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Numerus in libro magnus est.

Numerus in libro magnus est.
The number in the book is large.

Breakdown of Numerus in libro magnus est.

esse
to be
in
in
magnus
large
liber
the book
numerus
the amount
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Questions & Answers about Numerus in libro magnus est.

What does numerus mean here, and what kind of word is it?

Numerus is a noun meaning number (as in “a number, a quantity,” not the act of numbering).

Grammatically:

  • Part of speech: noun
  • Gender: masculine
  • Number: singular
  • Case: nominative
  • Role in the sentence: subject

So numerus = the number / a number as the subject of est (is).

Why is numerus in the nominative case?

In Latin, the subject of a verb is put in the nominative case.

  • The verb est means is.
  • The thing that is something (the “doer” or the topic of the sentence) is numerus, so numerus must be nominative.

That is why you see numerus, not numerum, numerī, etc.

What does in libro mean, and why libro and not librum?

In libro means in the book.

  • Librō (written libro without macron) is the ablative singular of liber (book).
  • The preposition in can take either the ablative or the accusative, depending on meaning:
    • in
      • ablative = location: in, on, at (where something is)
    • in
      • accusative = motion towards: into, onto (where something is going)

Here the number is located in the book (no movement), so Latin uses in + ablative: in librō = in the book.

Librum would be accusative and would suggest motion into the book (which doesn’t fit the meaning here).

What does magnus mean in this sentence?

Magnus is an adjective meaning great, large, or big.
In this context, numerus magnus means a large number or the number is large.

So the whole sentence means: The number in the book is large (or “There is a large number in the book.”)

Why is magnus in the form magnus and not magnum or magna?

Adjectives in Latin must agree with the nouns they describe in:

  • Gender
  • Number
  • Case

The noun is numerus:

  • Masculine
  • Singular
  • Nominative

So the adjective must also be:

  • Masculine
  • Singular
  • Nominative

The masculine nominative singular form of this adjective is magnus.

Other forms:

  • magnum = neuter nominative/accusative singular, or masculine accusative singular
  • magna = feminine nominative singular, or neuter plural nominative/accusative

None of those match numerus, so magnus is the correct form.

Why does magnus come before est, instead of directly after numerus like in English?

Latin word order is much more flexible than English. The basic structure here is:

  • Numerus (subject)
  • in libro (prepositional phrase: location)
  • magnus (predicate adjective, describing the subject after est)
  • est (verb is)

Even though magnus and est are separated, they still function together as “is large”.

You could also see:

  • Numerus in libro est magnus.
  • Numerus magnus in libro est.

All of these are grammatically correct. Latin relies on endings (cases, agreement), not rigid word order, so words can move around more freely for style or emphasis.

Could we also say Magnus numerus in libro est? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, Magnus numerus in libro est is grammatically correct.

  • Meaning: still essentially A large number is in the book or There is a large number in the book.

The difference is emphasis:

  • Numerus in libro magnus est — slightly more neutral; feels like “The number in the book is large.”
  • Magnus numerus in libro est — puts magnus numerus together at the start, emphasizing “a large number” as a unit: “A large number is in the book.”

In ordinary prose, the basic meaning is the same; the shift mainly affects what feels more prominent to the listener.

Why is the verb est at the end of the sentence instead of in the middle like English is?

Latin very often places the finite verb (here, est) at the end of the sentence or clause. A common “default” pattern is:

Subject – other elements – verb

So:

  • Numerus (subject)
  • in libro magnus (other elements: prepositional phrase + adjective)
  • est (verb)

You could put est earlier (Numerus est in libro magnus), but ending with the verb is stylistically natural in Latin and very frequent, especially in simple sentences.

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

Latin does not have separate words for the or a/an (definite or indefinite articles).

So:

  • numerus can mean the number or a number,
  • libro can mean in the book or in a book,

depending on context. You supply the or a in English based on what makes sense, not based on a specific Latin word.

Is in libro describing numerus, or is it just telling us where the number is?

It’s doing both logically, but grammatically it is a prepositional phrase of location:

  • It tells you where the number is: in the book.

Semantically, that naturally restricts which number we mean:

  • Not just any number is large,
  • but the number that is in the book is large.

So you can think of it in English as:

  • The number in the book is large.
How would I say The numbers in the book are large in Latin?

You need to make both the noun and the adjective plural and keep them in the nominative:

  • numerus (singular) → numerī (plural, nominative)
  • magnus (singular) → magnī (plural, nominative)
  • est (is) → sunt (are)

So the sentence becomes:

Numerī in librō magnī sunt.
= The numbers in the book are large.

Is numerus magnus a common Latin expression, and does it always just mean literally “a large number”?

Yes, numerus magnus is a natural and quite common combination in Latin. It usually means:

  • a large number (of something)
  • a great quantity

Often it will be followed by a genitive to say “a large number of X,” for example:

  • magnus numerus hominum = a large number of people

In your sentence, no genitive is given, so it simply states that the number (unspecified what of) that is in the book is large.