Ego suspicor canem micam e mensa cepisse; mater autem dicit nihil certum esse.

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Breakdown of Ego suspicor canem micam e mensa cepisse; mater autem dicit nihil certum esse.

• esse: to be
• canis: the dog
• mater: the mother

Questions & Answers about Ego suspicor canem micam e mensa cepisse; mater autem dicit nihil certum esse.

Why does the sentence start with ego? Couldn’t Latin just say suspicor?

Yes — Latin could simply say suspicor.

The ending -or already tells you the subject is I, so ego is not grammatically necessary. When Latin includes ego, it usually adds emphasis or contrast.

So Ego suspicor ... ; mater autem dicit ... suggests something like:

• I suspect ...
• but mother says ...

That makes the contrast between the two speakers clearer.

Why is suspicor translated actively even though it looks passive?

Because suspicor is a deponent verb.

Deponent verbs:

• have passive-looking forms
• but active meanings

So:

• suspicor = I suspect
• not I am suspected

This is a very common feature in Latin, and learners often need time to get used to it.

Why is canem accusative? Shouldn’t the dog be the subject of cepisse?

In English, yes: the dog is the subject of took.

But after verbs like suspicor and dicit, Latin often uses an construction called the .