Breakdown of Mater filiam flentem videt; lacrimae in vultu puellae sunt.
esse
to be
puella
the girl
videre
to see
in
on
Questions & Answers about Mater filiam flentem videt; lacrimae in vultu puellae sunt.
Why is filiam used instead of filia?
Because filiam is the accusative singular form of filia.
In this sentence, the mother is the one doing the seeing, so mater is the subject. The daughter is the one being seen, so filiam is the direct object of videt.
- mater = mother
- filia = daughter
- filiam = daughter (as object)
A native English speaker often expects word order to show this, but in Latin the ending is what matters most.
What does flentem mean, and what kind of word is it?
Flentem is a present participle, from the verb flere, meaning to cry or to weep.
A present participle often works like an adjective, but with a verbal sense. So flentem means:
- crying
- weeping
In filiam flentem, it describes the daughter as crying.
So the phrase means something like the crying daughter or the daughter who is crying.
Why is it flentem and not flens?
Because flentem has to agree with filiam.