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Duo nautae navem parant ut cras e portu exeat.

Duo nautae navem parant ut cras e portu exeat.
Two sailors prepare the ship so that tomorrow it may leave the harbor.
FromLesson 12inHardcore Latin
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Questions & Answers about Duo nautae navem parant ut cras e portu exeat.

Why does duo look different from duos? Which one is correct here?

Duo is the nominative masculine form of duo, duae, duo (two). Since it describes the subject (nautae, sailors) and the subject is nominative, you use duo.
Duos would be accusative masculine (I see two sailors = duos nautas video).

What case is nautae, and why?

Nautae is nominative plural, so it functions as the subject: Duo nautae … parant = Two sailors prepare…
Even though nauta is a first-declension noun (often associated with feminine), it is typically masculine when it means sailor.

Why is navem in that form?
Navem is accusative singular of navis, navis (ship). It is the direct object of parant (they prepare), so it goes in the accusative.
How do we know parant means they prepare?

Parant is 3rd person plural present active indicative of paro, parare.
Ending -nt in the present tense typically signals they: amant (they love), habent (they have), parant (they prepare).

Why is the word order so different from English? Do I have to translate in that order?

Latin word order is flexible because endings show grammatical roles. Here, the core structure is still:

  • Subject: duo nautae
  • Verb: parant
  • Object: navem
    Then the purpose clause: ut … exeat
    You don’t translate mechanically in Latin word order; you identify roles by endings, then render natural English.
What does ut do here?

Ut introduces a purpose clause: in order that / so that.
A very common pattern is: verb of intending/doing + ut + subjunctive, meaning do X so that Y happens.

Why is exeat subjunctive, and what form is it?

Because it’s in a purpose clause introduced by ut, Latin requires the subjunctive.
Exeat is 3rd person singular present active subjunctive of exeo, exire (to go out, depart). It literally means may go out / should go out, but in purpose clauses it’s best translated as a normal English verb: so that it leaves.

Why is exeat singular if we have two sailors?

Because exeat refers to navem (the ship), not to the sailors. The sailors are preparing the ship so that the ship departs.
So the subject of exeat is navis (understood), which is singular.

What is cras grammatically? Is it a noun?
Cras is an adverb meaning tomorrow. It doesn’t change form and doesn’t take a case ending.
Why is it e portu and not something like ex portus?

E/ex means out of / from, and it takes the ablative case.
Portu is ablative singular of portus, portus (harbor/port), a 4th-declension noun.
So e portu = from (the) harbor. (E is used before a consonant; ex often before a vowel or for emphasis.)

What’s the difference between e and ex? Are they interchangeable?

They mean the same thing (out of/from) and both govern the ablative.
Common guideline: e before consonants (e portu), ex before vowels (ex urbe), though authors sometimes vary.

Is this an example of “sequence of tenses”? Why is the subjunctive present?

Yes, it follows the normal sequence: a present main verb (parant) typically takes a present subjunctive in a purpose clause (exeat) when the purpose is contemporaneous or future relative to the main verb.
Even though cras makes it explicitly future (tomorrow), Latin still commonly uses the present subjunctive in purpose clauses.

Could Latin have used an infinitive instead of ut + subjunctive?

Not in this meaning. Latin generally uses ut + subjunctive for purpose (so that…).
The infinitive is used mainly for indirect statement (They say that the ship is leaving = dicunt navem exire), which is a different construction.