Questions & Answers about Turba actoribus plaudit, et ego etiam plaudo.
Why is turba (crowd) singular if it refers to many people?
Turba is a singular collective noun in Latin, like a crowd in English. So the verb is singular: plaudit = (the crowd) applauds. Latin can also use plurals like homines/cives if it wants to emphasize individuals, but turba treats them as one group.
Why does actoribus end in -ibus? What case is it, and what does it mean here?
Actoribus is dative plural of actor, actoris (actor). With plaudere, Latin commonly uses the dative for the person being applauded:
- plaudere alicui = to applaud someone (literally, to clap for someone).
So turba actoribus plaudit = the crowd applauds the actors.
Could it be ablative instead of dative (since -ibus can be either)?
In form, actoribus could be dative or ablative plural, but in this sentence it’s understood as dative, because that’s the normal construction with plaudere. An ablative meaning (like by/with/from the actors) wouldn’t make sense with plaudit here.
What is the dictionary form of plaudit and , and why are they different?