Poena severa interdum iniqua videtur.

sometimes

Breakdown of Poena severa interdum iniqua videtur.

• poena: the punishment
• videri: to seem
• iniquus: unfair

Questions & Answers about Poena severa interdum iniqua videtur.

Why is poena in the nominative case?

Because poena is the subject of videtur. The sentence is about the punishment: it is the thing that seems unfair.

• poena = nominative singular, punishment / penalty
• videtur = seems

So poena is nominative because it is the grammatical subject.

Why is it severa and not severam?

Because severa agrees with poena.

Since poena is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective describing it must also be:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So:

• poena severa = a harsh/severe punishment

If it were severam, that would be accusative singular, which would not match the subject here.

What is the difference between severa and iniqua in this sentence?