Breakdown of Puer matris manum capit, quia tonitrum audit.
puer
the boy
mater
the mother
quia
because
manus
the hand
Questions & Answers about Puer matris manum capit, quia tonitrum audit.
How do I know puer is the subject of the sentence?
Because puer is in the nominative singular, the case Latin normally uses for the subject. The verb capit is also third-person singular, so it matches a single subject: one boy is doing the action.
Why is it matris instead of mater?
Mater is the nominative form, used when mother is the subject of a sentence. Here Latin needs the genitive singular, matris, because the mother is not doing the action; she is the possessor. So matris means of the mother or mother's.
Why is it manum instead of manus?
Because manum is the accusative singular, the form used for a direct object. The boy is doing something to the hand, so manum has to be accusative.
The dictionary form is manus, but this noun is fourth declension, and its accusative singular is manum.
Why is there no separate word for his in matris manum?
Latin often leaves a possessive unstated when it is obvious from context. So matris manum literally means or , and English naturally turns that into because the boy is the person involved in the scene.