Haedus prope caprum est.

to be

Breakdown of Haedus prope caprum est.

• prope: near
• caper: the he-goat
• haedus: the young goat; kid

Questions & Answers about Haedus prope caprum est.

Why is haedus the subject of the sentence?

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

In Haedus prope caprum est, the basic structure is:

• haedus = subject
• est = is
• prope caprum = near the goat

So haedus is the thing being described as being in a certain place.

Why is caprum not caper here?

Because prope takes the accusative case, and the accusative singular of caper is caprum.

So:

• dictionary form: caper = goat / he-goat
• accusative singular: caprum

This is very common in Latin: a noun may look different depending on its job in the sentence.

Why does prope use the accusative?