Haec fabula ab illa differt.

the story

Breakdown of Haec fabula ab illa differt.

• hic: this
• ille: that one
• ab: from

Questions & Answers about Haec fabula ab illa differt.

Why is haec used here? What form is it?

Haec is the feminine nominative singular form of hic, haec, hoc (this).

It is feminine singular because it agrees with fabula, which is a feminine singular noun. Since fabula is the subject of the sentence, haec is also in the nominative.

So:

• haec = this
• fabula = story
• together, haec fabula = this story

A common beginner confusion is that haec can also be a neuter plural form in other contexts, but here the noun fabula makes the meaning and grammar clear.

Why is fabula in the nominative case?

Because fabula is the subject of the verb differt.

The sentence is about what this story does: it differs. In Latin, the subject is normally put in the nominative case.

So:

• fabula = nominative singular
• it is the thing doing the action of differing

Also, Latin does not use articles like the or a, so fabula can mean story, a story, or the story, depending on context.