Cum hospes ad ostium accedit, servus statim aperit.

When the guest comes to the door, the servant opens it at once.

Breakdown of Cum hospes ad ostium accedit, servus statim aperit.

• ad: to
• aperire: to open
• servus: the servant
• hospes: the guest

Questions & Answers about Cum hospes ad ostium accedit, servus statim aperit.

Why does cum mean when here? I thought cum meant with.

Cum can be two different words:

• cum
  • ablative = with
• cum as a conjunction = when, since, or although

In Cum hospes ad ostium accedit, servus statim aperit, cum introduces a clause, so it means when.

A quick comparison:

• cum servo = with the slave
• cum hospes accedit = when the guest approaches

So the meaning depends on how cum is being used in the sentence.

Why is hospes not written with an article like the guest?

Latin has no words for the or a/an.

So hospes can mean:

• the guest
• a guest

Which one you use in English depends on the context. Latin leaves that unstated unless something else in the sentence makes it clear.

What case is hospes, and how do we know it is the subject?