Magistra dicit responsum eius verum esse.

The teacher says that his answer is true.

Breakdown of Magistra dicit responsum eius verum esse.

• esse: to be
• magistra: the female teacher
• dicere: to say
• verus: true

Questions & Answers about Magistra dicit responsum eius verum esse.

What is the basic grammar of this sentence? Which word is doing what?

A quick breakdown:

• magistra = the teacher; nominative singular, so it is the subject of dicit
• dicit = says; 3rd person singular present
• responsum = answer; accusative singular
• eius = his / her / its; genitive singular, modifying responsum
• verum = true; accusative singular neuter, agreeing with responsum
• esse = to be

The main clause is:

• Magistra dicit = The teacher says

Then the rest, responsum eius verum esse, is what she says.

This is a very common Latin pattern called an indirect statement.

Why is esse used instead of est?

Because after verbs like dicit (says), Latin often uses an indirect statement construction.

In English, we usually say:

• The teacher says that his/her answer is true.

In Latin, instead of using a word like that plus a normal finite verb (est), Latin usually uses:

• accusative + infinitive

So:

• direct statement: Responsum eius verum est = His/her answer is true