Breakdown of Patri displicet quod frater amicis suis non parcit verbis iratis.
Questions & Answers about Patri displicet quod frater amicis suis non parcit verbis iratis.
Because displicere works like to be displeasing to someone, not like English to dislike. In Latin, the person who experiences the feeling is often put in the dative with verbs like placet and displicet.
So:
- patri displicet = it is displeasing to the father
- more natural English: the father is displeased
The subject is the whole quod clause:
quod frater amicis suis non parcit verbis iratis
In other words, the fact that the brother does not spare his friends angry words is what displeases the father.
This is why displicet is singular: a whole clause can act as a single idea or fact.
Here quod introduces a clause meaning that or the fact that.
So it does not mean which here. It is not a relative pronoun in this sentence. Instead, it introduces the content of what displeases the father.
A good way to understand it is:
- Patri displicet quod... = The father is displeased that... / It displeases the father that...