Puer dicit: "Hic hortus parvus est, ille autem hortus prope flumen magnus et pulcher est."

The boy says: "This garden is small, but that garden near the river is large and beautiful."

Breakdown of Puer dicit: "Hic hortus parvus est, ille autem hortus prope flumen magnus et pulcher est."

• esse: to be
• magnus: large
• puer: the boy
• et: and
• hortus: the garden
• parvus: small
• prope: near
• dicere: to say
• pulcher: beautiful
• autem: but
• flumen: the river
• hic: this
• ille: that

Questions & Answers about Puer dicit: "Hic hortus parvus est, ille autem hortus prope flumen magnus et pulcher est."

What does hic mean here, and how is it different from ille?

Both hic and ille mean “this / that”, but they show different distance:

• hic hortus = this garden (here, near me/us)
  
  • hic indicates something near the speaker.
• ille hortus = that garden (over there, farther away)
  
  • ille indicates something farther away (in space, time, or even in thought).

So the boy is contrasting the nearby small garden with the more distant big, beautiful garden near the river.

What is the function of autem, and why does it come after ille?

autem is a connecting word that often means “but,” “however,” or “on the other hand.”

• It usually goes in second position in its clause, not at the very beginning:
  • ille autem hortus = “that garden, however / but that garden…”

Latin likes “second position” particles: autem commonly comes after the first word or phrase of the clause, not at the front like English “but.”

Why is hortus repeated (hic hortus … ille autem hortus …)? Could Latin leave it out?

Repeating hortus makes the contrast very clear:

• hic hortus parvus est – this garden is small
• ille autem hortus … magnus et pulcher est – but that garden is big and beautiful

Latin could omit the second hortus once the subject is understood, especially in more flowing or poetic style:

• hic hortus parvus est, ille autem prope flumen magnus et pulcher est.

This would still be correct and understandable: ille would then stand for “that (one)”. The version with repeated hortus is just more explicit for a learner and emphasizes the contrast.

Why is hortus in the nominative (ending -us) and not hortum?

hortus is the subject of the verb est (“is”).

• hortus = nominative singular masculine, “garden” as subject
• The pattern is: Subject (nominative) + est + predicate
  
  • hic hortus parvus est = “this garden is small”

If hortum (accusative) were used, it would normally mean the object of a verb (e.g. video hortum = “I see the garden”), but est does not take a direct object, only a subject and a complement.

Why are the adjectives parvus, magnus, and pulcher all in the -us form?

They are all describing hortus, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

In Latin, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.
So:

• hortus (m. sg. nom.) → parvus (m. sg. nom.)
• hortus (m. sg. nom.) → magnus (m. sg. nom.)
• hortus (m. sg. nom.) → pulcher (m. sg. nom.)

All three adjectives match hortus in form because they all describe that same garden.

Why is it prope flumen and not something like prope flumine?

The preposition prope (“near”) takes the accusative case.

• flumen is a neuter 3rd declension noun, with:
  • nominative: flumen
  • accusative: flumen (same form)
• So prope flumen = “near the river”, with flumen in the accusative after prope.

flumine would be the ablative (e.g. with other meanings like “by / with / from the river”), and it does not fit after prope.

What case is puer, and why is it used here?

puer is nominative singular and is the subject of dicit (“says”).

• puer dicit = “the boy says”
• Just like hortus is nominative as the subject of est, puer is nominative as the subject of dicit.

If you wanted to address the boy (“O boy!”), you would use the vocative: puer! — which looks the same as the nominative in this word.

Why is dicit in the present tense? Could it be translated “said”?

Formally, dicit is present tense: “(he) says / is saying.”

Latin often uses the present where English can choose either present or historic present or simple past, depending on context. For a simple exercise sentence, it is normally best taken as:

• puer dicit = “the boy says”

To say “the boy said,” Latin would normally use dixit (perfect tense).

Why is the verb est placed at the end, and could it go elsewhere?

Latin word order is flexible, especially with the verb est.

• hic hortus parvus est
• hic hortus est parvus
• parvus est hic hortus

All are grammatically valid. Placing est at the end is very common and feels natural in Latin. Word order often reflects emphasis or style, not basic grammar, which is shown by endings rather than position.

Could the phrase prope flumen be put in a different place in the sentence?

Yes. Word order is quite flexible. All of these are possible:

• ille autem hortus prope flumen magnus et pulcher est
• ille autem hortus magnus et pulcher prope flumen est
• prope flumen ille autem hortus magnus et pulcher est

They all mean essentially the same: “that garden near the river is large and beautiful.”
Moving prope flumen slightly changes emphasis, but not the basic meaning.

Why do we have magnus et pulcher est instead of just one adjective?

The boy is giving two qualities of the same garden:

• magnus = large / big
• pulcher = beautiful

Joined with et:

• magnus et pulcher est = “is large and beautiful”

Both adjectives still agree with hortus in gender, number, and case (masc. sg. nom.). The structure is the same as in English: “big and beautiful.”

Is it necessary to have the second est, or can Latin leave it out?

Latin can leave out a repeated est in many cases, especially in connected simple clauses:

• hic hortus parvus est, ille autem hortus prope flumen magnus et pulcher

This would still mean:
“This garden is small, but that garden near the river is large and beautiful.”

The form with the second est is a bit more explicit and very clear for learners; omitting it is more natural in flowing Latin but is not required.