Illicitator contra emptorem licetur.

Because licetur is from a deponent verb: liceri.

Deponent verbs use passive-looking forms but have active meanings. So here:

• licetur = he bids / she bids / it bids
• not is bid

That is one of the first things an English-speaking learner will notice, because in English a form like this would normally look passive.

Illicitator is nominative singular.

Its job is to be the subject of licetur. Since the verb is 3rd person singular, a singular subject fits perfectly.

So the basic structure is:

• illicitator = the subject
• contra emptorem = a prepositional phrase
• licetur = the verb

Because it follows the preposition contra, and contra takes the accusative.

So:

• emptor = buyer
• emptorem = buyer in the accusative singular

This is completely normal Latin syntax:

• contra + accusative = against ...

It is a prepositional phrase modifying the verb.

It tells you against whom the bidding is happening. In other words, it gives the sense of opposition or competition:

• contra emptorem = against the buyer

So the phrase does not function as a direct object of the verb. It is an added phrase showing the relationship between the bidder and the buyer.

No. That is an easy confusion.

• licet = it is permitted, from licere
• licetur here = bids, from liceri (a deponent verb)

Even though they look similar in English spelling, they are different verbs and should not be confused in reading.

It is not the same word as English illicit.

In Latin, the prefix in- often changes its sound before certain consonants. Before l, it commonly becomes il-. So illicitator reflects that kind of assimilation.

In other words, the beginning il- is just a changed form of a prefix, not a sign that the word means something like English illegal or forbidden.

Yes. It is very normal Latin word order.

Latin often places the verb at the end, and that is what happens here:

• Illicitator — subject first
• contra emptorem — added phrase in the middle
• licetur — verb last

Because Latin uses case endings, the order is more flexible than in English. Even so, this sentence is arranged in a very natural, straightforward way.

No, not in the usual sense.

The sentence has:

• a subject: illicitator
• a prepositional phrase: contra emptorem
• a verb: licetur

So emptorem is not a direct object here; it is the object of the preposition contra.

A good quick analysis would be:

1. Find the verb: licetur

   • 3rd person singular
   • present tense
   • deponent, so active in meaning

2. Find the nominative subject: illicitator

   • singular, matching the verb

3. Identify the prepositional phrase: contra emptorem

   • contra
     • accusative
   • gives the idea against the buyer

That gives you the structure of the sentence immediately.

A simple Classical-style pronunciation would be roughly:

• illicitator: il-li-ki-TA-tor
• contra: KON-tra
• emptorem: emp-TO-rem
• licetur: li-KE-tur

A few points that often help English speakers:

• Latin c is always hard, like k
• the stress in illicitator falls on ta
• the stress in licetur falls on ke

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

il-li-ki-TA-tor KON-tra emp-TO-rem li-KE-tur