Mentum sub ore est.

to be

Breakdown of Mentum sub ore est.

• sub: under
• os: the mouth
• mentum: the chin

Questions & Answers about Mentum sub ore est.

Why is mentum the subject of the sentence?

Because mentum is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject.

In Mentum sub ore est:

• mentum = the chin and is the subject
• est = is
• sub ore = under the mouth

So the basic structure is:

• Mentum = subject
• est = verb
• sub ore = prepositional phrase

Also, mentum is a neuter noun, so its nominative singular form is mentum.

Why is it ore after sub, not some other form?

Because ore is the ablative singular of os, oris, meaning mouth.

The preposition sub can take different cases:

• ablative when it means under/beneath in a static location
• accusative when it means movement to a position under something

Here there is no motion. The sentence describes location: the chin is under the mouth. So Latin uses:

• sub + ablative → sub ore

What is the dictionary form of ore?