Breakdown of Multi cives circa rostra stant et oratorem audiunt.
et
and
multus
many
stare
to stand
audire
to listen to
Questions & Answers about Multi cives circa rostra stant et oratorem audiunt.
Why is multi cives the subject of the sentence?
Because both words are in the nominative plural, which is the normal case for the subject in Latin.
- multi = many
- cives = citizens
Together, multi cives means many citizens.
Latin often shows a word’s job by its ending, not by its position in the sentence.
Why is it multi cives and not multos cives?
Because the phrase is the subject, not the direct object.
- multi cives = nominative plural = many citizens as the people doing the action
- multos cives = accusative plural = many citizens as the people receiving the action
Here, the citizens are the ones who stand and listen, so Latin uses multi cives.
What case is oratorem, and why?