Figulus diotam picat.

• figulus is the subject: the one doing the action.
• diotam is the direct object: the thing being acted on.
• picat is the verb: the action itself.

So the structure is subject + object + verb, which is a very common Latin word order.

Because diotam is in the accusative singular, the case used for a direct object.

The basic form is diota.
When a first-declension noun is the direct object, it often changes like this:

• nominative singular: diota
• accusative singular: diotam

So diotam shows that the jar is receiving the action of the verb.

Because figulus is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

A learner often first notices the word order, but in Latin the ending is even more important than the position. Here:

• figulus has the form expected for a nominative singular noun
• diotam has the form expected for an accusative singular noun

So even if the words were rearranged, figulus would still be the subject.

Picat is a third-person singular present active indicative verb form.

That means:

• third person = he / she / it
• singular = one subject
• present = happening now
• active = the subject performs the action
• indicative = a normal statement of fact

The ending -t is the key clue: it often marks he/she/it in the present tense.

Because Latin has no articles. It does not have separate words that exactly match English the or a/an.

So a noun like figulus can mean:

• the potter
• a potter

and diotam can mean:

• the jar
• a jar

Context tells you which is most natural.

Because Latin verbs usually already include that information.

The ending of picat tells you the subject is he/she/it singular. So Latin does not need to add a separate subject pronoun unless it wants special emphasis or contrast.

In this sentence, figulus names the subject directly, so there is no need for an extra pronoun.

Yes. Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show each word's job.

For example, these could still mean the same basic thing:

• Figulus diotam picat.
• Diotam figulus picat.
• Picat figulus diotam.

The difference is mainly emphasis, not core meaning.
Still, subject + object + verb is a very natural order in Latin, especially in simple teaching sentences.

They are:

• figulus, -i — a second-declension noun
• diota, -ae — a first-declension noun
• pico, picare — a first-conjugation verb

So the sentence gives you:

• figulus from figulus
• diotam from diota
• picat from pico

Knowing the dictionary form helps you identify how each word is being inflected.

A simple classroom pronunciation would be roughly:

FIG-oo-loos dee-O-tam PEE-kat

A few helpful points:

• g in figulus is always hard, as in go
• c in picat is always hard, as in cat
• each vowel is pronounced clearly

So picat is pronounced PEE-kat, not like English pickat with a soft c.