Learn Hardcore Latin: Mater in foro nihil emit, quia panem nimium constare dicit. - Mother buys nothing in the forum, because she says that bread costs too much.

Mater in foro nihil emit, quia panem nimium constare dicit.

Mother buys nothing in the forum, because she says that bread costs too much.

Breakdown of Mater in foro nihil emit, quia panem nimium constare dicit.

Questions & Answers about Mater in foro nihil emit, quia panem nimium constare dicit.

Why is in foro in the ablative?

Because in takes different cases depending on its meaning:

in + ablative = in / on a place, with no motion
in + accusative = into / onto a place, with motion toward it

So in foro means in the marketplace/forum. If the sentence meant into the forum, it would be in forum.

What exactly is nihil doing in the sentence?

Nihil means nothing, and here it is the direct object of emit.

So the structure is:

Mater = subject
emit = verb
nihil = object

Latin often says nihil emit for buys nothing, rather than using a separate negative with something.

What form is emit?

Emit is 3rd person singular present active indicative of emo, emere, emi, emptum, meaning to buy.

So mater emit means mother buys or the mother buys.

A native English speaker may notice that emit looks like the English verb emit, but that is just a coincidence here. In this Latin sentence, comes from and means , not .