Magistra opus efficit.

Magistra is the subject of the sentence. It is in the nominative singular, which is the case typically used for the doer of the action.

It is a first-declension feminine noun, and it usually means female teacher, mistress, or woman in charge, depending on context.

Because the verb is singular, we know magistra is one person, not several.

The ending -a is the normal nominative singular ending for many first-declension nouns.

So for a learner, it is useful to recognize:

• magistra = nominative singular
• magistrae = could be genitive singular, dative singular, or nominative plural, depending on context
• magistram = accusative singular

In this sentence, magistra is the subject, so nominative singular makes sense.

Yes, magistra is grammatically feminine and normally refers to a woman.

The masculine counterpart is magister.

So:

• magister = male teacher/master
• magistra = female teacher/mistress

Latin often makes this distinction directly in the noun itself.

Here opus is the direct object, so it is in the accusative singular.

A common point of confusion is that opus looks like it could be nominative too. That is because opus is a third-declension neuter noun, and for neuter nouns:

• nominative singular and accusative singular are the same

So opus can be either nominative or accusative in form. In this sentence, its role as the thing being accomplished makes it the accusative direct object.

Opus usually means work, piece of work, task, or deed, depending on context.

Here it is singular.

Its plural is opera.

This word is important because English has borrowed it too, especially in artistic contexts, but in Latin it can be much broader than just a musical opera.

Efficit is:

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

It comes from efficio, efficere, effeci, effectum, meaning things like bring about, accomplish, produce, or carry out.

So efficit means he/she/it accomplishes, produces, or brings about.

Because the subject is magistra, we understand it here as she accomplishes.

We know this mainly from case and verb agreement.

• magistra is nominative, the normal case for the subject
• opus is functioning as the accusative direct object
• efficit is singular, which matches magistra

Even though opus could look nominative in form, its role in the sentence shows that it is the object, not the subject.

This is very common in Latin: form matters, but so does how the words fit together.

Latin often places the verb at the end of the sentence, and that is a very common and natural pattern.

So Magistra opus efficit is a perfectly normal word order.

However, Latin word order is much freer than English word order because Latin relies heavily on inflection instead of position. So these could also be possible, depending on emphasis:

• Opus magistra efficit
• Efficit magistra opus
• Magistra efficit opus

They all mean roughly the same basic thing, though the emphasis may shift.

Latin has no articles like English the or a/an.

So magistra can mean:

• the teacher
• a teacher

And opus can mean:

• the work
• a work
• the task
• a task

You decide which English article to use from the context.

This is a very natural question, because both can be translated with does/makes in some contexts.

• facit from facio often means does or makes
• efficit from efficio often has the stronger sense brings about, accomplishes, produces, or carries through to completion

So efficit can sound a bit more like achieving a result, not just doing an action.

In many sentences, that difference is subtle, but it is a useful nuance to notice.

The dictionary forms are:

• magistra, magistrae = female teacher / mistress
• opus, operis = work, task, deed
• efficio, efficere, effeci, effectum = accomplish, produce, bring about

For nouns, Latin dictionaries usually give:

• nominative singular
• genitive singular

For verbs, dictionaries usually give the principal parts, which help you recognize and build different forms.

Yes. Even if the basic meaning is already known, several English versions could fit, such as:

• The female teacher accomplishes the task.
• The teacher produces a work.
• A mistress carries out the job.
• The woman in charge completes the work.

Which one is best depends on context. Latin words often cover a wider range of meanings than a single English word does.