Discipula dicit se antea numquam in contione oratorem audivisse.

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Breakdown of Discipula dicit se antea numquam in contione oratorem audivisse.

• discipula: the female student
• dicere: to say
• numquam: never

Questions & Answers about Discipula dicit se antea numquam in contione oratorem audivisse.

Why is se used here instead of eam?

Because se is the reflexive pronoun, and it refers back to the subject of the main verb, discipula.

So:

• Discipula dicit se... audivisse = The student says that she ... heard
• Here she means the student herself

If Latin used eam, that would usually mean her, referring to some other female, not back to discipula.

Also, in this construction, se is in the accusative because it is the subject of the infinitive audivisse in an indirect statement.

Why is audivisse an infinitive instead of a normal finite verb?

After verbs like dicit meaning says, Latin very often uses an indirect statement construction. Instead of saying that she heard, Latin says, more literally, her to have heard.

So the pattern is:

• main verb: dicit
• subject of the reported statement in the accusative: se
• infinitive: audivisse

This is called the accusative-and-infinitive construction.

So:

• Discipula dicit se ... audivisse
• literally: The student says herself to have heard...
• natural English: The student says that she heard / has heard...