# Verb sum



## Laranja

Hello all

I'm sorry for asking such a foolish question, but it's something that has been intriguing me and my friends.

Do we use nominative or accusative as a complement to the verb sum?

Which one is written correctly:

_Vulgus laetus est_ or
_Vulgus laetum est_. ?

_Roma patria est_ or
_Roma patriam est_ ?

I tend to think in the accusative as a direct object, and state verbs don't have objects, or at least I think so. Am I wrong in any way? Does this kind of verb admit the accusative?

Thanks in advance.
Best regards.


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## Cagey

You are correct that words like _sum_ (_am_) and _fio _(_become_) take the nominative in Latin.  However, I would not call them 'stative' verbs, I would call them 'linking verbs' or 'copular verbs'.  Other people may have other terms for them.


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## Kevin Beach

Even in English the verb "to be" takes the nominative as its second pronoun.

"It is I", not "It is me", colloquial usage notwithstanding.


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## belvidere

The predicate may be an adjective, as in your example using "laetus", or a noun that "re-names" the subject it complements.  The nominative case is used as stated above.


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## CapnPrep

It is more accurate to say that the nominal/adjectival complement of _esse_ has the same case as its subject. Conjugated forms of the verb have a nominative subject (and thus a nominative complement), but the infinitive _esse_ has an accusative subject and an accusative complement.


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## lacrimae

Vulgus laetus  isn't correct because "vulgus" is neuter. The correct form is Vulgus laetum est, but laetum is nominative in this case.


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## diamanti

_*Vulgus*_ rarely is masculine. (And _*vulgu, *_abl. sing. _eteroclito_)


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## Laranja

lacrimae said:


> Vulgus laetus  isn't correct because "vulgus" is neuter. The correct form is Vulgus laetum est, but laetum is nominative in this case.




I don't understand why "laetum" is nominative. I thought the nominative form of this word would always be "laetus".


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## Cagey

The nominative form depends on the gender of the noun being described.  For _laetus_, the nominative forms are:_laetus_ (masculine)
_laeta_ (feminine)
_laetum_ (neuter)​The masculine accusative is _laetum_, too.   That may be the source of your original question, that in _Vulgus laetum est_, _laetum_ appeared to be an accusative.


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## Laranja

Now I got it.
Thanks a lot for your help.

Have a good time.


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