Emblema variegatum est.

The central panel is multicolored.

Breakdown of Emblema variegatum est.

• esse: to be
• emblema: the inlaid central panel
• variegatus: variegated; multicolored

Questions & Answers about Emblema variegatum est.

Why does emblema end in -a if it is not feminine?

Because emblema is a neuter noun, not a feminine one. It is a Greek loanword in Latin, and nouns of this type often end in -ma in the nominative singular.

So even though -a often suggests first-declension feminine nouns, that is not what is happening here.

A learner should remember:

• emblema = nominative singular
• gender: neuter
• genitive singular: emblematis

So this noun belongs to the third declension, not the first.

What case is emblema here?

It is nominative singular.

In this sentence, emblema is the subject of est, so nominative is exactly what we expect.

Structure:

• emblema = the subject
• variegatum = predicate adjective
• est = is

So the basic pattern is:

subject + predicate adjective + linking verb

Why is it variegatum and not variegata or variegatus?