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What are the uses of "num"? The tone of this recording almost made me think that the meaning of this sentence was "Doesn't Corinna live in Rome?", but that was incorrect.
Num is used when an answer of 'no' is expected. Conversely, you may see nonne when an answer of 'yes' is expected.
Question: Corinna doesn't live in Rome, does she? (Num Corinna Romae habitat?), Expected Answer: No, she doesn't.
vs
Question: Corinna lives in Rome, doesn't she? (Nonne Corinna Romae habitat?), Expected Answer: Yes, she does.
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In my opinion asking "Doesn't Corinna live in Rome?" is expecting a no answer just as much as Duolingo's "Surely Corinna doesn't live in Rome?" I'd use either of those interchangeably, e.g. when I had thought she lived in Rome, and just heard that she lived in Venice. No, actually I'd use the first in that case, and the second when I thought she lived in Venice and just heard she lived in Rome. Ha ha, writing out all these scenarios has convinced me that the DL team is right, and SenorDustin, VinniePine and I are wrong. It's subtle though! I think Moopish's tag question *"Corinna doesn't live in Rome, does she?" best expresses that the expected answer is no. I'm giving them a lingot.
I suspect a good amount of it in English is really just how emphasize it in English. The examples I used were largely based on what I remember from how it was explained when I took some Latin courses.
I honestly don't think about this kind of differentiation in English much. Very interesting to see how you viewed the differences.
From what I understand you use it every time you ask a question and you expect the answer to be "no". Kinda like saying "Corinna doesn't live in Rome, does she?".
I gave it the same answer. I wonder why it's an interrogative, if it's not a tag question, anyway.
I have told them many times that "Corinna doesn't live in Rome, does she?" should be accepted. No movement, I see.
You have to wait and be patient, the course is in beta, the moves are here, under the hood, but you don't see them yet.
From Lewis and Short via the Perseus Project: RomaRome, the mother city (Show lexicon entry in Lewis & Short Elem. Lewis) (search)
romae noun sg fem gen romae noun sg fem dat romae noun pl fem voc romae noun pl fem nom
It appears the makers of this module like to use the genitive to denote location as with 'Ea Novi Eboraci studet.' In another example. I believe this use of the genitive to be wrong.
Eric, this is actually a case called the locative. In the first and second declensions (Roma and Novum Eboracum) it is identical to the genitive singular. It shows place where with the names of cities, towns, and small islands.
