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