Breakdown of Puer clavem invenit et matri dicit se eam in via invenisse.
Questions & Answers about Puer clavem invenit et matri dicit se eam in via invenisse.
Because clavem is the accusative singular of clavis, clāvis (key). It’s the direct object of invenit (found), so Latin uses the accusative:
- puer (subject, nominative)
- clavem (object, accusative)
matri is dative singular of māter, mātris (mother). The dative is used for the indirect object, i.e. the person to whom something is said:
- matri dicit = he says to (his) mother
Latin commonly uses the dative with verbs of speaking/telling to mean to someone, without a preposition. ad + accusative can mean to/toward, but it often emphasizes movement toward or direction, not simply the recipient of speech. Here, matri is the standard choice.