Feles in cellario manet, ut murem capiat.
The cat stays in the cellar so that it may catch the mouse.
Questions & Answers about Feles in cellario manet, ut murem capiat.
Why is feles singular even though it ends in -es?
Because feles, felis is a third-declension noun whose nominative singular happens to end in -es. In Latin, an ending like -es is often plural, but not always.
Here, feles is singular, and you can confirm that from the verb manet, which is also singular: the cat stays.
What form is manet?
Manet is the 3rd person singular present active indicative of maneo, manere.
It means stays, remains, or waits depending on context. In this sentence, it describes what the cat is doing now.
Why is cellario in the ablative case?
Because in with the ablative usually means in or inside, showing location.
So:
- in cellario = in the cellar / in the pantry
- location, not movement
If the sentence meant into the cellar, Latin would normally use in with the accusative:
- in cellarium = into the cellar
What does ut mean here?