Medica dicit dolorem in pectore non gravem esse.

to be

Breakdown of Medica dicit dolorem in pectore non gravem esse.

• in: in
• non: not
• dicere: to say

Questions & Answers about Medica dicit dolorem in pectore non gravem esse.

What does medica mean here, and what case is it?

Medica is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative singular.

It is the feminine form, so it means female doctor (or woman doctor). If the doctor were male, you would expect medicus instead.

So:

• medica = nominative singular
• function = subject of dicit

Why is dolorem accusative instead of dolor?

This is one of the most important features of the sentence.

After a verb like dicit (says), Latin often uses indirect statement, also called the accusative-and-infinitive construction.

In a direct statement, you would have:

• dolor in pectore non gravis est = the pain in the chest is not serious

But after dicit, Latin changes that to indirect statement:

• dolorem in pectore non gravem esse

So:

• dolor → dolorem
• est → esse

That is why dolorem is accusative.

Why is esse used here?