Breakdown of Servus dicit se opus novum hodie incipere.
Questions & Answers about Servus dicit se opus novum hodie incipere.
Because servus is the subject of the main verb dicit. In Latin, the subject of a finite verb is typically in the nominative:
Servus dicit = The slave/servant says.
dicit is 3rd person singular, present indicative active of dīcō, dīcere. It tells you:
- the subject is he/she/it (here, servus)
- the action is presented as present (he says / is saying)
Latin commonly reports speech/thought using an indirect statement construction: accusative + infinitive (often abbreviated AcI).
So instead of he says that he begins..., Latin does:
- dicit (he says)
- se ... incipere (himself ... to begin)
se is the reflexive pronoun used when the person in the indirect statement is the of the main verb.So means the servant says .