Ianua firma est, et ventus eam aperire non potest.

to be

Breakdown of Ianua firma est, et ventus eam aperire non potest.

• et: and
• non: not
• posse: to be able

Questions & Answers about Ianua firma est, et ventus eam aperire non potest.

Why is ianua the subject of the first clause?

Because ianua is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence in Latin.

In Ianua firma est:

• ianua = door
• firma = strong / sturdy / firm
• est = is

So ianua is the thing being described, which makes it the subject.

Also, ianua is a first-declension feminine noun, so that helps explain why the adjective is feminine too.

Why is it firma and not some other form of the adjective?

Firma agrees with ianua.

In Latin, adjectives usually match the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since ianua is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective must also be:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So we get firma.

This is a good example of a predicate adjective: the adjective is linked to the noun by est rather than sitting directly beside it in an attributive phrase.