In indice commentarii magistra nomina auctorum scribit.

In the index of the notebook the teacher writes the names of the authors.

Breakdown of In indice commentarii magistra nomina auctorum scribit.

• in: in
• scribere: to write
• magistra: the female teacher
• nomen: the name

Questions & Answers about In indice commentarii magistra nomina auctorum scribit.

Why is indice in the ablative?

Because in takes the ablative when it means in/on/at a place where something is located. Here the idea is location, not motion, so Latin uses in + ablative.

The noun is index, indicis. Its ablative singular is indice. So in indice means in the index.

Could in ever take a different case?

Yes. In can take either:

• ablative for location: in indice = in the index
• accusative for motion into: for example, in indicem = into the index

So the case after in tells you whether Latin means being somewhere or moving into somewhere.

Why is commentarii ending in -ii? Is it plural?

Here commentarii is genitive singular, meaning of the notebook/commentary.

The dictionary form is commentarius. Its genitive singular is commentarii (often written with macrons as commentariī). The double i happens because the stem ends in -i- and the genitive singular ending is another -i.

This form can look confusing, because commentarii can also be in other contexts. In this sentence, though, it makes sense as genitive singular: = .