Breakdown of Ubi medicus venit, mater eum in cubiculum ducit.
mater
the mother
in
into
eum
him
venire
to come
Questions & Answers about Ubi medicus venit, mater eum in cubiculum ducit.
Why does ubi mean when here? I thought it meant where.
Ubi can mean either where or when, depending on context.
In this sentence, it introduces a time clause: Ubi medicus venit... = When the doctor comes...
A quick way to tell is this:
- if ubi is asking about or describing a place, it means where
- if it introduces an event that happens at a certain time, it means when
So here it is not about location; it is about the moment the doctor arrives.
Why is medicus in that form?
Medicus is the nominative singular, which is the form used for the subject of the verb.
In Ubi medicus venit, the doctor is the one doing the action of coming, so medicus must be nominative.
That is why it is medicus, not medicum.
Is venit present or past? It looks like it could mean either comes or came.
Yes — venit is one of those Latin forms that can be ambiguous.
It can be:
- present tense: he/she comes
- perfect tense: he/she came / has come
You have to decide from context.