Questions & Answers about Servus rogat dominum: “Cuius est hic liber?”
Why does servus mean “the slave” and not “a slave”? Where is the/a in Latin?
Latin has no articles (the / a / an). A bare noun like servus can mean a slave or the slave depending on context. In a story, once a character has been introduced, English often uses the even though Latin still just says servus.
What case is servus, and how do I know it’s the subject?
Servus is nominative singular (2nd declension). The nominative is typically the subject of the clause. So servus rogat = “the slave asks.”
Why is the verb rogat ending in -t? What person/number is it?
Rogat is 3rd person singular present active indicative of rogāre (“to ask”). The -t ending usually marks he/she/it in the present tense: (he) asks.
Why is dominum in the accusative? How does rogāre work?
In servus rogat dominum, dominum is accusative singular because rogāre takes a direct object: you “ask someone.”So = “the master” as the person being asked.