Questions & Answers about Puer flens matrem vocat.
Why is puer in the form puer, but matrem ends in -em?
Because they are in different cases.
- puer is nominative singular, the case usually used for the subject of the sentence.
- matrem is accusative singular, the case usually used for the direct object.
So in Puer flens matrem vocat:
- puer = the one doing the action
- matrem = the person being called
The different endings show their jobs in the sentence.
Why is matrem accusative?
Because vocat means calls, and the person being called is the direct object of that verb.
In Latin, the direct object is normally put in the accusative case. So:
- mater = mother, as a dictionary form
- matrem = mother, as a direct object
That is why Latin uses matrem, not mater, here.
What exactly is flens?
flens is the present active participle of flere, meaning crying or weeping.
A participle is a verbal adjective: it comes from a verb, but it describes a noun.