Curriculum longum est.

The race course is long.

Breakdown of Curriculum longum est.

• esse: to be
• longus: long
• curriculum: the race course; lap

Questions & Answers about Curriculum longum est.

Why is it longum and not longus?

Because curriculum is a neuter singular noun, and the adjective has to agree with the noun it describes.

In Latin, adjectives match their nouns in:

• gender
• number
• case

So here:

• curriculum = neuter, singular, nominative
• longum = neuter, singular, nominative

If the noun were masculine, you might see longus instead. But with a neuter noun like curriculum, the correct form is longum.

What case is curriculum here?

It is nominative singular.

The nominative case is commonly used for:

• the subject of the sentence
• a predicate noun/adjective construction with to be

In Curriculum longum est, curriculum is the subject: it is the thing being described as long.

What exactly does est mean?

Est means is.

It is the third-person singular present tense form of esse, which means to be.

So:

• sum = I am