Maritus dicit se annulum uxori tradere velle.

The husband says that he wants to hand the ring to his wife.

Breakdown of Maritus dicit se annulum uxori tradere velle.

• dicere: to say
• velle: to want
• se: himself
• uxor: the wife

Questions & Answers about Maritus dicit se annulum uxori tradere velle.

Why is there no Latin word for that after dicit?

Because Latin often expresses reported statements with an accusative-and-infinitive construction instead of a separate word like that.

So instead of saying:

• The husband says that he wants ...

Latin says, more literally:

• The husband says himself to want ...

That is why after dicit you get se ... velle, not a clause introduced by a word meaning that.

Why is se used here?

Se is the reflexive pronoun, meaning himself / herself / themselves depending on context.

Here it refers back to maritus, the subject of dicit. So:

• maritus dicit se ... velle
  = the husband says that he wants ...

Latin uses se because the person who is said to want something is the same person as the subject of the main verb.

Why is it se and not is/eum?

Because se refers back to the subject of the main clause, while is/eum would normally refer to some other person.

So:

• maritus dicit se velle = the husband says that he himself wants
• =