Breakdown of Plures discipuli hodie adsunt quam heri.
discipulus
the student
quam
than
hodie
today
heri
yesterday
Questions & Answers about Plures discipuli hodie adsunt quam heri.
Why does plures mean more here?
Plures is the comparative form used for more when talking about a number of people or things.
So in plures discipuli, it means more students.
A useful contrast is:
- multi discipuli = many students
- plures discipuli = more students
So the sentence is making a comparison, not just saying that there are many students.
Why is it plures, not magis?
Latin usually uses plures for more with countable nouns like students, books, or soldiers.
- plures discipuli = more students
By contrast, magis is usually used with adjectives, adverbs, or ideas like more bravely, more quickly, more useful.
So a learner can think:
- countable things -> plures
- qualities or actions -> often magis
What case is plures, and why?
Here plures is nominative plural masculine.
Why?
Because it goes with discipuli, and discipuli is the subject of the sentence. Since describes that subject, it must match it in: