Word
Vaccae in prato pascuntur, dum vitulus prope arborem stat.
Meaning
The cows graze in the meadow while the calf stands near the tree.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Vaccae in prato pascuntur, dum vitulus prope arborem stat.
in
in
stare
to stand
prope
near
dum
while
Questions & Answers about Vaccae in prato pascuntur, dum vitulus prope arborem stat.
Why is vaccae used instead of vaccas?
Because vaccae is nominative plural, the case used for the subject of the sentence.
- vaccae = the cows as the ones doing the action
- vaccas would be accusative plural, which would usually make them a direct object
Here, the cows are the ones grazing, so Latin uses vaccae.
Why is pascuntur plural?
It agrees with vaccae, which is plural.
- vacca = one cow
- vaccae = more than one cow
Since the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural:
- pascitur = she/it grazes
- pascuntur = they graze
Why does pascuntur look passive if the meaning is active?