Breakdown of Pater dicit se amicitiam divitiis praeferre.
pater
the father
dicere
to say
amicitia
the friendship
se
himself
Questions & Answers about Pater dicit se amicitiam divitiis praeferre.
Why is se there? Why not just say Pater dicit amicitiam divitiis praeferre?
Because in Latin, after a verb like dicit (he says), reported statements are often expressed with an accusative + infinitive construction.
So instead of saying Father says that he prefers friendship to riches, Latin says, more literally:
- Father says himself to prefer friendship to riches.
Here:
- se = the subject of the infinitive praeferre
- praeferre = to prefer
Without se, the infinitive would not have an expressed subject, and the sentence would be incomplete or at least much less clear.
Why is se in the accusative?
Because in an indirect statement after dicit, the subject of the infinitive goes into the accusative case.
That is one of the most important Latin patterns to learn:
- verb of saying/thinking/perceiving
- then accusative subject + infinitive
So in this sentence:
- pater = subject of dicit
- se = subject of praeferre
Even though se is logically the one doing the preferring, grammar requires it to be accusative because it is the subject of an infinitive in indirect statement.
Why is used instead of ?