Puer initio timet, sed postea matri veritatem dicit.

the boy

Breakdown of Puer initio timet, sed postea matri veritatem dicit.

• mater: the mother
• sed: but
• timere: to fear

Questions & Answers about Puer initio timet, sed postea matri veritatem dicit.

Why is puer in the nominative case?

Puer is the subject of both verbs, timet and dicit, so it appears in the nominative case. In Latin, the nominative is the case normally used for the person or thing doing the action.

• puer = the boy
• He is the one who fears and tells

This is why it is not puerum, puero, etc.

Why are timet and dicit both singular?

They are singular because the subject, puer, is singular: the boy.

Both verbs are:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

So:

• timet = he fears / is afraid
• dicit = he says / tells

The -t ending is the usual marker for he/she/it in the present tense.

Why is there no word for he in the sentence?

Latin usually does not need a separate subject pronoun like he, because the verb ending already tells you the person and number.

For example:

• timet already means