Breakdown of Ratio magistri clara est, et discipuli consilium eius sequuntur.
esse
to be
et
and
discipulus
the student
magister
the teacher
Questions & Answers about Ratio magistri clara est, et discipuli consilium eius sequuntur.
Why does magistri end in -i?
Because magistri is in the genitive singular, which often shows possession or close association.
- magister = teacher
- magistri = of the teacher or the teacher’s
So ratio magistri means something like the teacher’s plan/reasoning/method.
What does ratio mean here? Does it mean a mathematical ratio?
Not necessarily. Latin ratio has a wider range of meanings than English ratio.
Depending on context, ratio can mean things like:
- reason
- method
- plan
- system
- way of thinking
- account/explanation
In this sentence, it is probably something like the teacher’s plan, method, or reasoning, not a numerical ratio.
Why is clara feminine?
Because clara is an adjective agreeing with ratio, and ratio is a feminine noun.
In Latin, adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in: