Breakdown of Discipula tacet, quamquam amicitiam amat.
discipula
the female student
amicitia
the friendship
tacere
to be silent
quamquam
although
Questions & Answers about Discipula tacet, quamquam amicitiam amat.
Why is discipula in the form discipula? What case is it?
Discipula is nominative singular, the subject of tacet (is silent). It’s a 1st declension noun meaning (female) student/pupil. The sentence is about what the student does, so nominative is the default case for the subject.
What tense/person is tacet? Why not taceo or tacuit?
Tacet is 3rd person singular, present indicative active from tacēre (to be silent): she is silent.
- taceo would be 1st person singular: I am silent.
- tacuit would be 3rd person singular perfect: she was silent / she has been silent.
Does Latin need a word for she here? How do we know it’s she?
No. Latin often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person/number. Here tacet = he/she/it is silent. We choose she in English because discipula is feminine.
What does quamquam do in the sentence?
means and introduces a : a clause that gives a contrast to the main idea.Structure here: