Breakdown of Puella annulum retinet, donec mater domum redeat.
Questions & Answers about Puella annulum retinet, donec mater domum redeat.
Because puella is the subject of retinet. It is the one doing the action: the girl keeps/holds onto the ring.
In Latin, the subject is usually put in the nominative case.
So:
- puella = the girl (nominative, subject)
Because annulum is the direct object of retinet. It is the thing being kept or held.
Latin uses the accusative for the direct object.
So:
- annulus = ring (dictionary form, nominative singular)
- annulum = ring (accusative singular, direct object)
This shows that the sentence means the girl is keeping the ring, not that the ring is doing something.
Retinet comes from retinere, meaning to hold back, keep, retain, keep possession of.
Here it is:
- 3rd person singular
- present tense
- active voice
- indicative mood
So retinet means , , or , depending on how naturally you want to translate it in English.