Breakdown of Mulier iuxta rivum sedet et quinque lapides in aqua numerat.
in
in
et
and
aqua
the water
sedere
to sit
Questions & Answers about Mulier iuxta rivum sedet et quinque lapides in aqua numerat.
Why is there no word for the or a in this sentence?
Latin usually does not use articles like English the or a/an. So mulier can mean woman, a woman, or the woman, depending on context.
The same is true for the other nouns:
- rivum = stream / the stream
- lapides = stones / the stones
- aqua = water / the water
English has to choose an article, but Latin often leaves that implied.
What case is mulier, and how do we know it is the subject?
Mulier is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of the sentence.
We know it is the subject because:
- it is a nominative noun
- the verbs sedet and numerat are both third person singular, so they match a singular subject
- semantically, the woman is the one doing the actions
So mulier is the subject of both verbs: she sits and counts.
Why is it rivum instead of rivus?
It is because the preposition takes the .