Iudex veritatem cernit.

Latin usually does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So iudex can mean:

• the judge
• a judge

Which one is best depends on context. In a simple sentence like this, English often translates it as the judge.

We know from its case. Here iudex is in the nominative singular, which is the form typically used for the subject of a sentence.

So in Iudex veritatem cernit:

• iudex = subject = the judge
• veritatem = object = the truth
• cernit = verb = sees / perceives / discerns

Even if the word order changed, iudex would still be the subject as long as it stayed in the nominative form.

Because veritatem is the accusative singular form, used for the direct object of the verb.

The dictionary form is veritas, meaning truth. But in this sentence, truth is the thing the judge sees, so Latin puts it in the accusative:

• nominative: veritas = truth as subject
• accusative: veritatem = truth as object

So veritatem means truth in the role of what is being seen.

Cernit is:

• 3rd person
• singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from the verb cernere, meaning to see, to discern, to perceive, or to make out.

So cernit means he/she/it sees or discerns. Since the subject is iudex, we translate it as the judge sees or the judge discerns.

Because the ending of the verb already tells us the person and number.

The -it in cernit tells us the verb is 3rd person singular: he/she/it sees.

That means Latin can often leave out subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis or clarity. So instead of saying something like he sees, Latin can simply say cernit.

In this sentence, the noun iudex makes the subject explicit.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because Latin uses case endings to show the job of each word.

So these could all mean roughly the same thing:

• Iudex veritatem cernit
• Veritatem iudex cernit
• Cernit iudex veritatem

However, the word order can affect emphasis or style. In many simple Latin sentences, the verb often comes at or near the end, as it does here.

Iudex is a third-declension noun.

Its basic forms are:

• nominative singular: iudex
• genitive singular: iudicis

That genitive form, iudicis, shows the stem iudic-, which helps explain some other forms.

A learner might expect a subject noun to end in -us, but many Latin nouns, especially third-declension ones, have different nominative endings. So iudex is perfectly normal as a nominative singular subject.

Veritas is also a third-declension noun.

Its main forms are:

• nominative singular: veritas
• genitive singular: veritatis

From that stem veritat-, we get the accusative singular veritatem.

So:

• veritas = truth, as subject
• veritatem = truth, as object

It can be a little stronger or more thoughtful than simple physical seeing.

Depending on context, cernere can mean:

• see
• perceive
• discern
• make out
• distinguish

So Iudex veritatem cernit could suggest not just that the judge physically sees truth, but that the judge recognizes or discerns it.

In a reconstructed Classical pronunciation, it would be approximately:

YOO-deks weh-ree-TAH-tem KER-nit

A few helpful points:

• iudex begins with a consonantal i, like English y
• c in cernit is always hard, like k
• v in Classical Latin is pronounced like w
• the stress falls on -ta- in veritatem

So the whole sentence sounds something like:

YOO-deks weh-ree-TAH-tem KER-nit

Yes. Because Latin has no articles, the sentence by itself could be translated in more than one way:

• The judge sees the truth
• A judge sees the truth
• sometimes even The judge discerns truth

The best English version depends on context. If no context is given, The judge sees the truth is a very natural translation, but it is not the only possible one.

Because veritas is being used as an abstract noun, much like English truth.

Abstract nouns in Latin are often singular when referring to a general concept. So veritatem here means truth as an idea or quality, not truths as separate individual facts.

If Latin wanted to talk about multiple truths, it could use a plural form, but the singular is the normal choice for the general concept.