Neuter e duobus libris alibi inventus est; denique ambo sub sella iacebant.

to be

Breakdown of Neuter e duobus libris alibi inventus est; denique ambo sub sella iacebant.

• liber: the book
• sella: the chair
• sub: under

Questions & Answers about Neuter e duobus libris alibi inventus est; denique ambo sub sella iacebant.

What does neuter mean here?

Here neuter does not mean neuter gender. It is a pronoun/adjective meaning neither (of two).

So neuter e duobus libris means neither of the two books.

Latin uses neuter when exactly two people or things are being considered. If there were more than two, Latin would use a different word, such as nemo or nullus, depending on the construction.

Why does Latin use neuter instead of some form meaning none?

Because the sentence is specifically talking about two books, not an indefinite larger number.

Latin is very precise here:

• neuter = neither of two
• ambo = both of two

That pairing is very natural in this sentence:

• first clause: neither of the two books
• second clause: both

What is the function of e duobus libris?

e (or ex) means out of or from among, and it takes the ablative case.

So:

• e duobus libris = out of the two books / of the two books