Accusative Direct Object
The home use of the accusative is the direct object of a transitive verb — the thing the verb's action lands on. Brūtus Caesarem interfēcit: Caesarem is accusative because the killing reaches him.
The trap isn't the rule, it's the verb list. Plenty of verbs that read intransitive in English take a perfectly ordinary accusative DO in Latin.
Petō means "head for X," not "go." Sequor means "chase X," not "tag along." Fugiō (transitive) means "flee X." Iuvat takes an accusative of whom it pleases.
When you meet these verbs, look for an accusative even when English wants a preposition.
Learnings0 core · 1 AP claim
AP framework claims (1)— verbatim from AP CED
The accusative names whatever the verb's action directly affects, produces, or reaches.
Test it by going passive: a true direct object becomes the nominative subject of the passive verb.
See It In Action
— B. G. vii. 63
Petō takes an accusative of the thing requested (here a ut-clause functioning as object) and an ā/ab-ablative of the person asked. Don't translate "ask" as taking a dative — the Latin object is what is asked for.
— Aen. i. 194
Where English needs "head for / make for," Latin just puts the destination in the accusative after petit. The accusative IS the direct object — portum answers "head for what?"
— Aen. i. 185
Sequor is deponent (passive in form, active in meaning) AND transitive. Despite the -untur ending it takes a direct object (hos) — the herds are doing the chasing, not being chased.
— Aen. i. 203
Aeneas's famous line. Iuvat / iuvābit used impersonally takes the person (or thing) pleased in the accusative — haec is what will be pleasing to remember. (When the speaker is named, you'd see mē iuvat, "it pleases me.")
These verbs all take an accusative direct object in Latin even though their best English translation feels intransitive ("head for," "flee from," "please").
verb + accusative DO
portum petit
he heads for the harbor
verb + preposition + noun
"heads for the harbor"
(English needs "for" — Latin doesn't)
Tip: Ask: can this Latin verb go passive? Portus ā Caesare petītur works — so portum is a direct object, even if your English wants a preposition.
In Vergil's Hinc portum petit, et socios partitur in omnes (Aen. i. 194), what role does portum play?
Study Tips
- •Memorize the short list of Latin transitives that read intransitive in English: petō (head for / seek), sequor (chase / follow), fugiō (flee from), iuvō (help / please), adeō / ineō / obeō / circumeō (motion compounds).
- •When you meet iuvat, decet, oportet, fallit, fugit, praeterit used impersonally, the person they affect is in the accusative — mē fallit, "it escapes me / I'm mistaken."
- •Test for direct object by trying the passive: if Brūtus Caesarem interfēcit flips cleanly to Caesar ā Brūtō interfectus est, the accusative was a direct object.