Word
Mensor cum curatore aquaeductum spectat.
Meaning
The surveyor examines the aqueduct with the overseer.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Mensor cum curatore aquaeductum spectat.
cum
with
spectare
to examine
aquaeductus
the aqueduct
curator
the overseer; superintendent
Questions & Answers about Mensor cum curatore aquaeductum spectat.
Why is spectat at the end of the sentence?
In Latin, word order is much more flexible than in English. It is very common for the main verb to come at the end of the sentence.
So:
- Mensor = the subject
- cum curatore = a prepositional phrase
- aquaeductum = the object
- spectat = the verb
Latin speakers could change the order for emphasis, but this order is very normal and natural.
What case is mensor, and how do we know it is the subject?
Mensor is nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.
The verb spectat is third person singular, so it matches a singular subject: mensor = the surveyor.
Why is it cum curatore and not cum curator?
The preposition cum means with, and it takes the ablative case.
So:
- dictionary form: curator
- ablative singular: curatore
That is why Latin says cum curatore = with the curator / manager / overseer.
What case is aquaeductum, and why?