Magistra dicit se verba difficilia iterum interpretari velle.

the female teacher

Breakdown of Magistra dicit se verba difficilia iterum interpretari velle.

• verbum: the word
• dicere: to say
• velle: to want

Questions & Answers about Magistra dicit se verba difficilia iterum interpretari velle.

Why is se used here instead of ego or ea?

Because this sentence uses an indirect statement after dicit (says).

In Latin, after a verb of saying, thinking, knowing, hearing, and so on, the subject of the reported statement usually goes into the accusative, and the verb goes into an infinitive. So instead of something like she says that she wants..., Latin says:

• dicit = she says
• se ... velle = that she wants ...

Here se is the reflexive pronoun, and it refers back to the subject of the main verb, magistra. So:

• Magistra dicit se ... velle = The teacher says that she wants ...

If Latin used eam instead, that would usually mean the teacher says that another woman/girl wants ..., not herself.

What is the basic structure of this sentence?

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Magistra = the teacher
• dicit = says
• se ... velle = that she wants ...
• verba difficilia = difficult words
• iterum = again
• interpretari = to explain / interpret

So the grammar is:

• main clause: Magistra dicit
• indirect statement: se ... velle
• inside that, depends on