Medica dicit digitum bene sanari posse.

Medica is a feminine noun meaning female doctor or woman physician. It is in the nominative singular, so it is the subject of dicit.

A learner might expect medicus, which is the masculine form meaning male doctor. So this sentence specifically has a female doctor as the speaker.

Digitum is the accusative singular of digitus (finger or toe, depending on context).

After verbs like dicit, Latin often uses an accusative-and-infinitive construction for reported statements. In English we say something like:

• The doctor says that the finger can heal well.

In Latin, the subject of the reported statement becomes accusative, so digitum is the logical subject of sanari posse, even though it is accusative in form.

So:

• medica = the doctor says
• digitum ... posse = that the finger is able ...

This is one of the most common features of Latin syntax.

After verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, perceiving, and similar verbs, Latin often does not use a separate word meaning that. Instead, it uses:

• an accusative noun as the subject of the reported statement
• one or more infinitives for the verb of the reported statement

So instead of literally saying:

• The doctor says that the finger can be healed well

Latin says, more literally:

• The doctor says the finger to be able to be healed well

That sounds strange in English, but it is normal Latin.

This construction is usually called the accusative and infinitive or indirect statement.

Sanari is the present passive infinitive of sano, meaning to heal or to cure.

So:

• sanare = to heal / to cure active, to heal something
• sanari = to be healed / to be cured passive

Here it means to be healed.

So digitum bene sanari means:

• the finger to be healed well
• more natural English: the finger to heal well or the finger to be healing well, depending on context

Posse means to be able or can. It is the infinitive of possum.

Since the whole reported statement after dicit is in indirect statement form, the verb of that statement also appears as an infinitive. That is why we get:

• sanari posse = to be able to be healed / can be healed

So the structure is:

• medica dicit = the doctor says
• digitum = the finger
• bene sanari posse = can heal well / can be healed well

In smoother English, this often becomes:

• The doctor says that the finger can heal well or
• The doctor says that the finger can be healed successfully

Which English translation is best depends on the context and what meaning has already been given.

Because posse normally takes another infinitive with it.

Just as in English we say:

• can heal
• is able to heal

Latin says:

• posse sanare = to be able to heal

If the meaning is passive, then the second infinitive is passive:

• posse sanari = to be able to be healed

In this sentence, posse is the main infinitive of the indirect statement, and sanari depends on posse.

So the full verbal idea is:

• to be able to be healed well

It modifies the healing idea, so practically it goes with sanari.

• bene = well
• sanari = to be healed

So:

• bene sanari = to be healed well

It does not mean the doctor speaks well. The word order could potentially make an English speaker wonder about that, but the sense and structure make it clear that bene belongs with the infinitive phrase.

The subject is digitum, even though it is in the accusative.

That is normal in Latin indirect statement:

• the subject of the reported clause appears in the accusative
• the verb of the reported clause appears in the infinitive

So in:

• Medica dicit digitum bene sanari posse

the internal statement is:

• digitum ... posse

where digitum is the thing that can be healed.

Because this is not a direct main clause. It is part of an indirect statement after dicit.

Compare:

Direct statement:

• Digitus bene sanari potest.
• The finger can be healed well.

Indirect statement after dicit:

• Medica dicit digitum bene sanari posse.
• The doctor says that the finger can be healed well.

In the direct statement, you use the finite verb potest. In the indirect statement, that finite verb becomes the infinitive posse.

Also notice:

• digitus becomes digitum
• potest becomes posse

That is a standard shift when turning a statement into indirect statement in Latin.

In theory, medica can be an adjective form meaning medical or something similar in certain contexts, but here it is clearly being used as a noun: female doctor.

Why?

Because:

• it is at the beginning of the sentence
• it is nominative singular
• it fits naturally as the subject of dicit

So in this sentence, the best reading is definitely the female doctor says ...

Usually digitus means finger, but it can also mean toe in some contexts.

Latin often uses the same word for both unless the context makes it clear which is meant. So if the meaning shown to the learner says finger, that is perfectly normal, but in another context it could be toe.

A very literal unpacking would be:

• Medica = the female doctor
• dicit = says
• digitum = the finger
• bene = well
• sanari = to be healed
• posse = to be able

So, very literally:

• The female doctor says the finger to be able to be healed well.

That is not good English, but it helps show the Latin structure.

More natural English would be:

• The female doctor says that the finger can heal well. or
• The female doctor says that the finger can be healed well.

Dicit is the third person singular present active indicative of dico, meaning say.

So:

• dico = I say
• dicis = you say
• dicit = he/she/it says

Since the subject is medica, the meaning is:

• the female doctor says

If it were past tense, you might see something like dixit instead.

Yes, that is often a very helpful way to learn it.

The direct statement would be:

• Digitus bene sanari potest.
• The finger can be healed well.

After Medica dicit in indirect statement, it becomes:

• digitus → digitum
• potest → posse

So:

• Medica dicit digitum bene sanari posse.

This is a good strategy whenever you see an accusative + infinitive after a verb of saying: try converting it back into a direct statement.