re: self-test #2

[caeruleus]

Forum:

Can I have these confirmed as properly translated?

These sentences stem from "Latin Via Ovid-A First Course-2nd Edit.-1982."

From page 24:

1. Arachne is making beautiful pictures.

--Arachne picturas pulchras format.


2. She is telling stories about the farmers.

--Puella fabulas de agricolis narrat.
or,
--Ea fabulas de agricolis narrat.


3. The nymphs love the stories about Minerva.

--Nymphae fabulas de Minerva amant.


4. The stories tell about the life of the inhabitants of Lydia.

--Fabulas narrat de vita incolarum Lydiae.


5. Minerva is your teacher (Magistra tibi). She teaches you well.

--Minerva magistra tibi est. Minerva te bene docet.

Caeruleus

[Magistra]

You may want to check the case of "stories" in # 4.

Magistra

[phil]

1. Arachne is making beautiful pictures.
--Arachne picturas pulchras format.

Yep

2. She is telling stories about the farmers.
--Puella fabulas de agricolis narrat.
or,
--Ea fabulas de agricolis narrat.

I would go for your second one, as 'girl' is not specifically mentioned. Could be a woman.

3. The nymphs love the stories about Minerva.
--Nymphae fabulas de Minerva amant.

Yep

4. The stories tell about the life of the inhabitants of Lydia.
--Fabulas narrat de vita incolarum Lydiae.

Here the stories are the subject, so must be nominative plural
'Fabulae narrant...'

5. Minerva is your teacher (Magistra tibi). She teaches you well.
--Minerva magistra tibi est. Minerva te bene docet.

Yep, although you don't need to reuse 'Minerva'. te bene docet. would be OK on its own. As far as I know, with Latin the subject will follow on from the previous sentence, even without a pronoun (as we need in English).

[benissimus]

I agree with Phil. You usually will not repeat subjects unless you are trying to be repetitious or achieve some similar effect. Also, you will rarely see is/ea as the subject of a sentence, because it is implied by the conjugation of the verb. Not that there is anything wrong with either of these! It's just important to make sure English speakers understand that pronouns as subjects can usually be omitted.

Also, your sentences are correct except number 4, as far as I can tell. Not only is the case of fabula in the accusative plural instead of nominative plural, but you have narrat instead of narrant, which leads me to believe you just spaced out for a minute