CH6 SA7

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Aphrodite
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CH6 SA7

Post by Aphrodite »

How can I translate the sentence "Patria Romanorum erat plena Graecorum librorum statuarumque pulchrarum." into English? The word patria and plena is f.,"statuarumque pulchrarum" should beautification them. Which do the words"Romanorum,Graecorum librorum" beautification? I am confused about them.

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furrykef
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Re: CH6 SA7

Post by furrykef »

What do you mean "beautification"? Do you mean "modify"? :???:

"Rōmānōrum" modifies "patria". "Graecōrum librōrum" and "statuārum pulchrārum" modify "plēna". The adjective "plenus" is used with the genitive to mean "full of..."

Do you understand the sentence now?
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Aphrodite
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Re: CH6 SA7

Post by Aphrodite »

patria is feminine gender, Romanoram is masculine gender, if it want to modify patria, it must be Romanarum. How do you explain the structure?

modus.irrealis
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Re: CH6 SA7

Post by modus.irrealis »

"Romanorum" is genitive so it doesn't have to agree in gender with what it modifies. Literally you have

patria romanorum = homeland of the Romans

If you had an adjective, then it would agree in gender, so

patria romana = the Roman homeland.

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furrykef
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Re: CH6 SA7

Post by furrykef »

And, for that matter, "patria Rōmānārum" would mean "the country of the Roman women". Such a phrase could make sense if you're talking about a specific group of women -- perhaps it'd be translated better as "the Roman women's homeland" in such a case.

Also, if "Rōmānōrum" did have to agree with "patria", you'd get "Rōmānae" -- it'd become singular, too. But of course the point is moot because, as modus.irrealis pointed out, genitives don't work that way.
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