Breakdown of Mater miratur cur puer stilum suum semper amittat.
Questions & Answers about Mater miratur cur puer stilum suum semper amittat.
Because miror, mirari, miratus sum is a deponent verb. Deponent verbs use passive-looking forms but have active meanings.
So:
- miratur looks like he/she/it is wondered at
- but actually means he/she/it wonders or is amazed
Here, mater miratur = the mother wonders.
Mater is nominative singular. In Latin, the subject of a finite verb is normally in the nominative case.
Since miratur is 3rd person singular, mater fits as its subject:
- mater = mother
- miratur = she wonders
So mater is the subject of the main clause.
Cur means why. It introduces a question about reason.
In this sentence, the mother is wondering why the boy keeps losing his stylus, so cur is exactly the right word to introduce that idea.
Latin often uses: