Breakdown of Servus dominum timet, sed veritatem tandem dicit.
sed
but
timere
to fear
dicere
to tell
dominus
the master
Questions & Answers about Servus dominum timet, sed veritatem tandem dicit.
Why is servus the subject, but dominum the object?
Because their case endings show their jobs in the sentence.
- servus ends in -us, which here is nominative singular: the usual case for the subject
- dominum ends in -um, which here is accusative singular: the usual case for the direct object
So in Servus dominum timet, the grammar tells us:
- servus = the slave/servant does the action
- dominum = the master/lord receives the action
Latin often relies on endings like these much more than English does.
Why is veritatem also in the accusative?
Because it is the direct object of dicit.
In sed veritatem tandem dicit, the thing being spoken is veritatem (the truth), so Latin puts it in the accusative case.
This is a very common pattern:
- dominum timet = he fears the master
- veritatem dicit = he tells/speaks the truth
So both dominum and veritatem are objects, which is why both appear in accusative forms.
What forms are timet and dicit?