Magistra discipulis regulam novam ostendit.

the student

Breakdown of Magistra discipulis regulam novam ostendit.

• magistra: the female teacher
• novus: new
• ostendere: to show

Questions & Answers about Magistra discipulis regulam novam ostendit.

How do I know magistra is the subject?

Because magistra is in the nominative singular, the case usually used for the subject of a sentence.

• magistra = nominative singular
• so it means the teacher as the one doing the action

Even though Latin word order is flexible, the ending helps you identify the job of the word.

Does magistra mean any teacher, or specifically a female teacher?

Magistra is specifically a feminine noun, so it means a female teacher or mistress/instructress, depending on context.

Its masculine counterpart is magister.

So:

• magistra = female teacher
• magister = male teacher

What case is discipulis, and why?

Discipulis is dative plural here.

It is the indirect object, meaning the person or people to whom something is shown.

With ostendit, Latin often uses:

• a direct object in the accusative = the thing being shown
• an indirect object in the dative = the person being shown it

So discipulis means to the students.