Canis sub lecto iacet, et infans eum tangere vult.

The dog lies under the bed, and the baby wants to touch him.

Breakdown of Canis sub lecto iacet, et infans eum tangere vult.

• et: and
• canis: the dog
• eum: him
• velle: to want

Questions & Answers about Canis sub lecto iacet, et infans eum tangere vult.

Why is it sub lecto and not sub lectum?

Because sub can take two different cases:

• ablative for location: under the bed
• accusative for motion toward a place: to under the bed / under the bed in the sense of movement

Here the dog is already there, lying still, so Latin uses the ablative: sub lecto.

Compare:

• Canis sub lecto iacet = the dog is lying under the bed
• Canis sub lectum currit = the dog runs under the bed

So lecto is ablative singular.

What case is canis, and how do I know it is the subject?

Canis is nominative singular, so it is the subject of iacet.

A few clues help:

• iacet is a singular verb, so it needs a singular subject.
• canis is the dictionary form of the noun: canis, canis
• if it were the direct object, you would normally expect canem, not canis

So canis is the one doing the action: the dog is lying there.

What exactly does iacet mean?

Iacet comes from iaceo, iacere and means or .