Questions & Answers about Mater puero lac purum dat.
Why is puero translated as to the boy rather than just boy?
Because puero is in the dative case, which is commonly used for the indirect object in Latin.
In this sentence:
- mater = the mother (subject)
- lac purum = pure milk (direct object)
- puero = to/for the boy (indirect object)
So Latin shows the role of puero by its ending -o, instead of using a separate word like to.
Why is lac the direct object if it does not end in -m?
Because lac is a neuter noun of the third declension. In Latin, not all direct objects end in -m.
The noun lac, lactis means milk, and its accusative singular is also lac. That is normal for many neuter nouns: their nominative and accusative forms are the same.
So here:
- lac = accusative singular, direct object
- it is what is being given
Why does purum end in -um?
Because purum is an adjective agreeing with lac.
Latin adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in: