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Subito nuntius venit et dicit certum esse hostes prope urbem manere.

Subito nuntius venit et dicit certum esse hostes prope urbem manere.
Suddenly a messenger comes and says that it is certain that enemies are staying near the city.
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Questions & Answers about Subito nuntius venit et dicit certum esse hostes prope urbem manere.

What does subito mean grammatically, and what does it modify?

Subito is an adverb meaning suddenly. It modifies the whole event of nuntius venit (a messenger comes/arrived), telling you the manner or suddenness of the arrival.

How do I know what the subject is in Subito nuntius venit et dicit?

Nuntius is nominative singular, so it is the subject of both verbs: venit and dicit. The et simply links two actions with the same subject: the messenger came/comes and says.

Why is dicit present tense instead of dixit?

Latin often uses the historical present in storytelling: a past narrative is made vivid by switching to the present tense (especially for key actions like speaking). So dicit can be best understood as said in English, even though it is morphologically present. (You could also write dixit in a more straightforward past narration.)

Is venit present or perfect? How can I tell?

Venit can be either:

  • present: he comes
  • perfect: he came / he has come

Context decides. With subito and a narrative feel (plus possibly historical present dicit), it’s very natural to take venit as perfect (came) and dicit as historical present (says/said).

Why does the sentence use certum esse instead of certum est?

Because it’s inside an indirect statement after dicit. Latin typically reports statements using accusative + infinitive, so he says that it is certain… becomes dicit certum esse… rather than dicit certum est….

What exactly is certum here? What does it agree with?

Certum is a neuter adjective used impersonally/substantively: (it is) certain. It doesn’t agree with a noun; it functions like an impersonal predicate: certum esse = to be certain / that it is certain.

Why is hostes accusative (hostes) instead of nominative (hostēs)?

Because hostes is the subject of the infinitive manere within an indirect statement. In Latin indirect statement, the subject is put in the accusative, even though it translates as a subject in English:

  • hostēs manent = the enemies are staying (direct statement)
  • (dicit) hostēs manēre = (he says) that the enemies are staying (indirect statement)
Why is manere an infinitive and not a finite verb like manent?

Again, because it’s part of the indirect statement after dicit. Latin reports the content of what someone says using an infinitive:

  • direct: hostes manent
  • indirect: dicit hostes manere
How does prope urbem work—why is urbem accusative?

Prope is a preposition that takes the accusative. So prope urbem literally means near the city, with urbem as the object of prope.

What is the structure of the whole reported message after dicit?

After dicit, you have an indirect statement whose core is:

  • certum esse = that it is certain
  • and then what is “certain” is another infinitive idea: hostes … manere = that the enemies are staying…

So the chain is: dicit [certum esse [hostes prope urbem manere]].

Could the Latin have said dicit hostes prope urbem manere without certum esse?

Yes. That would simply mean he says that the enemies are staying near the city. Adding certum esse strengthens it to he says that it is certain/definite that…, i.e. stressing reliability.

Is the word order certum esse hostes prope urbem manere special?
It’s very typical. Latin often places certum esse early as the “frame” (it is certain) and then gives the content (hostes… manere) afterward. You could reorder for emphasis, but this order is straightforward and common for indirect statement.