Aequator monetae pondus spectat.

The subject is aequator.

You can tell because:

• aequator is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject.
• spectat is third-person singular, so it needs a singular subject.
• Semantically, aequator is the kind of word that naturally does the action: the adjuster / examiner / inspector looks at something.

So the basic structure is:

• aequator = subject
• pondus = direct object
• spectat = verb

Here monetae is most naturally a genitive singular form, meaning of the coin or of the money.

So:

• monetae pondus = the weight of the coin
• literally, weight of the coin

This is very common in Latin: instead of using a separate word like English of, Latin often uses the genitive case.

So the sentence is built like this:

• aequator = the examiner
• monetae pondus = the coin’s weight
• spectat = examines / looks at

This is a great question, because pondus can look the same in the nominative and accusative singular.

Why it is the object here:

1. spectat is a transitive verb, so it can take a direct object.
2. aequator is clearly nominative singular and makes a very natural subject.
3. monetae pondus forms a clear noun phrase: the weight of the coin.
4. In context, it makes much more sense that the examiner looks at the weight than that the weight looks at the examiner.

So here pondus is functioning as the accusative direct object.

Here are the usual dictionary forms:

• aequator, aequatoris masculine = adjuster, examiner, one who equalizes
• moneta, monetae feminine = coin, money, mint
• pondus, ponderis neuter = weight
• specto, spectare, spectavi, spectatum = to look at, observe, examine

A learner should especially notice that:

• aequator is a third-declension noun
• moneta is a first-declension noun
• pondus is a third-declension neuter noun
• spectat comes from the first-conjugation verb spectare

Spectat is:

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

So it means:

• he/she/it looks at
• he/she/it observes
• he/she/it examines

With aequator as the subject, the sense is the examiner looks at / inspects.

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

English usually relies heavily on word order:

• The examiner inspects the weight

Latin relies more on word endings, so the words can move around more freely without changing the core meaning.

Putting the verb at the end is very common in Latin prose:

• Aequator monetae pondus spectat

But other orders could also be possible, such as:

• Aequator pondus monetae spectat
• Monetae pondus aequator spectat

The endings still show who is doing what.

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

So:

• aequator can mean the examiner or an examiner
• monetae pondus can mean the weight of the coin or a coin’s weight
• spectat does not itself tell you whether English should use the or a

You choose the best English article from the context or from the meaning already provided.

Yes. The form monetae is grammatically ambiguous by itself. It could be:

• genitive singular = of the coin / of the money
• dative singular = to/for the coin
• nominative plural = coins

But in this sentence, genitive singular is the best reading, because it fits naturally with pondus:

• monetae pondus = the weight of the coin

The other possibilities do not fit the sentence nearly as well.

Because Latin often expresses of by using the genitive case instead of a separate word.

So English says:

• the weight of the coin

But Latin says:

• monetae pondus

Literally that is something like:

• coin’s weight

This is one of the most important habits to learn in Latin: relationships that English expresses with little helper words are often expressed in Latin by case endings.

Spectat can mean more than a casual looks at.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• looks at
• observes
• examines
• inspects
• watches

In a sentence about weight, a stronger sense like examines or inspects is often more natural than a casual looks at.

So even if the basic verb is to look, the context may suggest careful observation.

Yes. A very literal breakdown would be:

• Aequator = examiner / adjuster
• monetae = of the coin
• pondus = weight
• spectat = looks at / examines

So, very literally:

• The examiner examines the weight of the coin
• or even The examiner looks at the coin’s weight

A smoother English translation may vary, but that is the grammatical structure.

In reconstructed classical pronunciation, you could pronounce it roughly as:

• aequator ≈ AI-kwa-tor
• monetae ≈ mo-NAY-tie
• pondus ≈ PON-dus
• spectat ≈ SPEK-tat

With macrons, the sentence would often be written:

• Aequātor monētae pondus spectat

A rough full pronunciation would be:

• ai-KWAA-tor mo-NAY-tie PON-dus SPEK-tat

Exact classroom pronunciation may vary, especially if your course uses an ecclesiastical pronunciation instead of a classical one.