Breakdown of Magister consilium dat, et discipuli id sequi volunt: “Si verba nova discere vis, epistulas breves scribe.”
et
and
scribere
to write
discipulus
the student
magister
the teacher
si
if
verbum
the word
novus
new
dare
to give
brevis
short
velle
to want
discere
to learn
epistula
the letter
consilium
the advice
id
it
sequi
to follow
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Questions & Answers about Magister consilium dat, et discipuli id sequi volunt: “Si verba nova discere vis, epistulas breves scribe.”
Why is consilium in the accusative, and what role does it play in Magister consilium dat?
Consilium is the direct object of dat (dare = “to give”). With dare, the thing given is in the accusative (consilium), while the person receiving it would be in the dative (not expressed here). So the structure is: “The teacher gives advice.”
Why is magister in the nominative, and why does it come first?
Magister is the subject of dat, so it’s nominative. It comes first because Latin often puts the topic/subject early, but word order is flexible; the case ending shows the function more than position does.
What’s going on in discipuli id sequi volunt? Why sequi?
Volunt (“they want”) commonly takes an infinitive to complete its meaning: volunt sequi = “they want to follow.” Sequi is a deponent infinitive (active meaning, passive form): sequi = “to follow.”
What does id mean here, and why is it neuter?
Id is the neuter singular accusative form of is/ea/id (“he/she/it; that”). It refers back to consilium (“advice”), which is neuter singular, so the pronoun matches it in gender and number and is accusative because it’s the object of sequi: “to follow it.”
Why is sequi a “deponent” verb, and how can I recognize that?
A deponent verb has passive-looking forms but an active meaning. Sequor, sequi, secutus sum looks passive, but it translates actively (“I follow,” “to follow”). You recognize deponents because they lack active forms in the present system yet translate as active.
Why is there a colon before the advice, and how is the quotation handled in Latin?
The colon introduces what the teacher’s advice is. Latin texts (especially modern editions) often use punctuation much like English, but ancient manuscripts had little or no punctuation. The quoted advice is presented as direct speech: Si verba nova discere vis, epistulas breves scribe.
In Si verba nova discere vis, why is discere an infinitive?
Because vis (“you want”) takes a complementary infinitive: discere vis = “you want to learn.” This is the same pattern as English “want to learn.”
Why is it vis (not vult), and what person/number is it?
Vis is 2nd person singular present of volo: “you want.” It matches the implied “you” in the conditional advice. Vult would be “he/she wants.”
What cases are verba nova and epistulas breves, and why?
Both are accusative plural.
- Verba nova is the object of discere (“to learn new words”), so accusative.
- Epistulas breves is the object of the imperative scribe (“write short letters”), so accusative.
Why is the command scribe singular, and what tense/mood is it?
Scribe is the 2nd person singular present imperative of scribere: “write!” It’s singular because the advice addresses one person (generic “you”). If addressing multiple people, it would be scribite.
Why does Latin say nova verba / verba nova—does the word order change the meaning?
Usually both mean “new words,” and Latin word order is flexible. Sometimes placing the adjective after the noun (as in verba nova) can sound slightly more descriptive or emphatic (“words—new ones”), but in many contexts it’s just normal variation.
Is the Si ... , ... construction using the subjunctive? Why is everything indicative/imperative here?
This is a straightforward, practical condition: Si ... vis ... , ... scribe. The condition uses the indicative (vis) and the result is an imperative (scribe). Subjunctives are more typical for “would”/counterfactual or more nuanced conditions (e.g., si velis, scribas in certain styles), but this sentence chooses the direct “If you want X, do Y.”