Lucia studiosior est quam Marcus, sed Marcus celerius scribit.

Lucia is more studious than Marcus, but Marcus writes more quickly.

Breakdown of Lucia studiosior est quam Marcus, sed Marcus celerius scribit.

• esse: to be
• scribere: to write
• sed: but
• Marcus: Marcus

Questions & Answers about Lucia studiosior est quam Marcus, sed Marcus celerius scribit.

Why is studiosior translated as more studious?

Studiosior is the comparative form of the adjective studiosus, -a, -um, meaning studious or eager.

Latin forms many comparatives by adding -ior (for masculine/feminine) or -ius (for neuter) to the stem. So:

• studiosus = studious
• studiosior = more studious

Because Lucia is feminine singular, the form studiosior is correct here. In the comparative, the masculine and feminine nominative singular are the same: -ior.

Why is there an est in the first part of the sentence?

The first clause is:

Lucia studiosior est quam Marcus

Literally, this is Lucia is more studious than Marcus.

Here, studiosior is an adjective, so Latin uses the verb est (is) to link the subject Lucia with the description more studious. This is called a copula or linking verb.

By contrast, in the second clause, scribit already gives the action:

Marcus celerius scribit = Marcus writes more quickly

So the second clause does not need est.

What does quam mean here?