La obeema hundido nek bojas nek mordas.

La is the definite article, meaning the.

So la obeema hundido means the obedient puppy.

A useful point for English speakers: Esperanto has the equivalent of "the", but it does not have a separate word for a/an. So:

• hundido = a puppy or just puppy
• la hundido = the puppy

Obeema means obedient.

It is built from:

• obei = to obey
• -em- = a suffix meaning inclined to, having a tendency to
• -a = adjective ending

So obeema literally suggests inclined to obey, which is why it means obedient.

This suffix is very common in Esperanto. For example:

• parolema = talkative
• dormema = sleepy, inclined to sleep

Hundido means puppy.

It is made from:

• hundo = dog
• -id- = young one, offspring
• -o = noun ending

So hundido literally means young dog.

This is a very common and productive pattern in Esperanto:

• kato = cat → katido = kitten
• bovo = cow/ox/cattle animal → bovido = calf

In Esperanto, word endings show the part of speech very clearly:

• -o = noun
• -a = adjective
• -as = present-tense verb

So here:

• hundido is a noun: puppy
• obeema is an adjective: obedient

Because obeema describes hundido, it takes the adjective ending -a.

Also, adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in number and case. Here both are singular and have no accusative ending, so:

• la obeema hundido

If it were plural, you would get:

• la obeemaj hundidoj = the obedient puppies

Nek ... nek ... means neither ... nor ...

So:

• nek bojas nek mordas = neither barks nor bites

It is used to link two negative alternatives or actions.

You can think of it as a matched pair:

• nek A nek B = neither A nor B

Examples:

• Li nek kantas nek dancas. = He neither sings nor dances.
• Ŝi havas nek tempon nek monon. = She has neither time nor money.

In your sentence, both linked words are verbs:

• bojas = barks
• mordas = bites

Because nek ... nek ... already carries the negative idea.

In English, we say:

• The obedient puppy neither barks nor bites.

We do not say:

• The obedient puppy does not neither bark nor bite.

The same idea applies in Esperanto. Nek ... nek ... is enough by itself here.

If you were negating only one verb, you would normally use ne:

• La hundido ne bojas. = The puppy does not bark.

But when you are saying neither X nor Y, you use nek ... nek ....

Because -as is the present-tense verb ending in Esperanto.

So:

• boji = to bark → bojas = barks / is barking
• mordi = to bite → mordas = bites / is biting

A very important feature of Esperanto is that verbs do not change according to the subject. The same form is used for I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

For example:

• mi bojas = I bark
• la hundido bojas = the puppy barks
• ili bojas = they bark

Because the sentence is making a general statement about what the puppy does or does not do.

In English, we can say:

• The dog barks.
• The dog bites.

without naming what it bites.

Esperanto works the same way here:

• bojas = barks
• mordas = bites

If you wanted to add an object, you could:

• La hundido mordas la ŝuon. = The puppy bites the shoe.
• La hundido ne mordas homojn. = The puppy does not bite people.

So the sentence is perfectly natural without an object.

Not especially. This is a very normal Esperanto word order.

• La obeema hundido = the subject
• nek bojas nek mordas = the predicate with coordinated verbs

Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, but the most neutral pattern is still similar to English: subject first, then the verb or predicate.

So this sentence is straightforward and natural.

Sometimes, depending on context, but obedient is the more direct meaning.

Obeema focuses on the idea of obeying or being willing to obey.
Well-behaved can be broader in English: calm, polite, not causing trouble, and so on.

So in many contexts obeema may feel close to docile or obedient, rather than exactly well-behaved.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation would be:

lah oh-beh-EM-ah hoon-DEE-doh nek BOH-yahs nek mor-DAHS

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• j in Esperanto sounds like English y
• bojas sounds like BOH-yahs
• stress is on the second-to-last syllable
  • obeema → o-be-E-ma
  • hundido → hun-DI-do
  • bojas → BO-jas
  • mordas → MOR-das

That would sound less natural in ordinary Esperanto.

The usual position for an adjective is before the noun:

• la obeema hundido

You can place an adjective after the noun in some contexts, especially for style, emphasis, or special nuance, but for a basic learner sentence, before the noun is the best and most standard choice.

So the normal version is:

• La obeema hundido nek bojas nek mordas.

A very literal breakdown is:

• La = the
• obeema = obedient
• hundido = puppy
• nek = neither
• bojas = barks
• nek = nor
• mordas = bites

So the whole sentence is literally:

The obedient puppy neither barks nor bites.