Learn Hardcore Latin: Si creta parva est, magistra alteram cretam e cista tollit et discipulae dat. - If the chalk is small, the teacher takes another piece of chalk from the chest and gives it to the student.

Si creta parva est, magistra alteram cretam e cista tollit et discipulae dat.

If the chalk is small, the teacher takes another piece of chalk from the chest and gives it to the student.

Breakdown of Si creta parva est, magistra alteram cretam e cista tollit et discipulae dat.

Questions & Answers about Si creta parva est, magistra alteram cretam e cista tollit et discipulae dat.

Why does the sentence begin with si?

Si means if and introduces a condition.

So Si creta parva est means If the chalk is small. Latin often puts the if-clause first, just as English often does, but it does not have to.

Why is it parva and not parvus or parvum?

Because parva must agree with creta.

creta is feminine
creta here is singular
it is also nominative, because it is the subject of est

So the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative: parva.

This is a very common Latin rule: adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case.

Why is it creta in the first clause but cretam in the second?

The noun has a different job in each clause.

In creta parva est, creta is the subject, so it is nominative
In alteram cretam ... tollit, cretam is the direct object of tollit, so it is accusative