Breakdown of Bonum discipulum magistris parere decet.
discipulus
the student
magister
the teacher
bonus
good
parere
to obey
Questions & Answers about Bonum discipulum magistris parere decet.
Why is discipulum in the accusative?
Because decet commonly takes the person concerned in the accusative.
So:
- bonum discipulum = a good student in the accusative
- decet = it is fitting / it is proper
The idea is not quite the good student does something, but rather it is proper for a good student to do something.
So the structure is:
- bonum discipulum ... decet = it befits a good student ...
Why is it bonum discipulum, not bonus discipulus?
Because the adjective has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
Here:
- discipulum is masculine singular accusative
- so bonum must also be masculine singular accusative
That is why you get:
- bonus discipulus = a good student as a nominative subject
- bonum discipulum = a good student in the accusative
Why is parere an infinitive?
Because after decet, Latin often uses an infinitive to say what it is proper to do.
So: