Qui veritatem dicit, recte facit.

to tell

Breakdown of Qui veritatem dicit, recte facit.

• facere: to do
• veritas: the truth
• qui: whoever

Questions & Answers about Qui veritatem dicit, recte facit.

What does qui mean here? Is it just who?

In this sentence, qui means the person who or he who.

So Qui veritatem dicit is not just a question word like English who? It is a relative pronoun introducing a clause, and here it works almost like a noun by itself:

• qui = the one who / he who
• veritatem dicit = speaks the truth

So the whole first part means the one who speaks the truth.

Why is qui masculine singular?

Qui is masculine singular nominative. In a sentence like this, Latin often uses the masculine singular in a general sense, where English might say whoever or anyone who.

So although the form is masculine singular, the idea can be general:

• Qui veritatem dicit, recte facit.
• Whoever speaks the truth does the right thing.

It does not have to mean only one specific man unless the context makes that clear.

Why is veritatem in the accusative?

Because veritatem is the direct object of dicit.

The verb dicere means to say / to speak. The thing being said is put in the accusative case: