Breakdown of Puer caecus matrem rogat ut eum per viam ducat.
puer
the boy
via
the road
mater
the mother
eum
him
Questions & Answers about Puer caecus matrem rogat ut eum per viam ducat.
Why is caecus in the nominative, not the accusative?
Because caecus describes puer, and puer is the subject of rogat. In Latin, an adjective agrees with the noun it modifies in case, number, and gender.
- puer = nominative singular masculine
- caecus = nominative singular masculine
So puer caecus means the blind boy.
It is not accusative because it is not describing matrem or eum.
Why is matrem accusative?
Because rogat takes a direct object: the person being asked.
So in this sentence:
- puer caecus = the blind boy, the subject
- matrem = his mother, the person he asks
That is why Latin uses the accusative matrem.
A very literal breakdown is:
- The blind boy asks his mother...
Why is there ut before eum per viam ducat?
After verbs like rogat when someone asks another person to do something, Latin commonly uses:
- verb of asking
- ut