Mater puerum rogat: “Cur fles?”

the boy

Breakdown of Mater puerum rogat: “Cur fles?”

• mater: the mother
• rogare: to ask
• cur: why

Questions & Answers about Mater puerum rogat: “Cur fles?”

Why is puerum ending in -um?

Because puerum is the direct object of rogat.

• rogat = asks
• The person being asked is put in the accusative case
• puer = boy (nominative)
• puerum = boy (accusative)

So Mater puerum rogat means The mother asks the boy.

Why is mater not matrem?

Because mater is the subject of the verb rogat.

In Latin:

• the subject is usually in the nominative
• the direct object is usually in the accusative

So here:

• mater = nominative, the mother as the one doing the asking
• puerum = accusative, the boy as the one being asked

What form is rogat?