Breakdown of Puer annulum matri tradere conatur.
puer
the boy
mater
to the mother
annulus
the ring
tradere
to hand
Questions & Answers about Puer annulum matri tradere conatur.
How do I know puer is the subject?
Because puer is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.
- puer = boy
- nominative singular of puer, pueri
So puer is the boy / a boy, the one doing the action.
Why is annulum ending in -um?
Because annulum is the direct object, and it is in the accusative singular.
The verb idea is to hand over something. The thing being handed over is the ring, so Latin puts annulus into the accusative:
- dictionary form: annulus = ring
- accusative singular: annulum
So annulum means the ring / a ring as the thing directly affected by the action.
Why is it matri and not matrem?
Because matri is dative singular, and the dative is often used for the indirect object.
In English, we say:
- The boy tries to hand the ring to his mother.
The person receiving the thing is the mother, so Latin uses the dative:
- dictionary form: =