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Puella matri epistulam ostendit.

Puella matri epistulam ostendit.
The girl shows the letter to her mother.
FromLesson 10inHardcore Latin

Breakdown of Puella matri epistulam ostendit.

puella
the girl
mater
to the mother
epistula
the letter
ostendere
to show

Questions & Answers about Puella matri epistulam ostendit.

How do I know who is doing the action in Puella matri epistulam ostendit?
The subject is puella because it is nominative singular (the “dictionary” form for a 1st‑declension noun). Nominative is typically used for the person/thing performing the verb’s action. So puella = the girl (as subject).
Why is matri in that form? What case is it?
Matri is dative singular of mater, matris (mother), a 3rd‑declension noun. The dative commonly marks the indirect object, i.e., the person to/for whom something is done. Here: the letter is shown to the mother.
Why is epistulam in the accusative?
Epistulam is accusative singular of epistula (letter), a 1st‑declension noun. The accusative commonly marks the direct object, the thing directly affected by the verb. Here: the girl shows the letter.
What does ostendit mean grammatically (tense/person/voice)?

Ostendit is 3rd person singular (he/she/it), active voice, indicative mood of ostendere (to show).
One complication: written without vowel-length marks, ostendit can be present (“shows/is showing”) or perfect (“showed/has shown”). Usually you tell from context.

Why doesn’t Latin use a word for to (as in “to the mother”)?
Latin often expresses “to/for” relationships with the dative case rather than a preposition. So instead of “to the mother,” Latin can simply use matri (dative).
Does the word order matter? Why is matri before epistulam?

Latin word order is flexible because endings show grammatical roles. All of these can mean essentially the same thing:

  • Puella matri epistulam ostendit.
  • Puella epistulam matri ostendit.
  • Epistulam puella matri ostendit.
    Different orders can shift emphasis (what’s highlighted), but the case endings keep the basic meaning clear.
Where are the words for a and the?
Classical Latin has no articles like English a/an/the. Context supplies whether it’s best translated as a girl or the girl, a letter or the letter, etc.
Could Latin leave out puella entirely?

Yes. Because ostendit already means (he/she/it) shows, Latin can omit the explicit subject if it’s understood from context:

  • Matri epistulam ostendit. = She/he shows the letter to (his/her) mother.
    You’d add puella if you want to clarify or emphasize the girl.
Why is mater (mother) not 1st declension like puella?

Nouns belong to different declensions based on their stems/endings.

  • puella, puellae is 1st declension.
  • mater, matris is 3rd declension (note the genitive matris, and the dative matri).
    So their case endings differ even though both are feminine nouns.
How would I say to her mother (i.e., specifying “her”)?

You’d usually add a possessive adjective:

  • Puella matri suae epistulam ostendit. = the girl shows the letter to her (own) mother.
    suae agrees with matri (feminine, dative singular).
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