Breakdown of Mater in bibliotheca libros veteres libenter legit.
in
in
legere
to read
vetus
old
libenter
gladly
Questions & Answers about Mater in bibliotheca libros veteres libenter legit.
Why does mater mean (the) mother and why is it the subject?
Mater is a 3rd-declension noun meaning mother. Here it’s in the nominative singular form (mater), which is typically used for the subject of the sentence—the person doing the action (legit, reads).
Why is in bibliotheca used, and what case is bibliotheca?
In bibliotheca means in the library. With in showing location (where?), Latin uses the ablative case. Bibliotheca is therefore ablative singular (from bibliotheca, -ae).
Could in ever take a different case than the ablative?
Yes. In + ablative = in/on (where?): location, as here (in bibliotheca = in the library).
In + accusative = into/onto (where to?): motion toward, e.g. in bibliothecam = into the library.
Why is libros in the accusative?
Because libros is the direct object of legit—the thing being read. Many verbs that take a direct object put that object in the case. (book) has accusative plural .