Hodie discipula epistulam a matre accipit.

Today the female student receives a letter from her mother.

Breakdown of Hodie discipula epistulam a matre accipit.

• mater: the mother
• discipula: the female student
• hodie: today
• epistula: the letter
• a: from
• accipere: to receive

Questions & Answers about Hodie discipula epistulam a matre accipit.

Why does discipula mean the (female) student, and how do I know it’s the subject?

Discipula is a 1st-declension noun meaning female student (contrast discipulus = male student). In this sentence it’s in the nominative singular, which is the normal case for the subject. A quick check: the verb accipit is singular, matching a singular subject like discipula.

Why is epistulam spelled with -am at the end?

Because it’s the direct object of accipit (receives). Epistula (letter) is 1st declension; its accusative singular ends in -am:

• nominative: epistula (a/the letter)
• accusative: epistulam (the letter, as an object)

Why is it a matre and not a mater?

The preposition a/ab (meaning from or by) takes the ablative case. Mater is a 3rd-declension noun; its ablative singular is matre. So:

• mater = nominative (mother, as a subject)
• matrem = accusative (object)
• matre = ablative (after a/ab, “from the mother”)

What exactly does a mean here, and when would it be ab instead?

Here a means from (source): a matre = from (her/the) mother.
Latin uses ab before vowels or for clarity/euphony (common rule of thumb):

• a matre (m is a consonant)
• ab amico (from a friend)
  Both can mean from; ab is especially common before vowels.

Why doesn’t Latin need a word like the or a?

Latin usually doesn’t have articles. Whether you translate discipula as a student or the student depends on context. Same with epistulam: it can be a letter or the letter.

How do I know what accipit means and what tense it is?

Accipit comes from accipere (to receive). The ending -it marks 3rd person singular present indicative active, so it means (she/he/it) receives.
Present tense here pairs naturally with hodie: Today, the student receives...

Why is the word order different from English, and could it be rearranged?

Latin word order is flexible because meaning is carried largely by case endings, not position. Hodie discipula epistulam a matre accipit is a neutral, clear order, but you could also see things like:

• Discipula hodie epistulam accipit a matre.
• Epistulam hodie discipula a matre accipit.
  These keep the same basic meaning, though the emphasis can shift.

What case is hodie, and what kind of word is it?

Hodie is an adverb meaning today. Adverbs don’t have case endings like nouns; they modify the verb idea (when the receiving happens).

Is a matre an “ablative of agent,” and is that the right label here?

It’s an ablative with a preposition showing source: from the mother.
The label ablative of agent is usually used with passive verbs, e.g. Epistula a matre accipitur = The letter is received by the mother (agent with a/ab).
In your sentence the verb is active (accipit), so a matre is best understood as source/origin (“from”).

Why is discipula feminine—does the verb change because of gender?

The verb does not change for gender in Latin. Accipit can mean he receives or she receives; gender comes from the noun/pronoun (here discipula, which is feminine by meaning and form).