Breakdown of Magistra unam quaestionem ponit, et discipula breve responsum dat.
et
and
magistra
the female teacher
discipula
the female student
dare
to give
Questions & Answers about Magistra unam quaestionem ponit, et discipula breve responsum dat.
Does magistra mean specifically a female teacher, and discipula a female student?
Yes. Both nouns are feminine:
- magistra = a female teacher
- discipula = a female student
If they were male, Latin would usually use magister and discipulus. Latin often shows gender directly in the noun itself.
Why is it unam quaestionem and not una quaestio?
Because this phrase is the direct object of ponit.
The teacher is doing something to the question, so question must be in the accusative singular:
- quaestio = nominative, a question as subject
- quaestionem = accusative, a question as object
The adjective unam also has to match quaestionem in gender, number, and case:
- feminine
- singular
- accusative
So unam quaestionem means one question as the object of the verb.
What exactly does ponit mean here?