Word
Ambitio iuvenem saepe ad magnum laborem ducit, sed eidem etiam dolori esse potest.
Meaning
Ambition often leads a young person to great effort, but it can also be a source of pain for that same person.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Ambitio iuvenem saepe ad magnum laborem ducit, sed eidem etiam dolori esse potest.
esse
to be
sed
but
etiam
also
ad
to
Questions & Answers about Ambitio iuvenem saepe ad magnum laborem ducit, sed eidem etiam dolori esse potest.
Why is iuvenem in the accusative?
Because iuvenem is the direct object of ducit.
- ducit = leads
- Who or what does ambition lead? the young man
- So Latin puts iuvenis into the accusative singular: iuvenem
This is very normal with ducere when it means to lead or to guide someone.
What case is ambitio, and why?
Ambitio is nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.
- ambitio = ambition
- It is the thing doing the action of ducit and also the thing understood with esse potest
So in both halves of the sentence, ambitio is the subject:
- Ambitio ... ducit
- sed [ambitio] ... esse potest
Latin often does not repeat the subject if it is still clear.
Why does Latin say ad magnum laborem?
Because ad with the accusative often shows movement toward something, either literally or figuratively.
Here it is figurative:
- ad = to, toward