Magister calamo notam brevem in charta scribit, ut discipulus errorem videat.

to see

Breakdown of Magister calamo notam brevem in charta scribit, ut discipulus errorem videat.

• scribere: to write
• discipulus: the student
• magister: the teacher

Questions & Answers about Magister calamo notam brevem in charta scribit, ut discipulus errorem videat.

How do I know that magister is the subject of scribit?

Because magister is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

Also, scribit is third-person singular, so it matches a singular subject like magister. Latin often shows grammatical relationships through endings rather than fixed word order.

Why is calamo in the ablative case?

Calamo is an ablative of means or instrument. It tells you what tool is being used: with a pen.

Latin often uses the ablative without a preposition for this idea:

• gladio pugnat = he fights with a sword
• calamo scribit = he writes with a pen

So calamo is not the object being written; it is the instrument used for writing.

Why are notam and brevem both in the accusative?

Because notam is the direct object of scribit, and brevem is an adjective describing notam.

In Latin, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in:

• gender
• number
• case

So if notam is feminine singular accusative, brevem must also be feminine singular accusative.