Questions & Answers about Auriga flagello et calcari utitur.
Why are flagello and calcari not in the accusative, if they are the things being used?
Because utor is one of those Latin verbs that takes the ablative, not the accusative.
So in:
Auriga flagello et calcari utitur.
the words flagello and calcari are both ablative singular, even though in English we would think of them as the objects of uses.
This is something you simply learn with the verb:
- utor = use
- ablative
A few other Latin verbs work similarly, but utor is one of the most important ones to remember.
What form is utitur?
Utitur is:
- 3rd person singular
- present tense
- indicative mood
- from the verb utor, uti, usus sum
So it means he/she uses or is using, depending on context.
Since the subject here is auriga, the sense is the charioteer uses.
Why does utitur look passive if the meaning is active?
Because utor is a deponent verb.
A deponent verb has: