Donum a vicina traditur, et ab uxore libenter accipitur.

and

Breakdown of Donum a vicina traditur, et ab uxore libenter accipitur.

• accipere: to receive
• libenter: gladly
• uxor: the wife

Questions & Answers about Donum a vicina traditur, et ab uxore libenter accipitur.

Why is donum in the nominative case?

Because donum is the subject of the sentence. In Latin, a passive verb takes its subject in the nominative, just as in English:

• The gift is handed over
• The gift is gladly received

Even though the gift is not doing the action, it is still the grammatical subject of both passive verbs.

Why are traditur and accipitur translated with is in English?

Because both verbs are present passive forms:

• traditur = is handed over / is delivered
• accipitur = is received

Latin often builds the passive directly into the verb ending, instead of using a separate word like is. So one Latin word can correspond to two English words.

How do I know traditur and accipitur are passive?

The endings show it. In the present tense, third-person singular passive verbs often end in -tur:

• tradit = he/she/it hands over

• traditur = he/she/it is handed over

• accipit = he/she/it receives
• accipitur = he/she/it is received

So the -tur ending is a major clue that the verb is passive.