Questions & Answers about Puer stilum amat, sed eum saepe amittit.
Why is stilum ending in -um?
Because stilum is the direct object of amat: it is the thing the boy loves.
The dictionary form is stilus (stylus, pen, writing tool). In this sentence, it has to be in the accusative singular, and for a regular second-declension masculine noun that gives -um:
- stilus = the stylus/pen
- stilum = the stylus/pen as a direct object
So:
- Puer stilum amat = The boy loves the pen/stylus
Why is eum used for it?
Because eum is the accusative singular masculine form of the pronoun, and it refers back to stilum, which is a masculine noun.
In Latin, a pronoun usually matches the noun it refers to in gender and number:
- stilum = masculine singular
- so it/him referring to stilum becomes eum
Also, eum is accusative because it is the direct object of amittit (loses).
So:
- sed eum saepe amittit = but he often loses it
Even though English says it, Latin still uses the grammatical gender of the noun.