"The orators want to find the book."

Translation: Oratores volumen invenire volunt.

[stefanobellelli]

Why is "librum" not accepted?

[LGFreeRock0828]

I think it should be. Report it if it comes up again.

"Librum" is the accusative singular for "liber" when this means "book" in English.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/liber#Etymology_2_2

It doesn't appear that there is any context in this Duolingo exercise to distinguish between "liber" and "volumen."

But I'm not entirely certain what the difference is between these, so I might be missing something.

[Rae.F]

You are right that the Duolingo team is not distinguishing between "liber" and "volumen", but they are not synonymous.

"Volumen" is a scroll. "Liber" is a book, or a bound collection of scrolls.

https://latin.stackexchange.com/questions/2102/most-accurate-latin-word-for-book-in-this-context

[GaelicGirl2]

But it still doesnt accept librum for book

[wiltrud607387]

Why is "book" sometimes librum and other times volumen? Please explain!

[Amaryllis515864]

Is reperire possible as well?

[PERCE_NEIGE]

It is.

To find, meet with, find out, either by searching or by accident. To discover. To recover a lost item.

[mbrasseau]

This sentence was not previously intruduced for me, so I don't really understand it.

There was a previous sentence, "Professores volumina in bibliotheca inveniunt.

So why volumen instead of volumina?

Why invenire instead of inveniunt?

And what is volunt?

[Moopish]

Volumen and volumina can both be used as the forms for the subject (nominative), direct object (accusative), or direct address (vocative). They only differ in number.

Volumen - singular form: book/scroll

Volumina - plural form: books/scrolls

Invenire is the infinitive 'to find'. This is used instead of inveniunt here since our main verb is volunt, 'they want'. The same thing is done in English when an action is desired: an infinitive is used with a the verb 'want'

Invenire volunt - 'They want to find'

Inveniunt - 'They find' or 'they are finding'

Professores volumina in bibliotheca inveniunt - 'They find books in the library' - They are doing the 'finding' action currently and they are looking for multiple books.

Oratores volumen invenire volunt - 'The orators want to find a book' - They desire to the the 'finding' action and it is a single book they are looking for.