its clause.
• enim almost never stands first; it usually appears after the first word or two.

Both often mean for / because, but nam feels a bit stronger and more explicit as a connector.

What does tota domus mean exactly, and why is tota in that form?

Tota domus means the whole house or the entire household.

• domus here is nominative singular, feminine, acting as the subject of est (together with cura).
• tota is the feminine nominative singular of totus, -a, -um = whole, entire, agreeing with domus.

So tota domus = the whole house / the entire home.

How does tota domus cura eius est work grammatically? Which word is the subject?

Latin often treats forms of esse (est) as a linking verb between two noun phrases.

In tota domus cura eius est:

• tota domus cura = the care of the whole house / the whole house’s care
• eius = her (genitive)

You can understand it as:

• tota domus cura (the care of the whole house) est eius (belongs to her / is her responsibility)

There isn’t a strict subject vs. complement difference felt as strongly as in English; the whole phrase tota domus cura eius forms the idea the care of the entire home is hers or she is responsible for the whole household.

Why is it eius and not suae or sua?

Latin has two ways to say his/her/their:

1. suus, -a, -um (reflexive possessive)
   Refers back to the subject of the same clause.
2. eius (genitive of is, ea, id)
   Refers to someone else, not the subject.

Here, in the clause tota domus cura eius est:

• The grammatical subject is effectively tota domus cura.
• If we used sua, it would mean its own care (the house’s own care), which is not intended.
• We want her care / care belonging to her, i.e. belonging to the mother mentioned earlier.

So we use eius to point back to mater outside this clause:
cura eius = her care / the care that belongs to her.

What does tamen contribute to the meaning?

Tamen means yet, nevertheless, however and marks a contrast.

• nam tota domus cura eius est
  = she has all the responsibility for the whole household,
• et tamen gaudet
  = and yet she is glad / and nevertheless she rejoices.

So tamen shows that her joy is a bit surprising given how hard her situation is.

Why is there no explicit subject with gaudet? Who is rejoicing?

In Latin, once the subject is clear from context, it is often left out.

• Earlier subject: mater
• Later verb: gaudet (3rd person singular)

Because mater is the only logical subject, Latin does not repeat it:

• (mater) gaudet = she is glad / she rejoices

The person is shown by the verb ending -et (3rd singular), and the referent is recovered from context.

What exactly does gaudet mean, and does it need any special case or preposition?

Gaudet is the 3rd person singular present of gaudeo, gaudēre, gāvīsus sum:

• gaudet = she rejoices / she is glad / she is happy

On its own, it can be used intransitively (with no object), as in this sentence.

When you want to say what someone is rejoicing about, Latin often uses:

• gaudere + ablative (occasionally)
• or gaudere de + ablative
  e.g. de victoria gaudet = she rejoices at the victory.

Here, no object is given: just and yet she is glad.

Is there any difference between nunc and iam for “now” in this kind of sentence?

Both can be translated as now, but the nuance differs:

• nunc = now (at this time, in the present situation)
  It highlights the current state, often contrasted with the past.
• iam = often now already / by now / soon, with more of a time progression sense.

In Nunc mater laboriosior est quam pater, nunc stresses the present situation:
At present, the mother is more hardworking than the father.