Breakdown of Avia filum longum quaerit, ut tunicam laceram consuere possit.
longus
long
posse
to be able
avia
the grandmother
tunica
the tunic
Questions & Answers about Avia filum longum quaerit, ut tunicam laceram consuere possit.
What case is avia, and how do I know it is the subject?
Avia is nominative singular, so it is the subject of the main verb quaerit.
- avia = grandmother
- nominative singular = the person doing the action
So Avia ... quaerit means Grandmother seeks / is looking for ...
Why are filum longum both in the accusative?
They are in the accusative because they form the direct object of quaerit.
- filum = thread
- longum = long
Since quaerere often takes a direct object, the thing being sought appears in the accusative:
- Avia filum longum quaerit = Grandmother is looking for a long thread.
Also, longum matches filum in:
- gender: neuter
- number: singular
- case: accusative
That agreement shows that longum describes filum.
How do I know longum goes with filum and not with some other word?
In Latin, adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case.
Here:
- filum is neuter singular accusative