Breakdown of Servus epistulam ad ianuam fert, et domina eam laeta accipit.
et
and
ad
to
eam
it
ianua
the door
servus
the servant
domina
the lady of the house
epistula
the letter
accipere
to receive
ferre
to bring
laetus
glad
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Latin grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Servus epistulam ad ianuam fert, et domina eam laeta accipit.
Why is epistulam in the accusative case?
Because ferre (to carry/bring) is a transitive verb here, so the thing being carried is its direct object. Direct objects are typically in the accusative, so epistula becomes epistulam.
Why does ad take ianuam (accusative) instead of something like an ablative?
Ad normally takes the accusative and expresses motion toward a goal: ad ianuam = to/toward the door. If you wanted location (at the door) rather than motion, Latin often uses apud ianuam (at/near the door) or ad ianuam can sometimes overlap in sense, but the core idea of ad is toward.
What form is fert, and how do I know who is doing the action?
Fert is 3rd person singular present indicative active of ferre: he/she/it brings. The explicit subject servus (nominative singular) tells you it is the slave who is doing it.
Why is servus nominative, and could Latin have omitted it?
Servus is nominative because it is the subject of fert. Latin could omit it (just epistulam ad ianuam fert) because the verb ending -t already signals 3rd person singular, but Latin often includes the subject noun for clarity or emphasis.
Why does the second clause start with et domina instead of keeping servus as the subject?
Because it is a new action with a new subject: domina is the one who accipit (receives). Latin uses et to link two coordinated clauses: Servus ... fert, et domina ... accipit.
What case is domina, and what does it tell me?
Domina is nominative singular (feminine), so it is the subject of accipit. Even if word order changes, the nominative case marks the doer.
Why is eam used, and what does it refer to?
Eam is the accusative singular feminine form of is/ea/id (she/that). It refers back to epistulam (letter), matching it in gender (feminine) and number (singular), and it is accusative because it is the direct object of accipit.
Why not use illam instead of eam?
Eam is a relatively neutral it/her (that one) and commonly used for simple reference back to a noun. Illam (from ille, illa, illud) can be more demonstrative or emphatic (that over there, that particular one). Either could work depending on context, but eam is the straightforward choice for a pronoun referring back to the letter.
What is laeta doing here, and why is it nominative?
Laeta is a predicate adjective describing domina: the mistress receives it happy. Predicate adjectives agree with the noun they describe, so laeta is nominative feminine singular to match domina, not accusative like eam.
Does laeta accipit mean she happily receives it or she receives it and she is happy?
Grammatically, it means the mistress is happy while receiving it (predicate adjective). In English we might translate it as she gladly/happily receives it, but in Latin the form laeta literally describes her state.
What form is accipit, and how is it different from fert?
Accipit is 3rd person singular present indicative active of accipere: he/she receives. Like fert, it is present tense; the main difference is vocabulary and conjugation pattern: fert is from an irregular verb (ferre), while accipit is a regular 3rd-conjugation verb.
Why is the word order not the same as in English?
Latin word order is flexible because cases show grammatical roles. A common pattern is to place the direct object before the verb (epistulam ... fert, eam ... accipit). Latin also often puts important or connecting elements early (et domina), while still keeping meaning clear through endings.