Breakdown of Mater ianuam claudit ne infans foris exeat et ut domus tuta sit.
Questions & Answers about Mater ianuam claudit ne infans foris exeat et ut domus tuta sit.
ne introduces a negative purpose clause. Here it means “so that ... not” or “lest”:
- ne infans foris exeat = “so that the baby does not go outside” / “lest the baby go outside”.
ut introduces a positive purpose clause:
- ut domus tuta sit = “so that the house may be safe.”
So:
- ne
- subjunctive = negative purpose (so that X does not happen).
- ut
- subjunctive = positive purpose (so that X happens).
exeat is in the present subjunctive because it is part of a purpose clause introduced by ne:
- Main verb: claudit (she closes).
- Purpose clause: ne infans foris exeat (so that the baby may not go outside).
In Latin, ut / ne + subjunctive regularly express purpose:
- claudit ianuam ne exeat = “She closes the door so that he may not go out.”
Using the indicative (exit) would change the meaning: it would sound like a simple statement of fact (“the baby goes out”) instead of a purpose or intention. Latin marks that idea of purpose using the subjunctive.
foris here is an adverb meaning “outside, out of doors.”
So:
- infans foris exeat = “the baby goes out(doors) / outside.”
A couple of contrasts:
- foris (adverb, locative sense) = “outside, out of doors” (where?).
- forās (another adverb, more directional) = “out, outside” (to where?).
So foris exeat feels like “go outside (be outside the house),” not just “leave” in some abstract sense.
infans is the subject of the verb exeat.
- Case: nominative singular.
- Gender: can be masculine or feminine depending on context; here it simply means “baby/infant”.
In a dictionary you’d see:
- infans, infantis (m./f.) = baby, infant.
In the clause ne infans foris exeat, the structure is:
- infans = subject (“the baby”)
- exeat = verb (“may go out”)
- foris = adverb (“outside”)
A fairly literal breakdown:
- ne = so that ... not / lest
- infans = the baby (subject)
- foris = outside, out of doors
- exeat = may go out (present subjunctive of exeo)
So a “literal” rendering could be:
- “(She closes the door) so that the baby not outside may-go-out.”
More natural English:
- “so that the baby does not go outside”
- or “lest the baby go outside.”
ut domus tuta sit is another purpose clause:
- ut = so that / in order that
- domus = the house (nominative singular, subject)
- tuta = safe (predicate adjective agreeing with domus)
- sit = may be (present subjunctive of sum)
So:
- ut domus tuta sit = “so that the house may be safe.”
sit is subjunctive (not est) because Latin uses ut + subjunctive to express purpose, intention, or goal. The safety of the house is intended or aimed at, not just described as a bare fact.
tuta is a feminine singular adjective meaning “safe, protected.”
It agrees with domus:
- domus is usually feminine in Latin (even though its declension is a bit irregular).
- Therefore, any adjective describing it must also be feminine singular, hence tuta.
So:
- domus tuta = “the safe house” / “the house is safe.”
The sentence has two separate purpose clauses, one negative and one positive:
ne infans foris exeat
→ negative purpose: “so that the baby does not go outside”ut domus tuta sit
→ positive purpose: “so that the house may be safe”
They are joined by et (“and”), giving:
- ne infans foris exeat et ut domus tuta sit
→ “so that the baby does not go outside and so that the house may be safe.”
You could combine them in other ways, for example:
- Mater ianuam claudit ne infans foris exeat domusque tuta sit.
(“The mother closes the door so that the baby does not go outside and the house is safe.”)
Here a single ne is felt to govern both exeat and sit, linked by -que.
Or you might see:
- Mater ianuam claudit ut infans foris non exeat et domus tuta sit.
The original, though, clearly separates the negative purpose (ne ... exeat) from the positive one (ut ... sit) with et joining two full clauses. That’s stylistically neat and unambiguous.
claudit is present indicative: “she closes / she is closing.”
Latin sequence of tenses normally works like this:
- Main verb in a primary tense (present, future, perfect with present sense)
→ subordinate purpose verb in the present subjunctive (for “at the same time” or later).
Here:
- claudit (present) → exeat, sit (present subjunctive).
So:
- claudit ... ne exeat et ut sit = “she closes ... so that (he) may not go out and (so that) it may be safe.”
If the main verb were in a past tense, you’d usually see imperfect subjunctive for the purpose:
- Mater ianuam claudebat ne infans foris exiret et ut domus tuta esset.
→ “The mother was closing the door so that the baby would not go outside and so that the house would be safe.”
Latin word order is quite flexible, especially with clearly marked clause-introducers like ne and ut.
You could, for example, write:
- Mater ne infans foris exeat et ut domus tuta sit ianuam claudit.
- Ne infans foris exeat et ut domus tuta sit, mater ianuam claudit.
Both are understandable Latin: the ne and ut clearly mark the start of their respective subordinate clauses, and claudit belongs to mater.
The original order:
- Mater ianuam claudit ne infans foris exeat et ut domus tuta sit.
is quite natural: main clause first, then the reasons (the purposes) afterwards. But moving the purpose clauses earlier for emphasis is also possible and idiomatic.