Puer solus in cubiculo sedet ut aviam in horto audire possit.

The boy sits alone in the bedroom so that he can hear grandmother in the garden.

Breakdown of Puer solus in cubiculo sedet ut aviam in horto audire possit.

• in: in
• puer: the boy
• hortus: the garden
• sedere: to sit
• posse: to be able
• cubiculum: the bedroom
• avia: the grandmother
• solus: alone
• audire: to hear
• ut: so that

Questions & Answers about Puer solus in cubiculo sedet ut aviam in horto audire possit.

What is the main clause in this sentence, and what is the subordinate clause?

The sentence splits into:

• Main clause: Puer solus in cubiculo sedet – The boy sits alone in the bedroom.
• Subordinate clause: ut aviam in horto audire possit – so that he can hear his grandmother in the garden.

The main clause has the basic statement (boy + sits), and the ut‑clause explains the purpose of his sitting there.

What does ut mean here, and what kind of clause is ut aviam in horto audire possit?

Here ut means so that / in order that.

The clause ut aviam in horto audire possit is a purpose clause.
Purpose clauses answer the question why? or for what purpose?:

• Puer … sedet – The boy sits …
• ut … possit – in order that he can …

When ut introduces a purpose clause, it is always followed by a subjunctive verb.

Why is possit in the subjunctive mood instead of the indicative?

In Latin, purpose clauses with ut require the subjunctive.

• Indicative: potest = he can (simple statement of fact)
• Subjunctive in a purpose clause: ut … possit = so that he can

So sedet is a straightforward fact in the main clause, but possit is in a subordinate clause that expresses intended purpose, not just plain fact, and that triggers the subjunctive.

Why do we have audire possit (infinitive + subjunctive) instead of just a finite verb like audiat?

The verb posse (to be able) normally takes an infinitive:

• audire possum – I can hear
• audire potest – he can hear

That pattern stays the same in the subjunctive:

• audire possit – so that he can hear

Using audiat on its own would mean so that he may hear without the nuance of ability. Audire possit specifically says so that he is able to hear.

What cases are the nouns in, and why?

• puer – nominative singular (subject of sedet: the boy sits)
• solus – nominative singular masculine, agreeing with puer
• cubiculo – ablative singular, with in to show place where: in cubiculo = in the bedroom
• aviam – accusative singular, direct object of audire: audire aviam = to hear (his) grandmother
• horto – ablative singular, with in to show place where: in horto = in the garden

So, subject = nominative, things heard = accusative object, places where something is = ablative with in.

Why is solus after puer, and what does it agree with?

Solus is an adjective meaning alone. It agrees with puer in:

• gender: masculine
• number: singular
• case: nominative

Latin word order is flexible, so puer solus and solus puer are both possible.
Here puer solus simply means the boy alone or the boy, who is alone. The position after the noun is very common and does not change the basic meaning.

Why are in cubiculo and in horto in the ablative, and when would in take the accusative instead?

In can take:

• ablative = place where, position: in cubiculo, in horto → in the bedroom, in the garden
• accusative = motion towards, into: in cubiculum → into the bedroom, in hortum → into the garden

In this sentence nothing is moving into a place; the boy is simply sitting in the room, and the grandmother is in the garden, so the ablative is used.

How do we know that in horto goes with aviam (the grandmother) and not with audire (to hear in the garden)?

Grammatically, in horto could modify either, but the most natural reading is:

• aviam in horto = his grandmother (who is) in the garden

Reasons:

1. Latin often puts a short prepositional phrase right after the noun it describes: aviam in horto.
2. The context: it is more natural that the grandmother is located in the garden, and he positions himself so he can hear her there.

If you wanted to emphasize hearing in the garden, Latin might change the order or add extra words to remove the ambiguity.

What is the sequence of tenses here, and what would change if the main verb were in the past?

Main clause: sedet – present indicative (a primary tense).
Purpose clause: possit – present subjunctive (also primary sequence).

In a purpose clause:

• With a primary main verb (present / future), you use the present subjunctive:
  sedet ut … possit – he sits so that he can …
• With a secondary (historical) main verb (imperfect / perfect / pluperfect), you use the imperfect subjunctive:
  sedebat ut aviam in horto audire posset – he was sitting so that he could hear his grandmother in the garden.

How would I say so that he cannot hear his grandmother (a negative purpose)?

Negative purpose clauses use ne instead of ut:

• Puer solus in cubiculo sedet ne aviam in horto audire possit.
  The boy sits alone in the bedroom so that he cannot hear his grandmother in the garden.

So the pattern for negative purpose is ne + subjunctive, where positive purpose uses ut + subjunctive.

Could ut here be translated simply as that or when? Are there other common meanings of ut?

In this sentence, ut really means so that / in order that. Translating it as that alone would be too vague, and when would be wrong because it would make it a time clause instead of a purpose clause.

Common uses of ut include:

1. Purpose: ut veniat – so that he may come
2. Result: tam fortis est ut vincat – he is so brave that he wins
3. Time / comparison (often with indicative): ut venit, discessi – when he came, I left; ut aiunt – as they say

Here the subjunctive and the meaning of the sentence make it clearly a purpose use.