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You are here: Experts > Homework Help > Latin Language > Latin > grammar
Expert: Maria - 11/1/2009
Question
Dear Maria,
Could you help me with the following sentences:
(1) Caesar, equitatu praemisso, sex legions ducebat; post eas totius exercitus impedimenta collocaverat.
Question: The notes of the book translate totius exercitus as “for the whole army”, implying that totius exercitus is dative. But the ending is not dative.
(2) Legiones sex, armis depositis, castra munire coeperunt.
Question: I thought castra should be in accu. Because it is the object of munire.
(3) … signum tuba dandum, quod eos iussit arma tollere,…
Question: it seems to me that tuba should be tubae (dative), indicating agent.
Thank you.
Robert
Answer
Dear Robert,
here are my answers:
(1) “Caesar, equitatu praemisso, sex legiones ducebat; post eas totius exercitus impedimenta collocaverat”.
ANSWER:You are right: “Totius exercitus” is not a dative, but a genitive case, and means literally “of the whole army”, since “totius” is the genitive of the adjective “totus” and “exercitus” is the genitive of “exercitus” (4th.declension)
Here’s in fact the correct translation of the sentence:
“Caesar, having sent his cavalry ahead, was leading six legions; after these he had positioned the baggage train of the whole army”.
(2)”Legiones sex, armis depositis, castra munire coeperunt.”
ANSWER: The noun “castra”, as the object of “munire”, is exactly an accusative neuter plural of the neuter noun “castrum”(2nd.declension) whose nominative plural “castra” means just “military camp”.
Note that the nominative and accusative of a neuter noun are identical, so that “castra” is either the nominative or the accusative.
Here’s in fact the correct translation of the sentence :
”Six legions, having laid aside their arms, began to fortify the camp”
(3) "… signum tuba dandum, quod eos iussit arma tollere…"
ANSWER: “tuba”(1st.declension) is an ablative of instrument and means “by the war-trumpet”.
The phrase means in fact :“The signal had to be given by the trumpet, which was the order to take up arms…”.
Hope all is clear enough.
Best,
Maria
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