Breakdown of Post iudicium turba iam non clamat.
Questions & Answers about Post iudicium turba iam non clamat.
Why is iudicium in the accusative case after post?
Because post is a preposition that takes the accusative when it means after.
So:
- post = after
- iudicium = judgment, trial, decision
- post iudicium = after the judgment
Here iudicium is the accusative singular form. Since iudicium is a neuter second-declension noun, its nominative and accusative singular look the same, but its function here is still accusative because post requires it.
What case is turba, and why?
Turba is nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence.
The verb is clamat = shouts / is shouting, which is third person singular, so the subject must also be singular:
- turba = the crowd
- clamat = shouts
Even though a crowd contains many people, Latin treats turba as a singular noun, just like English often does with the crowd shouts.
Why is the verb clamat singular if a crowd is made up of many people?
Because turba is grammatically singular.
Latin agrees the verb with the grammatical number of the noun, not with the number of people inside the group. So:
- turba clamat = the crowd shouts
- not turba clamant
This is very similar to English when we treat collective nouns as singular.
What does iam non mean here?
Iam non means no longer or not anymore.
The two words work together:
- iam = now, already, by now
- non = not
But together in this kind of sentence, iam non is best understood as no longer.
So turba iam non clamat means that the crowd used to be shouting, but now that is no longer happening.
Is there any difference between iam non and non iam?
Yes. In most ordinary Latin, iam non is the usual way to say no longer.
- iam non clamat = he/she/it no longer shouts
Non iam is much less common and usually feels more marked or rhetorical. For a learner, it is safest to recognize and use iam non for no longer.
What tense is clamat, and how should I understand it?
Clamat is present indicative active, third person singular, from clamare.
Its basic sense is:
- he/she/it shouts
- he/she/it is shouting
- he/she/it does shout
In this sentence, with iam non, the natural English sense is:
- the crowd is no longer shouting or
- the crowd no longer shouts
So although the verb is present tense, English may translate it in a slightly different way depending on context.
Why does the sentence begin with Post iudicium instead of the subject?
Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because endings show the grammatical relationships.
So Latin can put Post iudicium first to set the scene:
- After the judgment, the crowd no longer shouts.
Starting with the time phrase is very natural. It tells you the context first, then gives the main statement.
A more English-like order would be possible in Latin too, such as:
- Turba post iudicium iam non clamat
But the original order is perfectly normal.
Could post ever be something other than a preposition?
Yes. Post can also be an adverb, meaning afterward or later.
For example:
- post venit = he comes later / afterward
But in Post iudicium, it is clearly a preposition because it is followed by a noun phrase.
So here:
- post
- iudicium = after the judgment
What dictionary form would I look up for each word?
You would look them up like this:
- post — preposition meaning after
- iudicium, iudicii n. — judgment, trial, decision
- turba, turbae f. — crowd, mob
- iam — now, already; in iam non, no longer
- non — not
- clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatus — shout, cry out
This is useful because the forms in the sentence are not always the same as the dictionary entry. For example, clamat comes from clamo, and iudicium belongs to the noun iudicium, iudicii.
Is iudicium better translated as judgment, trial, or decision?
It depends on context. Iudicium can mean several related things, including:
- judgment
- trial
- court decision
- legal proceedings
In this sentence, any of those may work depending on the broader passage. Grammatically, nothing changes; the exact English choice depends on what kind of situation the Latin is describing.
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