Questions & Answers about Puer clavem tenet et ianuam aperit.
Why is it puer and not puerum?
Because puer is the subject of the sentence (the person doing the actions). In Latin, the subject is normally in the nominative case, and puer is nominative singular. Puerum would be accusative and would usually be used for a direct object (the thing acted on).
What case are clavem and ianuam, and how can I tell?
Both clavem (key) and ianuam (door) are direct objects, so they are in the accusative singular. You can tell partly by form:
- clavis (nom. sg., 3rd declension) → clavem (acc. sg.)
- ianua (nom. sg., 1st declension) → ianuam (acc. sg.) And you can tell by function: they are the things being held and opened.
Why does Latin not use a word for a/the (articles) here?
Classical Latin has no definite or indefinite articles like English the / a. The sentence can mean the boy holds the key and opens the door or a boy holds a key and opens a door depending on context. If Latin needs to be more specific, it can use demonstratives like hic (this), ille (that), or is (that/he).