Questions & Answers about Hic titulus brevior est quam ille.
Why does hic mean this here, and what form is it?
Hic is the masculine singular nominative form of the demonstrative pronoun/adjective meaning this.
In this sentence, it goes with titulus because both are:
- masculine
- singular
- nominative
So hic titulus means this title or this inscription.
Latin demonstratives change form depending on gender, number, and case. For example:
- hic titulus = this title
- haec epistula = this letter
- hoc verbum = this word
What exactly is titulus?
Titulus is a masculine noun, here in the nominative singular.
Depending on context, it can mean things like:
- title
- label
- heading
- inscription
In this sentence, it is the subject of est, so hic titulus is the thing being described as shorter.
Why is it brevior and not brevis?
Brevis means short in the normal, positive degree.
But the sentence is making a comparison: shorter than that one.
So Latin uses the comparative form: = .