Question 1

How do I know puer is the subject of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Why is it matris instead of mater?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

Why is it manum instead of manus?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

Why is there no separate word for his in matris manum?

Accepted Answer

Latin often leaves a possessive unstated when it is obvious from context. So matris manum literally means the mother's hand or mother's hand, and English naturally turns that into his mother's hand because the boy is the person involved in the scene.

If Latin wanted to make that extra explicit, it could say matris suae manum.

If Latin wanted to make that extra explicit, it could say matris suae manum.

Question 5

What does capit mean exactly here?

Accepted Answer

It comes from capio, capere and basically means takes, seizes, grasps, catches. With manum, the most natural English is usually takes or grasps the hand. Depending on context, English might even say holds.

Also, Latin present tense can often be translated in more than one way in English, such as takes or is taking, depending on the situation.

Question 6

Why is the word order different from English?

Accepted Answer

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show what each word is doing.

In this sentence:
- puer is the subject
- manum is the object of capit
- matris depends on manum and shows possession
- tonitrum is the object of audit

So Latin does not rely on word order as heavily as English does. This order is very normal, but other orders would also be possible.

Question 7

What does quia do in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Quia is a conjunction meaning because. It introduces the reason clause quia tonitrum audit and explains why the boy takes his mother's hand.

Question 8

Who is the subject of audit?

Accepted Answer

The subject is still the boy. Latin often does not repeat the subject when it is already clear. The form audit means he/she/it hears, and in this sentence the context shows that the same subject continues: puer.

So the sentence does not need to repeat puer before audit.

Question 9

What case is tonitrum, and how can I tell?

Accepted Answer

Here tonitrum is the direct object of audit, so it is accusative singular.

A helpful point is that many neuter nouns have the same form in the nominative and accusative singular. So you identify its job from the sentence: audit needs something that is heard, and tonitrum is that thing.

Question 10

Why is audit in the indicative, not the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

Because this is a straightforward statement of reason. At a beginner level, quia most commonly introduces a clause with the indicative, and that is what you see here: audit.

So quia tonitrum audit means a simple factual reason: the boy does this because he hears thunder.

Question 11

Why are there no words for the or a in the Latin?

Accepted Answer

Latin does not have articles. It has no separate words for the, a, or an. English has to add those when translating, but Latin leaves that to context.

Puer matris manum capit, quia tonitrum audit.

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