Breakdown of Avia dicit amicitiam bonam servandam esse.
esse
to be
bonus
good
dicere
to say
amicitia
the friendship
Questions & Answers about Avia dicit amicitiam bonam servandam esse.
Why is amicitiam in the accusative?
Because this sentence uses indirect statement, a very common Latin construction after verbs like dicit (says).
In an indirect statement, Latin normally uses:
- an accusative subject
- plus an infinitive
So in Avia dicit amicitiam bonam servandam esse, the whole part amicitiam bonam servandam esse is what the grandmother says.
Here, amicitiam is the accusative subject of that infinitive clause.
A useful comparison:
- Amicitia bona servanda est = A good friendship must be preserved / Friendship should be preserved
- Avia dicit amicitiam bonam servandam esse = Grandmother says that a good friendship must be preserved
When that statement gets reported after dicit, amicitia changes to amicitiam.
What exactly is servandam esse?
Servandam esse is made of:
- servandam = the gerundive of servare
- esse = to be
Together they form the passive periphrastic, which expresses necessity, obligation, or something that ought to be done.
So:
- servandam esse = to have to be preserved
- or more naturally, /