Breakdown of Discipuli bellum timent, sed pacem sperant.
discipulus
the student
sed
but
bellum
the war
pax
the peace
Questions & Answers about Discipuli bellum timent, sed pacem sperant.
Why is discipuli the subject, and what case/number is it?
Discipuli is nominative plural of discipulus, -i (student/pupil).
In Latin, the subject of a finite verb is typically in the nominative case. Since both verbs (timent, sperant) are plural, discipuli naturally matches as their subject: the students.
How do we know timent means they fear (and not I fear, you fear, etc.)?
Because the verb ending tells you the person and number:
- timent = 3rd person plural present active indicative of timēre
So it means they fear.
Likewise:
- sperant = 3rd person plural present active indicative of spērāre = they hope (for)
Why are bellum and pacem in the accusative case?
Both are direct objects of their verbs:
- timent takes a direct object: they fear (what?) → bellum
- sperant takes a direct object: they hope for (what?) →