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Questions & Answers about Magistra putat discipulos in bibliotheca sedere et tacere.
Why is magistra in the nominative case?
Because magistra is the grammatical subject of the main verb putat (the teacher thinks). In Latin, the subject of a finite verb is normally in the nominative.
Why does Latin use putat with infinitives instead of a word like that?
Latin usually expresses that-clauses after verbs of thinking/saying/knowing with an indirect statement (often called accusative + infinitive):
- putat = she thinks
- discipulos ... sedere et tacere = the content of what she thinks, expressed with infinitives rather than a that-clause.
Why is discipulos accusative instead of nominative?
In an indirect statement, the “subject” of the infinitive is put in the accusative. So discipulos is the subject of sedere and tacere, but it appears as accusative because it’s inside the indirect statement after putat.
How do I know that discipulos is doing the sitting and being quiet?
Because discipulos is the accusative “subject” of the infinitives that follow. Latin doesn’t mark infinitives for person/number the way English does, so you identify the doer by the accusative noun/pronoun placed with the infinitive(s): discipulos sedere = (that) the students sit.
Why are there two infinitives: sedere and tacere?
They are two coordinated actions within the same indirect statement:
discipulos ... sedere et tacere = that the students are sitting and being quiet.
Latin often strings multiple infinitives together under one verb like putat.
Does et connect the students, or the verbs?
Here et connects the verbs (the infinitives): sedere et tacere = to sit and to be silent. It’s not linking two noun phrases.
What tense are sedere and tacere, and how is that shown?
They are present infinitives. The present infinitive usually expresses an action contemporary with the main verb (putat): she thinks they are sitting and are being quiet (at the same time as her thinking).
How would Latin change this if the teacher thought they had been sitting and quiet?
Latin would typically use the perfect infinitive:
- sedisse (from sedeo)
- tacuisse (from taceo)
So: Magistra putat discipulos in bibliotheca sedisse et tacuisse.
Why is it in bibliotheca and not some other case—what does in require?
in takes:
- ablative for location (in the library) → in bibliothecā
- accusative for motion into (into the library) → in bibliothecam
Here it’s location, so ablative.
Is bibliotheca a locative (“at the library”)?
No. Latin has a special locative case mainly for cities, small islands, and a few common words like domus and rus. Bibliotheca normally uses in + ablative for “in/at the library.”
Is the word order fixed? Could I move in bibliotheca?
Word order is flexible. You could also say:
Magistra putat discipulos sedere in bibliotheca et tacere.
Both mean the same; placement can change emphasis or rhythm.
If this were a direct statement instead of indirect, what would it look like?
Directly (as a standalone statement) you’d use finite verbs and nominative subject, e.g.:
Discipuli in bibliotheca sedent et tacent.
The shift to discipulos ... sedere et tacere happens because it’s reported as a thought after putat.
