Sponsio mea parva est, sed factio vincit.

to be

Breakdown of Sponsio mea parva est, sed factio vincit.

• parvus: small
• sed: but
• meus: my

Questions & Answers about Sponsio mea parva est, sed factio vincit.

Why is mea feminine, and why is parva also feminine?

Because both words are agreeing with sponsio, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Latin, adjectives and possessives usually agree with the noun they modify in:

• gender
• number
• case

So:

• sponsio = feminine singular nominative
• mea = feminine singular nominative, agreeing with sponsio
• parva = feminine singular nominative, also agreeing with sponsio

An English speaker may expect something more fixed, but Latin makes these relationships clear through endings.

Why is parva and not parvum?

Because parva is describing sponsio, and sponsio is feminine.

• parvus = masculine
• parva = feminine
• parvum = neuter

Since sponsio is feminine, the adjective must be feminine too: parva.

Also, in this sentence parva is a predicate adjective after est, but it still agrees with the subject.

What case are sponsio and factio?