Breakdown of Tabellarius epistulam affert, quam mater statim legit.
legere
to read
mater
the mother
qui
which
epistula
the letter
Questions & Answers about Tabellarius epistulam affert, quam mater statim legit.
How is this sentence put together?
It has two clauses:
- Tabellarius epistulam affert = the main clause
- quam mater statim legit = a relative clause
The relative clause adds more information about epistulam. In other words, it tells you something about the letter.
What case is tabellarius, and why?
Tabellarius is nominative singular. It is the subject of affert, the one doing the bringing.
A native English speaker often expects word order to show the subject, but in Latin the ending is usually the main clue. Here -ius is the nominative singular ending of this noun.
Why is epistulam in the accusative?
Epistulam is accusative singular because it is the direct object of affert.
It answers the question What does the messenger bring?
Answer: epistulam.
So:
- tabellarius = subject
- epistulam = direct object
Why is the word quam used here?
Quam is a , meaning or in this sentence.