Magnum flumen inter oppidum et silvam est.

A great river is between the town and the forest.

Breakdown of Magnum flumen inter oppidum et silvam est.

• esse: to be
• et: and
• oppidum: the town
• silva: the forest
• magnus: great
• flumen: the river
• inter: between

Questions & Answers about Magnum flumen inter oppidum et silvam est.

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

Latin word order is much freer than English. A very common pattern in simple Latin sentences is:

• subject (and its adjectives)
• other elements (prepositional phrases, objects, etc.)
• verb (especially est)

So magnum flumen inter oppidum et silvam est literally reads:

• magnum flumen – a large river (subject)
• inter oppidum et silvam – between the town and the forest
• est – is

You could rearrange it as magnum flumen est inter oppidum et silvam, and it would still be correct. Latin uses word order more for emphasis than for strict grammar.

Why is it magnum flumen and not magnus flumen?

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

• gender
• number
• case

Flumen (river) is:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative

The nominative singular neuter form of magnus, -a, -um is magnum.

So:

• magnus – masculine nominative singular
• magna – feminine nominative singular
• magnum – neuter nominative singular

Since flumen is neuter, the correct form is magnum flumen.

How do we know flumen is the subject here?

We know flumen is the subject because:

1. Its form fits the nominative singular of its declension.
2. It is being described by magnum, which is also nominative singular neuter.
3. The verb est (is) typically links a subject to a complement; here the only noun phrase that fits as a subject is magnum flumen.

The phrase inter oppidum et silvam is a prepositional phrase (with inter) and cannot be the subject. So magnum flumen must be the subject.

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

Latin does not have articles like English a, an, or the.

Context decides whether you translate flumen as:

• a river,
• the river,
• or sometimes just river in phrases like by river.

So magnum flumen can be:

• a large river
• the large river

Depending on what makes most sense in the context you are reading.

What case are oppidum and silvam, and why are their endings different?

Both oppidum and silvam are in the accusative singular case, because the preposition inter (between) always takes the accusative.

• oppidum is a neuter noun of the second declension. For neuter second-declension nouns, nominative and accusative singular both end in -um, so oppidum looks the same in nominative and accusative.
• silvam is a feminine noun of the first declension. Its accusative singular ends in -am (nominative singular would be silva).

So both are accusative, but their endings differ because they belong to different declensions and have different genders.

Why does inter take the accusative case?

In Latin, each preposition is normally followed by a specific case. You simply have to learn these as part of each preposition’s entry.

Inter (between, among) is a preposition that always takes the accusative:

• inter oppidum et silvam – between the town and the forest
• inter amīcōs – among friends

Because inter requires the accusative, both oppidum and silvam are accusative, even though English does not change their form.

How can we tell that inter oppidum et silvam means between the town and the forest and not something else?

The structure is:

• inter – between / among
• oppidum – town (accusative, object of inter)
• et – and
• silvam – forest (accusative, second object of inter)

The pattern inter X et Y regularly means between X and Y. So inter oppidum et silvam must be between the town and the forest.

Why is there no word for there even though the English translation can be There is a large river…?

Latin often expresses the idea there is / there are just with the verb est / sunt and the subject:

• magnum flumen est – there is a large river
• multi homines sunt – there are many people

Latin does not normally need a separate word for there in this construction. English uses there as a dummy subject; Latin simply uses the real subject (magnum flumen) with est.

Could we translate est here as lies or is situated instead of just is?

Yes. A very natural English rendering of Magnum flumen inter oppidum et silvam est is:

• A large river lies between the town and the forest.
• A large river is situated between the town and the forest.

The basic meaning of est is simply is, but in a locational sentence like this (subject + place), English often prefers lies, runs, or is situated. Choosing these verbs makes the English more idiomatic without changing the Latin grammar.

Can the word order of this sentence be changed and still be correct Latin?

Yes. Latin allows quite flexible word order. Possible alternatives include:

• Magnum flumen est inter oppidum et silvam.
• Inter oppidum et silvam magnum flumen est.
• Inter oppidum et silvam est magnum flumen.

All are grammatically correct and mean the same basic thing. Changes in order can slightly shift the emphasis (for example, putting inter oppidum et silvam first emphasizes the location), but the grammatical roles are determined by endings, not position.

What are the genders of flumen, oppidum, and silva, and do they matter here?

• flumen – neuter (3rd declension)
• oppidum – neuter (2nd declension)
• silva – feminine (1st declension)

Gender matters for:

• Adjective agreement: magnum must match flumen (neuter), which is why it is magnum, not magnus or magna.
• Case endings: neuter nouns like oppidum and flumen have the same form in nominative and accusative singular (-um, -en), while feminine silva changes to silvam in the accusative.

Gender does not affect the meaning town or forest, but it affects the forms used in the sentence.

How would I parse each word grammatically?

• magnum – adjective, nominative singular neuter, modifying flumen
• flumen – noun, nominative singular neuter, subject of est
• inter – preposition meaning between / among, governing accusative
• oppidum – noun, accusative singular neuter, first object of inter
• et – coordinating conjunction, and
• silvam – noun, accusative singular feminine, second object of inter
• est – 3rd person singular present of esse (to be), linking verb

So the structure is:
[Subject] magnum flumen + [prepositional phrase] inter oppidum et silvam + [verb] est.