Secutor post retiarium currit sicut canis post leporem currit.

Because secutor and canis are the subjects of their verbs, so they are in the nominative case.

• secutor ... currit = the pursuer runs
• canis ... currit = the dog runs

But retiarium and leporem come after post, and post takes the accusative case.

• post retiarium = after the net-fighter
• post leporem = after the hare

So the different endings show the different grammatical jobs of the nouns.

In Latin, post is a preposition that normally takes the accusative.

It can mean:

• after in time
• behind or after in space
• in pursuit of, depending on context

Here it means something like after / in pursuit of:

• post retiarium currit = he runs after the retiarius
• post leporem currit = it runs after the hare

So the accusative after post is exactly what you should expect.

Because retiarius is the nominative singular form, but after post you need the accusative singular.

So the forms are:

• nominative: retiarius
• accusative: retiarium

That is why the sentence has post retiarium, not post retiarius.

Sicut means just as, just like, or simply as when introducing a comparison.

So the structure is:

• Secutor post retiarium currit
• sicut
• canis post leporem currit

In smooth English: The pursuer runs after the retiarius just as a dog runs after a hare.

It is marking the second clause as a comparison with the first one.

Yes, Latin often can leave out a repeated verb if the meaning is clear. But here currit is repeated to make the comparison neat and balanced.

So the sentence is built as:

• Secutor post retiarium currit
• sicut canis post leporem currit

That repetition makes the parallel very clear:

• the pursuer runs after the retiarius
• just as the dog runs after the hare

A Latin writer could sometimes omit the second currit, but including it is perfectly normal and often clearer for learners.

It is a perfectly normal Latin word order, but Latin word order is much freer than English word order.

This sentence could be rearranged in other ways and still mean basically the same thing, because the endings show the grammatical roles. For example:

• Secutor currit post retiarium sicut canis currit post leporem.
• Post retiarium secutor currit sicut post leporem canis currit.

The given version is nice because it keeps the two halves parallel:

• secutor post retiarium currit
• canis post leporem currit

So while it is not the only possible order, it is a very natural and clear one.

Canis is nominative singular, even though it ends in -is.

This is because canis is a third-declension noun. Third-declension nouns often have nominative singular forms that do not look like the more familiar second-declension pattern.

Here:

• canis = dog as the subject
• leporem = hare as the object after post

So in the second clause, canis is the one doing the running.

Leporem is the accusative singular of lepus, meaning hare.

Its basic forms are:

• nominative singular: lepus
• accusative singular: leporem

Since it comes after post, it appears in the accusative:

• post leporem = after the hare

It can do both, depending on context.

Historically, a secutor was a specific type of gladiator, often matched against a retiarius. So in a sentence with retiarius, many readers will immediately think of the gladiatorial context.

But grammatically, secutor is also just a Latin noun meaning follower or pursuer.

Because the sentence also mentions retiarius, it very likely intends the gladiator sense here.

Here it means after in space, or more idiomatically in pursuit of.

Latin post can be used for time:

• post cenam = after dinner

But in this sentence it is clearly spatial:

• the pursuer runs after the retiarius
• the dog runs after the hare

So this is not about something happening later in time; it is about chasing.

Yes, Latin has several ways to make comparisons like this. Depending on style, a writer might use words such as:

• ut
• velut
• tamquam

But sicut is straightforward and clear, especially in simple prose. It very naturally means just as or just like here.

Latin does not have a definite article like English the or an indefinite article like a/an.

So:

• secutor can mean the pursuer or a pursuer
• canis can mean the dog or a dog

The context determines which English article makes the best sense. In translation, English has to add an article, but Latin does not.

A simple classroom pronunciation would be roughly:

• SEH-koo-tor
• post
• reh-tee-AH-ree-um
• KOOR-rit
• SEE-koot
• KAH-nis
• post
• leh-POH-rem
• KOOR-rit

A few helpful points:

• c is always hard, like k
• v in restored classical pronunciation is like English w, though many classrooms pronounce it like v
• r is trilled or tapped
• currit has double r, so the consonant is held a bit more strongly

So the sentence has a very rhythmic, balanced sound, especially because of the repeated post ... currit pattern.