Word
Ad sinistram taberna est, ad dextram autem bibliotheca.
Meaning
On the left there is a shop, but on the right there is a library.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Ad sinistram taberna est, ad dextram autem bibliotheca.
esse
to be
taberna
the shop
autem
but
bibliotheca
the library
Questions & Answers about Ad sinistram taberna est, ad dextram autem bibliotheca.
Why are sinistram and dextram in the accusative?
Because they follow ad, and ad takes the accusative case.
In this sentence, ad sinistram and ad dextram mean on the left and on the right more literally to the left side and to the right side. Latin often uses ad + accusative for position in expressions like this.
So:
- sinistra = left side
- dextra = right side
- ad sinistram = to/on the left
- ad dextram = to/on the right
Even though English uses on, Latin uses ad here.
Why are sinistram and dextram feminine?
They are feminine because they come from feminine nouns:
- sinistra, -ae = left hand / left side
- dextra, -ae = right hand / right side
In this sentence, the words are being used almost like shortened expressions for the left side and the right side, so they stay feminine.
Their forms are:
- sinistram = accusative singular feminine
- dextram = accusative singular feminine
That matches what ad requires.
Why are taberna and nominative?