Breakdown of Discipula magistrae gratias agit, quod hanc sententiam alio modo explicavit.
magistra
the female teacher
discipula
the female student
hic
this
sententia
the sentence
Questions & Answers about Discipula magistrae gratias agit, quod hanc sententiam alio modo explicavit.
Why is magistrae in the dative case?
Because gratias agere means to give thanks or to thank, and the person being thanked is put in the dative.
So:
- magistra = teacher as a subject
- magistrae = to the teacher
In this sentence, Discipula magistrae gratias agit literally means The student gives thanks to the teacher, which is the normal Latin way to say The student thanks the teacher.
Why does Latin use gratias agit instead of just one verb for thanks?
Gratias agere is an idiomatic Latin expression.
- gratias is the accusative plural of gratia
- agit means does, drives, or in this expression gives/offers
Together, gratias agere means to give thanks.
This is similar to how English often uses a phrase rather than a single word, as in to give thanks. Even though English usually says thank, Latin very commonly says gratias agere.
So:
- gratias agit = she gives thanks = she thanks
Why is gratias plural?