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Mater medicum vocat, ut puerum sanet.

Mater medicum vocat, ut puerum sanet.
Mother calls the doctor, so that he may heal the boy.
FromLesson 12inHardcore Latin
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Questions & Answers about Mater medicum vocat, ut puerum sanet.

Why is mater in the nominative, and how do I know it’s the subject?
Mater is nominative singular (3rd declension), which is the standard case for the subject of a finite verb. The verb vocat is 3rd person singular, so it matches a singular subject like mater. Even though Latin word order is flexible, nominative + verb agreement is a strong signal that mater is doing the action.
Why is medicum in the accusative?
Vocare (vocat) is a transitive verb meaning to call/summon, so it takes a direct object in the accusative. Medicum is accusative singular of medicus (doctor), so it is the person being called.
What case is puerum, and why is it accusative too?

Puerum is accusative singular of puer (boy). In the ut-clause (ut puerum sanet), puerum is the direct object of sanet (cure). So you get two accusatives in the sentence for two different verbs:

  • medicum = object of vocat
  • puerum = object of sanet
What does ut mean here, and what kind of clause is it introducing?
Ut here introduces a purpose clause: in order that / so that. The idea is that the mother calls the doctor for the purpose of having the boy cured.
Why is sanet in the subjunctive instead of the indicative (sanat)?
In Latin, purpose clauses introduced by ut normally take the subjunctive. So sanet (present subjunctive) is expected after ut when the clause expresses an aim/goal. Using sanat would make it a plain statement (he cures) rather than a purpose (so that he may cure).
What tense is sanet, and does it mean present or future in English?
Sanet is present subjunctive, but in a purpose clause it usually expresses an action that is intended or anticipated relative to the main verb. English often renders that as to cure or so that he may cure / can cure, which can feel “future-ish” even though Latin uses the present subjunctive.
Who is understood as the subject of sanet?
The subject of sanet is not stated, but it’s normally understood from context: the person the mother is calling—the doctor. So the sense is (the mother calls the doctor) so that (he) may cure the boy.
Could Latin have used an infinitive instead, like “calls the doctor to cure the boy”?
Latin can sometimes use an infinitive of purpose in limited ways (more common with verbs of motion and the supine, e.g., venit rogatum), but with vocare the standard, clear way to express purpose is ut + subjunctive: ut ... sanet.
Is vocare just “to call,” like “to name,” or is it “to summon”?

It can be both depending on context:

  • vocare aliquem can mean to call/summon someone (as here: call for the doctor).
  • vocare aliquem aliquid can mean to call someone something / name (e.g., eum amicum vocat = she calls him a friend). In this sentence, the structure mater medicum vocat clearly fits summon/call for.
Why is there a comma before ut?
It’s common (especially in teaching texts and many editions) to separate the main clause from a following subordinate clause with a comma: Mater medicum vocat, ut.... Latin manuscripts didn’t use punctuation the way modern languages do, but modern editors add it for readability.
Can the word order be changed without changing the meaning?

Often, yes. The grammatical roles are carried mainly by endings, not position. For example:

  • Medicum mater vocat, ut puerum sanet still means the same basic thing. However, word order can shift emphasis. Putting medicum first can spotlight the doctor as important/new information.
What are the dictionary forms (principal parts) of the key words?
  • mater, matris (f.) = mother
  • medicus, -i (m.) = doctor
  • voco, vocare, vocavi, vocatum = call, summon
  • puer, pueri (m.) = boy
  • sano, sanare, sanavi, sanatum = heal, cure
  • ut = so that, in order that (also: as/when in other contexts)
How would the sentence change if the purpose were negative (“so that he does not cure”)?

A negative purpose clause uses ne instead of ut, still with the subjunctive:

  • Mater medicum vocat, ne puerum sanet. This would mean she calls the doctor so that he may not cure the boy (odd in real life, but grammatically correct).