In officina vicinus scuta non facit, sed mensas parvas ponit.

In the workshop the neighbor does not make shields, but places small tables.

Breakdown of In officina vicinus scuta non facit, sed mensas parvas ponit.

• in: in
• parvus: small
• mensa: the table
• non: not

Questions & Answers about In officina vicinus scuta non facit, sed mensas parvas ponit.

Why is in officina in the ablative case?

Because in can take either the ablative or the accusative, depending on the meaning.

• in + ablative = in / on / at a place, with no motion
• in + accusative = into / onto a place, with motion toward it

Here, in officina means in the workshop, so it describes location, not movement. That is why officina is ablative.

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How would this be different if the sentence meant into the workshop?

Then Latin would use in with the accusative instead of the ablative.

So:

• in officina = in the workshop
• in officinam = into the workshop

That is a very common Latin pattern to learn early.

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Why does vicinus mean the neighbor when there is no word for the?

Latin usually does not use articles like English the or a/an.

So vicinus can mean:

• the neighbor
• a neighbor
• sometimes just neighbor, depending on context