Breakdown of Post brevem requiem discipuli celerius scribunt.
scribere
to write
discipulus
the student
brevis
short
post
after
Questions & Answers about Post brevem requiem discipuli celerius scribunt.
Why does post take brevem requiem?
Because post is a preposition that normally takes the accusative case when it means after.
So in this sentence:
- post = after
- brevem requiem is in the accusative
- together they mean after a short rest
This is a very common pattern in Latin:
- post cenam = after dinner
- post bellum = after the war
- post paucos dies = after a few days
So post brevem requiem is exactly the kind of phrase a learner should expect.
Why is it brevem requiem and not brevis requies?
Because the words have to match the case required by post.
The dictionary forms are:
- brevis = short
- requies = rest
But dictionary forms are usually nominative singular, and here the phrase is not nominative. Since post requires the accusative, both words change:
- brevis → brevem
- requies → requiem
Also, adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in:
- gender
- number
- case
So brevem matches : both are .