Breakdown of Puer canistrum plenum fert; in eo catinus parvus et duo mala sunt.
esse
to be
in
in
puer
the boy
et
and
Questions & Answers about Puer canistrum plenum fert; in eo catinus parvus et duo mala sunt.
Why is puer in the form puer?
Because puer is the subject of fert.
- puer = boy
- It is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.
- So puer fert means the boy carries.
This is also a good reminder that Latin often shows grammatical function by case endings, not by word order alone.
Why is canistrum in the form canistrum?
Because canistrum is the direct object of fert.
- fert = carries
- The thing being carried is the basket, so canistrum is in the accusative singular.
- canistrum is a neuter second-declension noun, and its nominative and accusative singular are both -um.
So:
- puer = subject, nominative
- canistrum = direct object, accusative
Why is it plenum, not plenus or plena?
Because plenum must agree with canistrum.
Latin adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in: