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Servus cito lucernam accendit, ut domina epistulam legere possit.

Servus cito lucernam accendit, ut domina epistulam legere possit.
The servant quickly lights the lamp, so that the mistress can read the letter.
FromLesson 13inHardcore Latin
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Questions & Answers about Servus cito lucernam accendit, ut domina epistulam legere possit.

How do I know which word is the subject, since Latin word order is flexible?

The subject is usually shown by the nominative case. Here servus is nominative singular (the slave) and matches accendit (he lights / lit).
In the ut-clause, domina is nominative singular (the mistress) and is the subject of possit.

Why are lucernam and epistulam in the accusative case?

They are direct objects of their verbs:

  • lucernam (accusative) is what the slave lights: lucernam accendit.
  • epistulam (accusative) is what the mistress reads: epistulam legere.
What exactly does cito do in the sentence?

cito is an adverb meaning quickly. It modifies the verb accendit: the slave lights the lamp quickly.
Latin can place adverbs in several spots; here it’s placed early for emphasis and flow: Servus cito ... accendit.

Why does Latin use ut here, and what kind of clause is it?

ut introduces a purpose clause: ut domina epistulam legere possit = so that the mistress can read the letter.
A typical clue is ut + subjunctive without special “result markers” (like tam, ita, sic, etc.), so the natural reading is purpose.

Why is possit in the subjunctive?

In Latin, a purpose clause takes the subjunctive mood.
So possit is present subjunctive of possum: she may be able / can (in the sense of intended outcome).

What form is possit, exactly?

possit = 3rd person singular, present subjunctive, active of possum, posse (to be able).
It refers to domina (she).

Why is legere an infinitive instead of a finite verb like legat?

Because possum commonly takes a complementary infinitive:

  • possum + infinitive = to be able to + verb
    So legere possit literally means can be able to read → normal English: can read.
Could the main verb accendit be present or perfect? How can I tell?

Yes—accendit can be either:

  • present: he lights
  • perfect: he lit / has lit
    The form looks the same.

Often you tell from context. Also, the tense in the purpose clause can give a hint: with a clearly historic perfect main verb, you often expect imperfect subjunctive (posset) in the purpose clause. Since we have possit (present subjunctive), that fits nicely with accendit understood as present (or as a perfect with “present relevance,” depending on context).

Why is domina nominative instead of dative (dominae) if the slave is doing something “for” her?

Because in this sentence the mistress is not just a recipient; she is the doer of the action in the ut-clause.
Latin makes her the grammatical subject: domina ... possit = the mistress can....
If you wanted for the mistress as an indirect object idea, you’d need a different structure (often with a dative and a different main-clause verb), but here the “for her” meaning is expressed through the purpose clause itself.

Why is there a comma before ut?

It’s common (especially in teaching texts) to separate the main clause from a following purpose clause with a comma:
Servus ... accendit, ut ... possit.
Latin manuscripts didn’t originally rely on modern punctuation, so commas are editorial/modern aids rather than strict “rules,” but this comma reflects the clause break clearly.