I am just starting Latin and I have to translate a lot of short sentences. Could you walk me through the translations of these ones so I can do the others on my own?
The key to understanding them is in the distinction between the nominative and accusative cases. Review these terms in your grammar book.OrionsBelt dixit:Could you walk me through the translations of these ones
"Rome is a beautiful place"I can try.
Pulcher locus est urbs Roma. Oppidum aspicio. Semper territa sum.
For no other reason than because it's the instinct of an English speaker who isn't familiar with the usual Latin construction, I assume.Is there a reason why you prefer it?
Is it common to put the subject at the end, in this type sentence (with predicate nominative)?For no other reason than because it's the instinct of an English speaker who isn't familiar with the usual Latin construction, I assume.
But yeah, in Latin it's more usual to have the name of the city follow in the same case as the noun urbs. So you say urbs Roma, literally "the city Rome", the logic of this being that the city in question is Rome. It's similar to something like "my friend John". You wouldn't say "my friend of John", because the friend is John, rather than belonging to John or anything like that. In Latin, this logic also applies to cities.
As for the word order, pulcher locus est urbs Roma can perfectly translate to "the city of Rome is a beautiful place".
Yes, when the context makes things clear. While there isn't much context here, the whole construction of the sentence is a context unto itself, as "The city of Rome is a beautiful place" is somehow a more likely thing to say than "A beautiful place is the city of Rome". I guess that's because it's more usual to state that a definite thing (like "the City of Rome") is such and such kind of thing (indefinite, like "a beautiful place") than the other way round.Is it common to put the subject at the end, in this type sentence (with predicate nominative)?
It isn't uncommon. Latin word order is flexible.Is it common to put the subject at the end in a sentence with direct object?
e.g.
regem interfecit servus
??