Word
Magister dicit se exemplum bonum in tabula scripturum esse.
Meaning
The teacher says that he will write a good example on the board.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Magister dicit se exemplum bonum in tabula scripturum esse.
esse
to be
magister
the teacher
in
on
bonus
good
Questions & Answers about Magister dicit se exemplum bonum in tabula scripturum esse.
What construction is se exemplum bonum in tabula scripturum esse after dicit?
It is an indirect statement (also called an accusative-and-infinitive construction).
Latin often reports what someone says, thinks, knows, hears, etc. by using:
- a main verb like dicit
- a subject in the accusative
- an infinitive
So here:
- Magister dicit = The teacher says
- se ... scripturum esse = that he will write ...
English usually uses that + a finite verb, but Latin usually uses the accusative + infinitive instead.
Why is the word se used here?
Se is the reflexive pronoun. It refers back to the subject of the main verb, here magister.
So:
- Magister dicit se ... scripturum esse = The teacher says that he himself will write ...
If Latin wanted to say that the teacher says someone else will write, it would use a different accusative pronoun, such as eum.
Compare:
- Magister dicit se scripturum esse = The teacher says that he will write
- Magister dicit eum scripturum esse = The teacher says that he / that other man will write