Figulus rotam figularem movet.

Figulus is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative singular. The ending -us is a very common nominative singular ending for second-declension masculine nouns.

Its dictionary form is also figulus, meaning potter.

Rotam is the direct object of movet, so it is in the accusative singular.

The basic noun is rota, a first-declension noun meaning wheel. In the accusative singular, a first-declension noun usually changes -a to -am:

• nominative: rota
• accusative: rotam

So rotam means the wheel or a wheel as the thing being moved.

Because figularem is an adjective describing rotam, and it has to agree with it in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since rotam is feminine singular accusative, the adjective must also be feminine singular accusative.

The adjective’s basic form is figularis, figulare, meaning something like potter’s, used by a potter, or relating to pottery. Its accusative singular feminine form is figularem.

So:

• rota = wheel
• rota figularis = a potter’s wheel
• rotam figularem = a potter’s wheel as the object of the verb

They both show that the words are grammatically connected.

• rotam is a feminine singular accusative noun
• figularem is a feminine singular accusative adjective

In Latin, adjectives match the nouns they describe. This is called agreement.

Even though the endings are not identical in every declension, both words are in the same case, number, and gender.

Here figularem means potter’s or for pottery. It tells you what kind of wheel it is: not just any wheel, but a potter’s wheel.

So rotam figularem is best understood as the potter’s wheel.

It is not saying the wheel itself is a potter; it is an adjective meaning connected with a potter or pottery work.

Movet is:

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

It comes from the verb moveo, movere, meaning move.

So movet means he/she/it moves or sometimes is moving.

In this sentence, the subject is figulus, so movet means the potter moves.

The verb is singular because the subject, figulus, is singular.

Latin verbs must agree with their subject in person and number.

• figulus = one potter
• therefore movet = he moves

If the subject were plural, the verb would also be plural.

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

So:

• figulus can mean the potter or a potter
• rotam figularem can mean the potter’s wheel or a potter’s wheel

You decide from context which English translation sounds best.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because Latin uses endings to show each word’s role in the sentence.

In English, word order is crucial:

• The potter moves the wheel is different from The wheel moves the potter

In Latin, the endings already tell you that:

• figulus is the subject
• rotam is the object

So Figulus rotam figularem movet can be rearranged in several ways without changing the basic meaning.

This order is fairly natural and clear, with the verb placed at the end, which is very common in Latin.

Yes. For example, you could also have:

• Figulus figularem rotam movet
• Rotam figularem figulus movet
• Movet figulus rotam figularem

All of these still mean basically the same thing, because the endings show what each word is doing.

However, different word orders can shift emphasis. Latin authors often choose word order for style, focus, or rhythm.

You know from the case endings:

• figulus is nominative singular, which is the normal case for the subject
• rotam is accusative singular, which is the normal case for the direct object

So the sentence means:

• the potter = the doer
• the potter’s wheel = the thing acted on

That is why it means The potter moves the potter’s wheel, not the other way around.

They are:

• figulus — potter
• rota — wheel
• figularis, figulare — potter’s; for pottery
• moveo, movere, movi, motum — move

Looking up dictionary forms is important because Latin words often appear in changed forms inside sentences.

In a common classroom pronunciation, you could say it roughly like this:

FIG-oo-loos ROH-tam fig-oo-LAH-rem MOH-wet

A few helpful points:

• g is always hard, as in go
• v is often pronounced like English w in reconstructed classical pronunciation
• the stress usually falls on:
  • FÍgulus
  • RÓtam
  • figulÁrem
  • MÓvet

So in a more classical-style pronunciation, movet may sound closer to MOH-wet than MOH-vet.