Statumen sub rudere est.

The supporting layer lies beneath the rubble layer.

Breakdown of Statumen sub rudere est.

• esse: to be
• sub: under
• rudus: the rubble layer
• statumen: the supporting stone layer

Questions & Answers about Statumen sub rudere est.

What case is statumen, and how do we know it is the subject?

Statumen is nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

We can tell it is the subject because:

• est is singular, so it needs a singular subject
• rudere is governed by the preposition sub, so rudere cannot be the subject here
• the meaning and structure fit statumen as the thing that is

So the basic structure is:

• statumen = subject
• est = verb
• sub rudere = prepositional phrase telling where it is

Why is rudere not rudus?

Because after sub in this sentence, Latin uses the ablative to show location.

The dictionary form is rudus, but here we need the ablative singular, which is rudere.

So:

• rudus = dictionary form, nominative singular
• rudere = ablative singular

In this sentence, sub rudere means under the rubble or beneath the rubble.

Does sub always take the ablative?

No. Sub can take either the ablative or the , depending on the meaning.