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Mater filiam vocat, ut auxilium ferat et librum e mensa tollat.

Mater filiam vocat, ut auxilium ferat et librum e mensa tollat.
Mother calls her daughter, so that she may bring help and take the book from the table.
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Questions & Answers about Mater filiam vocat, ut auxilium ferat et librum e mensa tollat.

Why is mater in the nominative, and filiam in the accusative?

Because mater is the subject of vocat (the mother calls), so it’s nominative. Filiam is the direct object of vocat (she calls the daughter), so it’s accusative.

What does vocat mean here, and why is it present tense?

Vocat is 3rd person singular present active indicative from vocāre: (she) calls. Latin often uses the present to describe a vivid, general, or immediate action, even when English might choose is calling depending on context.

What is the function of ut in ut auxilium ferat et librum e mensa tollat?

Ut introduces a purpose clause: in order that / so that. The mother calls the daughter so that the daughter will do two intended actions: bring help and take the book from the table.

Why are ferat and tollat in the subjunctive mood?

Because in Latin, a purpose clause introduced by ut regularly takes the subjunctive. So ferat (from ferre) and tollat (from tollere) are present subjunctive: so that she may bring… and (may) take….

Who is the subject of ferat and tollat? Why isn’t it stated?

The understood subject is filiam (i.e., the daughter), even though it isn’t repeated. Latin commonly omits a pronoun like ea (she) when it’s clear from context. So it’s: Mater filiam vocat, ut (filia) auxilium ferat…

Why is auxilium in the accusative? Is it the direct object?

Yes. Auxilium is the direct object of ferat. The phrase auxilium ferre is a common Latin idiom meaning to bring help / to render assistance.

What case is librum, and what role does it play?

Librum is accusative singular, the direct object of tollat. So: (she) may take the book.

Why does Latin say e mensa and not something like “from the table” with a different case?

E (or ex) is a preposition that takes the ablative and expresses motion out of / from. Mensa is therefore ablative singular: from (the) table.

What’s the difference between e and ex? Could either be used here?

Both mean out of / from and take the ablative. A common rule of thumb is:

  • ex tends to appear before vowels or certain consonant clusters for ease of pronunciation,
  • e is more common before many consonants. With mensa, e mensa is perfectly normal; ex mensa is also possible.
Why is there an et inside the ut-clause? Does it link two separate purposes?

Yes—et joins two coordinated verbs under the same purpose introduced by ut:

  • ut auxilium ferat (so that she brings help)
  • et librum e mensa tollat (and [so that] she takes the book from the table)

Latin often uses one ut for multiple coordinated actions like this.

Is the word order significant? Why not put ut right after vocat or put e mensa earlier?

Latin word order is flexible because endings mark grammatical roles. The order here is natural and readable:

  • Main clause first: Mater filiam vocat
  • Then purpose: ut …
  • e mensa is placed near tollat to keep from the table close to take.
    Different orders are possible, but this one groups related words together.
Does tollat mean “take,” “pick up,” or “remove”? How broad is tollere?
Tollere is broad: lift, pick up, take up, remove. In this context (librum e mensa tollat) it most naturally means pick up / take the book from the table.