Questions & Answers about Puer currens matrem vocat.
Why is puer the subject of the sentence?
Because puer is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject in Latin.
So in this sentence:
- puer = the boy
- vocat = calls
That gives the boy calls.
Latin often shows who is doing the action through case endings, not just word order.
Why is matrem not mater?
Because matrem is in the accusative singular, which is the case used for the direct object.
Here, the mother is the person being called, not the one doing the calling.
So:
- mater = mother as a subject
- matrem = mother as a direct object
That is why Latin uses matrem vocat for calls mother / calls his mother.
What is currens doing in the sentence?
Currens is a present participle. It means running.
A participle is a verbal adjective, so it has qualities of both:
- a verb: it comes from currere, meaning to run
- an adjective: it describes a noun