Mater mappam in armarium mittit, ne canis eam capiat.

Mother puts the napkin into the cupboard, so that the dog may not take it.

Breakdown of Mater mappam in armarium mittit, ne canis eam capiat.

• canis: the dog
• mater: the mother
• in: into
• eam: it

Questions & Answers about Mater mappam in armarium mittit, ne canis eam capiat.

Why is mappam ending in -am?

Because mappam is the direct object of mittit. It is the thing being sent/thrown/put, so it has to be in the accusative case.

• mappa = a cloth, napkin, towel
• mappam = the cloth/napkin/towel as the object of the verb

A native English speaker may not expect this, because English usually shows the object by word order rather than by changing the noun’s ending.

Why is it in armarium and not in armario?

Because in can take either the accusative or the ablative, depending on the meaning.

Here it means into the cupboard/cabinet, showing motion toward a place, so Latin uses the accusative:

• in armarium = into the cupboard

If it meant in the cupboard with no movement, Latin would normally use the ablative:

• in armario = in the cupboard

So this is a very important contrast:

• accusative after in = movement into
• ablative after in = location in

What exactly does mittit mean here?

The basic meaning of mittit is , but in many contexts it can also mean , , or , depending on what is being moved and where.