Marcus rogat cur in sententia passiva obiectum saepe in subiectum vertatur.

in

Breakdown of Marcus rogat cur in sententia passiva obiectum saepe in subiectum vertatur.

• saepe: often
• in: into
• Marcus: Marcus

Questions & Answers about Marcus rogat cur in sententia passiva obiectum saepe in subiectum vertatur.

Why is vertatur subjunctive instead of vertitur?

Because cur ... vertatur is an indirect question after rogat.

Latin regularly uses the subjunctive in indirect questions:

• Marcus rogat ... = Marcus asks ...
• cur ... vertatur = why ... is turned / gets turned

So the subjunctive here is not mainly about doubt or unreality; it is required by the construction.

It is also present subjunctive because the main verb rogat is present, and the turning is happening at the same time as the asking. If the main verb were past, you would often expect verteretur instead.

What is the basic structure of the whole sentence?

The sentence has two parts:

• Main clause: Marcus rogat
• Indirect question: cur in sententia passiva obiectum saepe in subiectum vertatur

So literally the structure is:

• Marcus asks
• why, in a passive sentence, the object is often turned into the subject

This is a very common Latin pattern: a main verb of asking, knowing, seeing, hearing, etc., followed by an indirect question.

Why is obiectum nominative, even though it means object?