Breakdown of Medica dicit puellam non graviter laborare.
puella
the girl
non
not
dicere
to say
medica
the female doctor
Questions & Answers about Medica dicit puellam non graviter laborare.
Why is puellam in the accusative, not puella?
Because after dicit Latin often uses an indirect statement construction.
In English, we say:
- The doctor says that the girl is not very ill
In Latin, instead of using that plus a normal finite verb, Latin usually uses:
- an accusative subject
- an infinitive
So:
- puellam = the girl as the subject of the infinitive
- laborare = to be suffering / to be ill
That is why puellam is accusative rather than nominative.
Why is laborare an infinitive instead of a normal verb like laborat?