The Irregular Verb “To Be” (Sum-Esse-Fuī) with Predicate

The podcast discusses the Latin verb 'to be' (sum-esse-fui) and its relationship with predicates, which are expressions that add information about the subject after the verb. It emphasizes that, despite the verb 'to be' being intransitive, the predicate must agree with the subject in gender, number, and case, with masculine prevailing over feminine and neuter prevailing over all in cases of multiple subjects with different genders.

Predicate and Verb 'To Be'

• 00:00:06 The podcast introduces the concept of 'predicate' in Latin grammar, deriving from the Latin verb 'prae-dicāre,' meaning 'to proclaim beforehand.' A predicate is an expression, including nouns or adjectives, which adds information about the subject following a form of 'to be, to seem, or to become.' It's crucial to understand that predicates must agree with the subject in gender, number, and case.

Agreement of Predicate with Subject

• 00:01:02 Despite the verb 'to be' being intransitive, it's important to note that any answer to the question 'what' after it actually refers back to the subject. The predicate must agree with the subject in gender, number, and case. In cases of multiple subjects with different genders, masculine prevails over feminine and neuter prevails over both.