Mater oculos eius laudat.

Mother praises his eyes.

Breakdown of Mater oculos eius laudat.

• mater: the mother
• laudare: to praise
• oculus: the eye
• eius: her

Questions & Answers about Mater oculos eius laudat.

How do we know that mater is the subject and oculos is the object?

Latin uses word endings (cases) rather than word order to show who does what to whom.

• mater is in the nominative singular. The nominative is the case normally used for the subject of the verb.
• oculos is in the accusative plural. The accusative is the case normally used for the direct object of the verb.

So even if you rearranged the words (e.g. oculos mater eius laudat), the endings would still tell you that mater is the one doing the praising and oculos are what is being praised.

Why is it oculos and not oculi?

Because oculos is the correct form for “eyes” as the direct object.

The noun oculus, oculī (eye) is a second-declension masculine noun:

• Nominative singular: oculus – “(the) eye” (as subject)
• Accusative singular: oculum – “(the) eye” (as object)
• Nominative plural: oculī – “(the) eyes” (as subject)
• Accusative plural: oculōs – “(the) eyes” (as object)

Here, “eyes” are being praised, so they are the direct object → accusative plural oculōs.

What exactly does eius mean here?

eius is a possessive genitive form of is, ea, id (he, she, it).

• eius means “of him / of her / of it”, usually translated as “his / her / its”.
• It is singular and can refer to any gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter); the form eius itself does not change for gender.

So oculōs eius literally means “the eyes of him/her/it” = “his/her/its eyes”. Context (not the Latin form) tells you whether it’s “his,” “her,” or “its.”

How can I tell whether eius here means “his”, “her”, or “its”?

You can’t tell just from the word eius itself; it’s ambiguous:

• eius always just means “of that person/thing (one person/thing)” → “his / her / its”.

• The previous context has to tell you who that person/thing is:

  • If you were talking about a boy: Mater oculōs eius laudat = “The mother praises his eyes.”
  • About a girl: = “The mother praises her eyes.”
  • About a dog: = “The mother praises its eyes.”

Latin relies on context here more than English does.

What is the difference between eius and suos in a sentence like this?

eius and suos both express possession, but they work differently:

• eius = “his/her/its” referring to some other person/thing, not the subject.
• suus, sua, suum (and its plural suī, suae, sua) = “his/her/its/their own”, always referring back to the subject of the sentence (it’s “reflexive”).

Compare:

• Mater oculōs eius laudat.
  “The mother praises his/her/its eyes.”
  → The eyes belong to someone else, not the mother.

• Mater oculōs suōs laudat.
  “The mother praises her own eyes.”
  → The eyes belong to the mother (the subject).

So eius = “of another person/thing”; suōs = “of the subject herself/himself/itself.”

Why is the verb laudat at the end? Is that the normal order?

Yes, that’s a very typical Latin order. Latin often prefers:

Subject – Object – Verb

So:

• Mater (subject)
• oculōs eius (object phrase: “his/her eyes”)
• laudat (verb: “praises”)

However, Latin word order is flexible because endings show the roles of words. Other orders are possible (e.g. Mater laudat oculōs eius, or Oculōs eius mater laudat), but verb last is both common and very natural, especially in simple sentences.

Why is eius after oculos and not before, like English “his eyes”?

Latin is freer with the position of possessives:

• oculōs eius and eius oculōs are both grammatically correct.
• oculōs eius is a very common and neutral order: noun first, then the possessive (“eyes of him/her”).

Sometimes changing the order can add emphasis or stylistic flavor:

• eius oculōs might make eius a bit more prominent (“his eyes, in particular”), but the basic meaning is the same.

So the default, unmarked pattern noun + eius is what you see here.

What is the form of laudat (tense, person, number), and what does that tell me?

laudat comes from the verb laudō, laudāre (“to praise”).

• Person: 3rd person
• Number: singular
• Tense: present
• Mood: indicative
• Voice: active

So laudat means “he/she/it praises” or just “praises” in a straightforward descriptive sense.

Putting it together:

• Mater → “The mother” (she)
• laudat → “praises”

Hence: “The mother praises …”. Context can tell you whether to add “does” (as in “does praise”) or use a progressive like “is praising,” but Latin’s present tense covers all of those English possibilities.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a/an” in this sentence?

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

• mater can mean “mother,” “a mother,” or “the mother,” depending on context.
• oculōs can mean “eyes,” “the eyes,” or “some eyes.”

When translating into English, you choose “the” or “a/an” based on what makes sense in context. In isolation, Mater oculōs eius laudat is usually rendered:

• “The mother praises his/her eyes.”

but grammatically it’s just “Mother praises eyes of him/her.” Context does the rest.

How would I change the sentence if I wanted “The mother praises his eye” (just one eye)?

You would make “eye” singular in the accusative:

• oculus, oculī → nominative singular (subject)
• oculum → accusative singular (object)

So:

• Mater oculum eius laudat.
  = “The mother praises his/her/its eye.”

Only oculōs changes to oculum; mater, eius, and laudat stay the same.