Breakdown of Vicina rogat num domina sibi librum commodare possit; ipsa enim pecuniam ad novum librum emendum nondum habet.
liber
the book
novus
new
posse
to be able
rogare
to ask
Questions & Answers about Vicina rogat num domina sibi librum commodare possit; ipsa enim pecuniam ad novum librum emendum nondum habet.
Why is possit in the subjunctive instead of potest?
Because num domina ... possit is an indirect question after rogat.
Latin regularly uses the subjunctive in indirect questions:
- rogat num ... possit = she asks whether ... can
If this were a direct question, it would be something like:
- Potestne domina ... ? = Can the lady ... ?
So the subjunctive here is not “hypothetical” in the English sense; it is simply the normal mood for an indirect question.
What does num mean here?
Here num introduces a yes/no indirect question, so it means whether.
So:
- rogat num domina ... possit = she asks whether the lady can ...
A learner may have seen that num in direct questions often suggests an expected answer of no. That is true, but in indirect questions like this one, it is often best understood simply as whether.
Why is commodare an infinitive?
Because it depends on possit.
- possit commodare = can lend
Latin uses a verb of ability plus an infinitive, just as English does: