Quaero tonsorem qui barbam avi diligenter curet.

I am looking for a barber who may carefully tend grandfather’s beard.

Breakdown of Quaero tonsorem qui barbam avi diligenter curet.

• qui: who
• quaerere: to look for
• avus: the grandfather
• diligenter: carefully

Questions & Answers about Quaero tonsorem qui barbam avi diligenter curet.

Why is tonsorem in the accusative?

Because it is the direct object of quaero.

• quaero = I seek / I look for
• The thing being sought goes in the accusative
• tonsor = barber
• Accusative singular of tonsor is tonsorem

So:

• Quaero tonsorem = I am looking for a barber

Even though English uses for, Latin does not need a preposition here.

Why is it qui, not quem, if it refers to tonsorem?

Because the case of a relative pronoun depends on its job inside its own clause, not on the case of its antecedent.

Here:

• tonsorem is accusative because it is the object of quaero
• But qui is the subject of curet
• Therefore qui must be nominative

So the structure is:

• tonsorem = the barber (object of quaero)
• qui curet = who would care / who may care (subject of curet)

This is a very common point in Latin. The relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and number, but its case comes from its own function in the relative clause.

Why is subjunctive instead of indicative?