Breakdown of Magister dicit sententiam integram esse, quia nulla verba desunt.
Questions & Answers about Magister dicit sententiam integram esse, quia nulla verba desunt.
Because this sentence uses an indirect statement after dicit.
In Latin, after verbs like dicit (he says), the thing being said is often expressed with:
- an accusative subject
- plus an infinitive
So in sententiam integram esse:
- sententiam = the subject of the infinitive, in the accusative
- esse = to be
A native English speaker often expects that the sentence is complete, but Latin usually does this as sentence complete to be in an accusative-and-infinitive construction.
Because integram agrees with sententiam.
It is a predicate adjective with esse, and in an indirect statement it matches the accusative subject:
- sententiam = accusative feminine singular
- integram = accusative feminine singular
So Latin is not saying two separate things; it is saying:
- sententiam ... esse = the sentence to be ...
- integram = complete, describing sententiam
If the noun were nominative, the adjective would also be nominative:
- sententia integra est =