Nominative Case

[MDS]

(and the barrage of questions begins...)<br /><br />Is a noun in the nominative case always the subject of the verb in any given sentence? Surely there must be exceptions....Wheelocks says: "The Romans used the nominative case most commonly to indicate the subject of a finite verb." <br /><br />So when were there exceptions and in those examples, which case was used as the subject?

[klewlis]

the nominative can also be used for complement in a subject/complement pair, ie: "Billy is a boy", both nouns will be nominative. <br /><br />I assume it's also possible for an infinitive verb to act as subject (but I haven't gotten that far in wheelock yet so maybe I should shut up about subjects which I know not of ;)<br /><br />

[MDS]

Thanks, should have thought of the "subject/complement" pair myself but strange things happen when you think too much...<br /><br />What chaper in Wheelocks are you on?

[phil]

When an infinitive is used as a noun e.g. 'to err is human' (errare humanum est) then the infinitive in a neuter noun - I cheated and looked ahead tee hee hee.<br />Phil

[klewlis]

lol<br />i was about to say, "hey phil, when did you get ahead of me??"<br /><br />i'm doing the self-study for 17 as we speak. :)

[benissimus]

There are also some strange things that occur with nominative in the passive.<br /><br />"Marcus is called a friend"<br />Marcus appellatur amicus<br /><br />Where "Marcus" seems to be the subject and "amicus" seems to be direct object. Just as in the active some verbs take double accusatives, the passive can take double nominatives.

[Emma_85]

Especially with dicitur this can happen.<br /><br />Otherwise there's also the NcI, which is like the AcI only with a nominative.

[Alundis]

What is an AcI?

[Keesa]

For that matter, what is an NcI?

[Emma_85]

AcI = Accusativum cum Infinitivo<br />NcI = Nominativum cum Infinitivo<br /><br />Surly you must have heard of the AcI?!? It's one of the most important constructions in Latin, you'll find it everywhere!

[klewlis]

sure we've heard of the construction, just not your system of abbreviation ;)

[Keesa]

Not I. :-[ But then, I'm only a beginner.

[Episcopus]

Nor I. <br /><br />Is the AcI (qué?!) either:<br /><br />Imperator pedites equitatumque castra occupare iussit; <br /><br />or<br /><br />Equites castra occupare erit imperatori gratum<br /><br />?<br /><br />All these freaky AcI PhD

[Emma_85]

Uhh... dunno... both look like AcIs to me... :-\

[Episcopus]

Well "Imperator pedites equitatumque castra occupare iussit" <br />is a straight up wishing/ordering/forbidding Acc.<br /><br />Whereas the 2nd is "For the horsemen to take possession of the camp will be pleasing to the general". <br /><br /><br />

[Emma_85]

Those are both AcIs. Hmm... I always translate Latin - German, and you actually have less ways of translating a sentence than you do in English. In German you alway tranlate an AcI: ..., dass....<br />because there is no other way to translate that construction, although there are in English, so maybe that's why you don't learn about it as much, because you can translate it more easily...<br />AcIs are every common after word to do with the senses, like see or say.