Breakdown of Cum mater adest, infans quietius dormit.
mater
the mother
dormire
to sleep
infans
the baby
cum
when
Questions & Answers about Cum mater adest, infans quietius dormit.
Why does cum mean when here, not with?
Because cum can be either:
- a preposition meaning with when it is followed by a noun in the ablative
- a conjunction meaning when, since, or although when it introduces a clause
Here, cum is followed by a whole clause: mater adest = the mother is present. So it is a conjunction, and the sentence means When the mother is present, the baby sleeps more quietly.
Why is it mater and not some form like matrem or matris?
Mater is the nominative singular form, which is used for the subject of the clause.
In mater adest:
- mater = the mother → subject
- adest = is present
So mater has to be nominative because she is the one doing the action of being present.
What exactly does adest mean?