Finitor controversiam finium hodie decernit.

Because finitor is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject.

In this sentence:

• finitor = the subject, the boundary-setter / arbiter
• controversiam = the direct object, the dispute
• decernit = decides / settles

So the basic structure is:

Finitor ... controversiam ... decernit
= The finitor decides the dispute

Latin does not rely on word order as heavily as English does, so you identify the subject mainly by case ending, not just by position.

Controversiam is the direct object of decernit.

The verb decernere can mean to decide, to determine, or to settle, and the thing being decided is put in the accusative. So:

• controversia = controversy, dispute
• controversiam = dispute as the thing being decided

That is why the sentence has controversiam, not controversia.

Finium is a genitive plural depending on controversiam.

It tells you what kind of dispute it is:

• controversia = a dispute
• controversia finium = a dispute of boundaries, or more naturally in English, a boundary dispute

This is a very common Latin use of the genitive: a noun can define or limit another noun.

So controversiam finium means not just any dispute, but specifically a dispute about boundaries.

It is the genitive plural of finis.

The noun finis can mean:

• end
• boundary
• border

In this sentence, because it goes with controversiam, the meaning is clearly boundaries or property lines, not ends.

So controversiam finium means a dispute about boundaries/borders.

Because finis is a third-declension i-stem noun, and many i-stem nouns form the genitive plural in -ium.

So:

• nominative singular: finis
• genitive plural: finium

This is something learners often have to memorize: some third-declension nouns use -um in the genitive plural, but i-stems often use -ium.

Decernit is from decernere.

Here it means something like:

• decides
• settles
• determines
• adjudicates

In the context of a dispute, settles or decides is probably the most natural translation.

So finitor controversiam finium hodie decernit means that the finitor is settling/deciding the boundary dispute today.

Decernit is:

• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood
• third person singular

So it means:

• he decides
• she decides
• it decides

Here, since the subject is finitor, it means the finitor decides.

Hodie is an adverb meaning today.

It modifies the verb decernit:

• decernit = decides
• hodie decernit = decides today

Because it is an adverb, it does not change form.

It could be. Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order.

The given sentence:

Finitor controversiam finium hodie decernit

is perfectly normal Latin. The important relationships are shown by the endings, not by strict position.

Still, word order can suggest emphasis:

• putting decernit at the end is very common in Latin
• placing hodie before decernit can give a slight emphasis to today
• keeping controversiam finium together helps show that those words belong together

So the word order is not random, but it is also not as rigid as English.

Finitor is a noun meaning something like:

• boundary-setter
• surveyor
• arbiter of boundaries

It is formed with the agent ending -tor, which often means a person who does something.

For example, in Latin many nouns ending in -tor name an agent or doer of an action. So finitor is someone connected with setting or determining boundaries.

Yes. They are related.

• finis = boundary, end
• finitor = a person who marks out or determines boundaries

So the sentence uses two related ideas:

• finitor = the person who settles boundary matters
• finium = of boundaries

That gives the sentence a very compact and natural Latin feel.

In this sentence, it is most naturally taken with controversiam, not with finitor.

So the phrase is:

controversiam finium = the dispute of boundaries

That makes much better sense than trying to read it as something like the finitor of boundaries. If Latin wanted to make that connection clearer, it would usually arrange things differently or use a structure that more obviously grouped those words together.

A good method is:

1. Find the finite verb: decernit
2. Ask who does it: finitor
3. Ask what is being decided: controversiam
4. Then add the modifiers:
   • finium = of boundaries
   • hodie = today

So the core is:

Finitor controversiam decernit
= The finitor decides the dispute

Then you expand it:

Finitor controversiam finium hodie decernit
= The finitor decides the boundary dispute today