Breakdown of Vulpes silvestris prope gallinas venire solet.
prope
near
venire
to come
solere
to be accustomed
gallina
the hen
Questions & Answers about Vulpes silvestris prope gallinas venire solet.
Why is venire an infinitive instead of a normal finite verb like venit?
Because soleo normally takes an infinitive. In venire solet, the form solet carries the person, number, and tense, while venire names the action.
So the structure is:
- solet = is accustomed
- venire = to come
Together, venire solet means is accustomed to come, or more naturally in English, usually comes.
What exactly is solet?
Solet is the 3rd person singular present indicative of soleo, solere, meaning to be accustomed or to usually do something.
It is singular because the subject, vulpes, is singular. The present tense gives a habitual idea: this is something the fox does regularly, not just once.
How is venire solet different from just venit?
Venit simply means comes or is coming (and in some contexts can also mean came).
Venire solet adds the idea of habit:
- venit = comes / is coming
- venire solet = usually comes / tends to come / is accustomed to come