Puer capram vocat, sed capra ad ovem currit.

Because the goat has two different jobs in the sentence.

• capram = the direct object of vocat
• capra = the subject of currit

Latin shows a noun’s job by changing its ending.

For this noun:

• capra = nominative singular, used for the subject
• capram = accusative singular, used for the direct object

So:

• Puer capram vocat = the boy calls the goat
• sed capra ad ovem currit = but the goat runs toward the sheep

You know from the cases and the verb forms, not mainly from word order.

• puer is nominative, so it is the subject of vocat
• capram is accusative, so it is the object of vocat
• capra is nominative, so it is the subject of currit

Latin is much less dependent on word order than English. The endings tell you who is doing what.

Because ad takes the accusative case when it means movement toward something.

The basic dictionary form is ovis = sheep, but here the sheep is the object of the preposition ad, so Latin uses the accusative singular:

• ovis = nominative singular
• ovem = accusative singular

So ad ovem means toward the sheep.

Here ad shows movement toward a person, place, or thing.

So ad ovem currit means the goat runs to or toward the sheep.

A very important thing to remember is:

• ad
  • accusative

That is why you get ovem, not ovis.

sed means but.

It connects two clauses and shows a contrast:

• the boy calls the goat,
• but the goat runs toward the sheep.

It is a very common Latin conjunction.

Because each verb has a singular subject.

• puer is one boy, so vocat is singular
• capra is one goat, so currit is singular

Both verb forms are third person singular present tense:

• vocat = he/she/it calls
• currit = he/she/it runs

Latin verbs often tell you the person and number by their endings.

Classical Latin does not have articles like English the or a/an.

So a word like puer can mean:

• boy
• a boy
• the boy

The exact sense depends on context. In beginner translations, English usually adds the or a where it sounds natural.

Yes. Latin word order is fairly flexible because the endings carry so much information.

This sentence could be rearranged in various ways and still keep the same basic meaning, as long as the forms stay the same. For example, Latin could move words around for emphasis.

Still, the given order is perfectly natural and clear.

Latin often repeats a noun where English might use a pronoun.

So instead of something like but it runs toward the sheep, Latin can simply say sed capra ad ovem currit.

This is normal Latin style and can make the sentence very clear, especially for beginners or in simple narrative.

puer is a second-declension masculine noun, but it belongs to a group whose nominative singular keeps the -er.

So its basic form is:

• puer = boy

Not every second-declension masculine noun ends in -us in the nominative. Some end in -er, such as puer and ager.

The nouns come from different declensions:

• puer = second declension masculine
• capra = first declension feminine
• ovis = third declension feminine

That is why their endings change in different ways:

• capra → capram
• ovis → ovem

Learning declensions helps you recognize each noun’s role in the sentence.

A simple classroom pronunciation would be something like:

POO-er KAH-pram WOH-kat, sed KAH-pra ad OH-wem KOOR-rit

A few helpful points:

• c is always hard, like k
• v is often pronounced like an English w in reconstructed classical pronunciation
• u is like oo
• both r sounds are trilled or tapped

So:

• capra sounds like KAH-pra
• vocat like WOH-kat
• ovem like OH-wem
• currit like KOOR-rit