Breakdown of Primo discipula tacet, sed postea clare respondet.
sed
but
discipula
the female student
respondere
to answer
tacere
to be silent
Questions & Answers about Primo discipula tacet, sed postea clare respondet.
What does primo mean here, and why is it not primum?
Here primo means at first.
A learner may expect primum, because primum is also a very common adverb meaning first or at first. In this sentence, though, primo is perfectly normal and means at first / initially.
So:
- primo = at first
- postea = afterward / later
Together they create a clear contrast: first one thing happens, then another.
Why is discipula used? Does it specifically mean a female student?
Yes. Discipula is a female student or schoolgirl.
Latin nouns have grammatical gender, and for words referring to people, that often matches natural gender:
- discipulus = male student
- discipula = female student
So this sentence is specifically about a girl / female student.
Why is discipula in that form?