Learn Hardcore Latin: In initio fabulae una pars facilis est, sed postea alia pars difficilior fit. - At the beginning of the story one part is easy, but later another part becomes more difficult.

Word

In initio fabulae una pars facilis est, sed postea alia pars difficilior fit.

Meaning

At the beginning of the story one part is easy, but later another part becomes more difficult.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Latin

Lesson

Lesson 21

Breakdown of In initio fabulae una pars facilis est, sed postea alia pars difficilior fit.

Questions & Answers about In initio fabulae una pars facilis est, sed postea alia pars difficilior fit.

Why is it in initio and not just initio?

Because in with the ablative often means in, on, at in a location or time sense.

Here initio is the ablative singular of initium (beginning), so in initio means at the beginning or in the beginning.

A learner may notice that Latin sometimes uses the ablative by itself for time expressions, but in initio is a perfectly normal way to say at the beginning.

What case is initio, and how can I tell?

Initio is ablative singular.

It comes from the 2nd-declension neuter noun initium, initii. Its ablative singular ending is -o, so:

nominative: initium
genitive: initii
ablative: initio

It is ablative here because it follows in in a location/time expression: in initio.

Why is fabulae in the genitive?

Because it means of the story.

The phrase initio fabulae literally means the beginning of the story. In Latin, possession or close relationship like of the story is usually shown with the genitive case.