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Learn Hardcore Latin: Canalis declivis est. - The masonry conduit slopes downward.

Hardcore Latin
/Inspecting an aqueduct
/Canalis declivis est.

Canalis declivis est.

Word

Canalis declivis est.

Meaning

The masonry conduit slopes downward.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Inspecting an aqueduct

Breakdown of Canalis declivis est.

the masonry water conduit

sloping downward

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Questions & Answers about Canalis declivis est.

What case is canalis here?

Canalis is nominative singular. It is the subject of est.

In a sentence built with to be (est), the thing being described is usually in the nominative, and the describing adjective is nominative too.

Why is declivis in that form?

Because declivis has to agree with canalis.

It agrees in:

case: nominative
number: singular
gender: masculine

Declivis is a third-declension adjective. Its masculine/feminine nominative singular form is declivis, while its neuter nominative singular form is declive.

Is canalis masculine?

Yes. Canalis is normally masculine in Latin.

That is why the adjective appears in the masculine/feminine form declivis, not the neuter form declive.

Why is there no word for the or a?

Latin does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So Canalis declivis est can mean:

the channel is sloping
a channel is sloping

The context tells you which English translation fits best.

What kind of adjective is declivis here?

Here declivis is a predicate adjective.

That means it is not just attached to the noun inside a noun phrase; instead, it completes the statement with est:

canalis declivis = a sloping channel or the sloping channel as a phrase
canalis declivis est = the channel is sloping

So in this sentence, declivis is part of the predicate.

Why is declivis nominative instead of accusative?

Because after est, a predicate adjective normally matches the subject rather than taking an object case.

There is no direct object here. The structure is:

canalis = subject, nominative singular
est = is
declivis = adjective describing the subject, so also nominative singular

Could the words be in a different order?

Yes. Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammatical roles.

You could also see:

Canalis est declivis
Declivis canalis est

These do not change the basic meaning much, though they can shift emphasis or style.

Can est be omitted?

Sometimes, yes. Latin often leaves out forms of esse when they are easy to understand, especially in poetry, inscriptions, or very compressed style.

So Canalis declivis could sometimes imply The channel is sloping, but for a clear beginner sentence, est is normally written.

How would I look up these words in a dictionary?

You would usually look them up under these dictionary forms:

canalis, -is = channel, canal
declivis, -e = sloping, downhill, steep
sum, esse = to be

So even though the sentence uses est, the dictionary form is sum.

How is the sentence pronounced?

In a common restored classical pronunciation, roughly:

kah-NAH-lis deh-KLEE-wis est

A few helpful points:

c is always hard, like k
v is pronounced like w in classical pronunciation
the stress is on NAH in canalis
the stress is on KLEE in declivis

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