Haec sententia brevis est, sed exemplum clarum dat.

Because haec agrees with sententia, which is feminine singular nominative.

The demonstrative hic, haec, hoc means this. Its form changes to match the noun it describes:

• hic = masculine singular nominative
• haec = feminine singular nominative
• hoc = neuter singular nominative

Since sententia is feminine, Latin uses haec sententia = this sentence.

A learner should also know that haec can sometimes mean these in other contexts, but here sententia makes it clearly singular.

Sententia is nominative singular, and it is the subject.

It is the thing being described by brevis est and also the thing doing the action of dat.

So:

• Haec sententia brevis est = This sentence is short
• sed exemplum clarum dat = but it gives a clear example

Latin often does not repeat the subject if it is already clear, so sententia is understood as the subject of both parts.

Because brevis is the masculine/feminine nominative singular form of the adjective, while breve is the neuter nominative singular form.

The adjective brevis, breve means short.

Its nominative singular forms are:

• masculine/feminine: brevis
• neuter: breve

Since sententia is feminine, the adjective must agree with it, so Latin uses brevis.

Here est is the normal prose way to say is.

So brevis est literally means is short.

Latin can sometimes omit forms of to be, especially in poetry, inscriptions, or very compressed styles, but in ordinary prose est is commonly stated. For a learner, it is best to read this simply as a standard predicate:

• sententia = subject
• brevis = predicate adjective
• est = linking verb

Because Latin often leaves subject pronouns unstated when the verb ending already shows the person and number.

Dat means he/she/it gives. The ending -t tells you it is third person singular.

Since the subject has already been named as haec sententia, Latin does not need to say ea dat or something similar. The subject is simply understood:

• sed exemplum clarum dat = but it gives a clear example

This is very normal in Latin.

It is accusative singular, because it is the direct object of dat.

The verb dat means gives, so we ask: gives what?
Answer: exemplum clarum = a clear example.

A useful detail:

• exemplum is a neuter second-declension noun
• in neuter second declension, nominative singular and accusative singular look the same

So exemplum could look like either nominative or accusative by form alone, but here its function after dat shows it is the direct object.

Because clarum agrees with exemplum, which is neuter singular.

The adjective clarus, clara, clarum means clear. Its basic nominative singular forms are:

• clarus = masculine
• clara = feminine
• clarum = neuter

Since exemplum is neuter singular, the adjective must also be neuter singular: clarum.

In this sentence, exemplum clarum means a clear example.

In Latin, adjective position is much freer than in English.

Both of these are possible:

• clarum exemplum
• exemplum clarum

Both mean a clear example.

The version in your sentence is perfectly normal. Word order in Latin is often shaped by style, rhythm, and emphasis rather than by strict rules like in English. A learner should focus first on the agreement of endings, not on expecting a fixed adjective position.

Yes. Dat is from the verb dare, meaning to give, and here it literally means gives.

So exemplum clarum dat literally means gives a clear example.

In English, we might also translate the idea more naturally as:

• provides a clear example
• offers a clear example

But the Latin verb itself is simply gives.

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

So:

• sententia can mean sentence, a sentence, or the sentence, depending on context
• exemplum can mean example, an example, or the example, depending on context

In this sentence, English naturally supplies articles in translation, but Latin does not need them.

The word order is not fixed in the same way it is in English.

Because Latin uses endings to show grammatical function, many rearrangements are possible. For example, forms like these would still be understandable:

• Haec sententia est brevis, sed clarum exemplum dat.
• Brevis est haec sententia, sed exemplum clarum dat.

The exact order can change emphasis or style, but the basic grammar stays the same because the endings still show how the words connect.

This sentence uses a fairly straightforward order, which is helpful for learners.