Pons super amnem est.

Because super here takes the accusative to mean over / above in a spatial sense.

• amnis = river in the dictionary form (nominative singular)
• amnem = accusative singular

So:

• super amnem = over the river

This is something learners just have to get used to: some Latin prepositions require a specific case.

Pons is nominative singular, so it is the subject of the sentence.

• pons = bridge
• nominative case is commonly used for the subject
• est = is

So the structure is:

• pons = the bridge
• super amnem = over the river
• est = is

That gives: The bridge is over the river.

With super, Latin often uses the accusative when talking about position above / over something.

So:

• super amnem = over the river

In many beginner sentences, it is best to memorize the phrase as a unit:

• super + accusative

That will help you produce correct forms more easily.

No. Classical Latin does not have definite and indefinite articles like English the and a/an.

So pons can mean:

• the bridge
• a bridge

and amnem can mean:

• the river
• a river

Which one sounds best depends on context. In normal English translation, The bridge is over the river is the most natural.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order.

Placing est at the end is very normal in Latin, especially in simple statements. So:

• Pons super amnem est
• literally: Bridge over river is

But in good English we say:

• The bridge is over the river

Latin uses endings more than position to show grammatical roles, so the verb does not have to stand in the middle like it usually does in English.

Yes, often they could.

For example, these would still be understandable Latin:

• Super amnem pons est
• Pons est super amnem

The basic meaning stays the same because the case endings still show the grammatical relationships.

However, different word orders can create slightly different emphasis. The version you were given, Pons super amnem est, is a straightforward and natural sentence.

Pons is a masculine noun.

It matters in Latin because adjectives or pronouns referring to pons would need to match it in gender, number, and case. But in this particular sentence, there is no adjective modifying pons, so you do not see that agreement yet.

Useful dictionary entry:

• pons, pontis — bridge (masculine)

Pons is a third-declension noun.

Not all masculine nouns end in -us. That ending is especially common in the second declension, but third-declension nouns have a much wider variety of forms.

Dictionary form:

• pons, pontis

From that, you learn:

• nominative singular: pons
• genitive singular: pontis
• gender: masculine

So the unusual ending is completely normal for a third-declension noun.

The dictionary form is amnis.

More fully, you would normally learn it as:

• amnis, amnis — river (masculine)

In the sentence, it appears as amnem, which is the accusative singular form.

So:

• dictionary form: amnis
• sentence form: amnem

The exact English translation depends on context, but super usually means over, above, or on top of.

With a bridge and a river, English naturally says:

• over the river

That is the normal idiomatic translation, even if the Latin preposition itself covers a range of nearby meanings.

Yes, Latin sometimes omits forms of to be, especially when the meaning is still clear from context.

So Pons super amnem could in some contexts be understood as:

• The bridge is over the river

But in beginner material, est is often included to make the structure easier to see.

A simple classroom pronunciation would be:

• Pons soo-per ahm-nem est

A somewhat more classical-style pronunciation would be closer to:

• Pons soo-per ahm-nem est
• with c always hard, though there is no c here
• vowels kept clear and pure
• super with u like oo

Word by word:

• pons
• super
• amnem
• est

If you want, a teacher may also explain stress, but for a beginner the main goal is recognizing the words clearly.

It follows a very common pattern:

• subject
  • prepositional phrase
    • verb

So here:

• Pons = subject
• super amnem = prepositional phrase
• est = verb

This is a useful model to remember because you can build many similar Latin sentences from it.