Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Latin: Lectio quarta brevis est. - The fourth lesson is short.

Hardcore Latin
/Inspecting an aqueduct
/Lectio quarta brevis est.

Lectio quarta brevis est.

Word

Lectio quarta brevis est.

Meaning

The fourth lesson is short.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Inspecting an aqueduct

Breakdown of Lectio quarta brevis est.

Questions & Answers about Lectio quarta brevis est.

What case are the words in Lectio quarta brevis est?

All three main words are in the nominative singular:

lectio = nominative singular
quarta = nominative singular feminine
brevis = nominative singular feminine
est = is

This is because lectio is the subject, and both quarta and brevis describe that subject.

Why is it quarta and not quartus or quartum?

Because quarta has to agree with lectio.

Lectio is:

feminine
singular
nominative

So the ordinal adjective quartus, -a, -um must also be:

feminine
singular
nominative

That gives quarta.

Why is it brevis and not brevem?

Because brevis is a predicate adjective after est. In Latin, a predicate adjective normally matches the subject in case, number, and gender.

Since lectio is nominative singular feminine, is also nominative singular feminine.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Latin grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Latin now

brevis

If you used brevem, that would be accusative, which would not fit here.

What kind of word is lectio?

Lectio is a noun meaning lesson or reading, depending on context.

Its dictionary form is usually given as:

lectio, lectionis, f.

That tells you it is:

a third-declension noun
feminine

In this sentence, it means lesson.

Why doesn’t Latin use a word for the?

Latin has no definite article and no indefinite article. So there is no separate word for the or a/an.

That means lectio quarta brevis est can be understood as:

The fourth lesson is short
or, depending on context, A fourth lesson is short

Usually the context tells you which English translation sounds best.

Why is est at the end of the sentence?

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show how words relate to each other.

So Lectio quarta brevis est is natural Latin. The verb often comes near the end, especially in simple prose.

You could rearrange the words without changing the basic meaning, for example:

Brevis est lectio quarta
Lectio brevis est quarta

But some orders sound more natural than others depending on emphasis. The version you have is straightforward and normal.

Could Latin leave out est here?

Sometimes Latin can omit a form of to be, especially in certain styles, but in a basic sentence like this, est is normally expressed.

So for a learner, it is best to understand:

Lectio quarta brevis est = The fourth lesson is short

and not assume that est is usually optional.

Is quarta just a number?

It is specifically an ordinal adjective, not a cardinal number.

quattuor = four
quartus, -a, -um = fourth

So quarta lectio means the fourth lesson, not four lessons.

Why are there two describing words, quarta and brevis?

They do two different jobs:

quarta identifies which lesson it is: the fourth
brevis tells you what it is like: short

So in structure:

lectio quarta = the fourth lesson
brevis est = is short

Together: The fourth lesson is short.

How do I know that quarta goes with lectio and not with something else?

You know because of agreement.

Both lectio and quarta are:

feminine
singular
nominative

In Latin, adjectives usually match the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case. That helps you connect the words, even when the word order changes.

How is brevis pronounced?

A common classroom pronunciation is:

BREH-wis

More exactly in reconstructed classical pronunciation:

bre- as in breh
-vis with a w-like v sound: breh-wis

So the whole sentence could sound roughly like:

LEK-ti-o KWAR-ta BREH-wis est

Is brevis from the same pattern as adjectives like bonus, bona, bonum?

Not exactly.

bonus, bona, bonum is a first-and-second-declension adjective.

But brevis, breve is a third-declension adjective.

That is why the feminine nominative singular is brevis, not something like breva.

So even though quarta and brevis both describe lectio, they belong to different adjective patterns.

What is the basic grammatical structure of the whole sentence?

It is:

subject: lectio quarta = the fourth lesson
linking verb: est = is
predicate adjective: brevis = short

So the pattern is:

[subject] + [form of to be] + [adjective]

That is a very common Latin sentence pattern.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io