Serva mappam in scamno ponit, ne canis eam capiat.

The maid puts the napkin on the bench so that the dog may not take it.

Breakdown of Serva mappam in scamno ponit, ne canis eam capiat.

• canis: the dog
• in: on
• eam: it
• ne: so that not

Questions & Answers about Serva mappam in scamno ponit, ne canis eam capiat.

Why is serva the subject here? It looks a bit like a verb form.

In this sentence, serva is a noun, meaning female slave, maidservant, or servant girl, and it is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject.

So:

• serva = the servant girl / the maid
• mappam = the direct object
• ponit = puts or places

A beginner might confuse serva with the imperative of servare (save! or keep!), but here the rest of the sentence makes it clear that serva is a noun: the servant puts the napkin...

Why is mappam in the accusative?

Mappam is in the accusative singular because it is the direct object of ponit.

The verb ponere means to put or to place, and the thing being put is the direct object. So:

• serva = subject
• mappam = what the servant is putting
• ponit = puts

This is very common in Latin: the noun directly affected by the verb goes into the accusative.

What does in scamno mean exactly, and why is ablative?