Magistra exemplum clarum ostendit, ita discipuli facilius discunt.

the student

Breakdown of Magistra exemplum clarum ostendit, ita discipuli facilius discunt.

• magistra: the female teacher
• clarus: clear
• discere: to learn

Questions & Answers about Magistra exemplum clarum ostendit, ita discipuli facilius discunt.

Why is magistra the subject of the first clause?

Because magistra is in the nominative singular, which is the case typically used for the subject of a finite verb.

Here, magistra means the female teacher or teacher. It is the one doing the action of ostendit (shows), so it is the subject.

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Why is exemplum in the accusative?

Exemplum is the direct object of ostendit. It is the thing being shown.

The verb ostendere usually takes a direct object in the accusative, so:

• magistra = the teacher
• exemplum = the example

The teacher shows the example, so exemplum must be accusative.

Also, exemplum is a neuter second-declension noun, and its nominative and accusative singular look the same. So even though the form is exemplum, here its job is accusative.

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Why is it clarum and not clara?

Because clarum agrees with exemplum, not with magistra.

Latin adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number