Questions & Answers about Scutum e ferro factum est.
What case is scutum, and what job is it doing in the sentence?
Scutum is nominative singular.
It is the subject of the sentence: the thing that was made.
A learner may expect the subject to come first in Latin sometimes, and here it does:
- scutum = the shield
Because scutum is a neuter noun, other words that describe it will also appear in neuter singular form if they agree with it.
Why is it factum and not factus or facta?
Because factum has to agree with scutum.
- scutum is neuter
- scutum is singular
- scutum is nominative
So the participle must also be:
- neuter
- singular
- nominative
That gives factum.
If the noun were masculine, you would expect factus.
If it were feminine, you would expect facta.
What exactly is factum?