Coquus cultrum in mensa ponit et oleum e amphora sumit.

Coquus is nominative singular. It is the subject of both verbs, ponit and sumit.

So the basic structure is:

• coquus = the cook
• ponit = places
• sumit = takes

Latin often marks a word’s job in the sentence by its ending, not just by word order.

Both cultrum and oleum are accusative singular here, because they are the direct objects of the verbs:

• cultrum = the thing the cook places
• oleum = the thing the cook takes

They also happen to be neuter second-declension nouns, and for that type of noun, the nominative singular and accusative singular often look the same: -um.

They are in the ablative singular because they follow prepositions:

• in mensa = on the table
• e amphora = from the jar/amphora

Many Latin prepositions require a particular case. Here:

• in with the ablative = location
• e/ex with the ablative = out of, from

So mensa and amphora are not direct objects; they are objects of prepositions.

Latin in with the ablative often means being in, on, or at something, depending on what sounds natural in English.

So:

• in urbe = in the city
• in mensa = on the table

Latin uses in more broadly than English does. English chooses between in and on, but Latin often just uses in.

This is one of the most important Latin patterns:

• in + ablative = location: in/on/at
• in + accusative = motion toward: into/onto

So in this sentence:

• in mensa means the knife is being placed on the table as its destination?
  More precisely, many beginner sentences use in + ablative for position, but with a verb of motion like ponit, Latin often uses in + accusative when emphasizing movement onto/into something.

A learner may therefore wonder about in mensa. In simple teaching Latin, this can be accepted as a location expression, but in more formal classical usage, in mensam might be expected if the idea is strongly onto the table.

Both are:

• present tense
• indicative mood
• active voice
• third person singular

So each means he/she/it places and he/she/it takes.

Because the subject is coquus, we understand:

• coquus ponit = the cook places
• coquus sumit = the cook takes

Because the same subject can govern more than one verb.

So:

• Coquus cultrum in mensa ponit et oleum e amphora sumit

means:

• The cook places the knife on the table and takes oil from the amphora.

Latin does not need to repeat coquus unless the writer wants emphasis or clarity.

Et means and. It joins the two actions:

• cultrum in mensa ponit
• oleum e amphora sumit

So the sentence describes two things the cook does in sequence or as part of the same scene.

Latin has no articles like English the or a/an.

So:

• coquus can mean the cook or a cook
• cultrum can mean the knife or a knife
• amphora can mean the amphora/jar or an amphora/jar

You decide from the context which English article sounds best.

Yes. It is a perfectly natural beginner-style Latin sentence.

Latin word order is more flexible than English because endings show grammatical function. Still, some patterns are common:

• the verb often comes near the end
• adjectives and nouns can be separated
• important words can be moved for emphasis

Here the order is quite clear and readable:

• Coquus = subject
• cultrum = object
• in mensa = prepositional phrase
• ponit = verb
• et = and
• oleum = object
• e amphora = prepositional phrase
• sumit = verb

E and ex are two forms of the same preposition, meaning out of or from.

Many textbooks give this general guideline:

• e before consonants
• ex before vowels or h

So a learner might expect ex amphora. That is a very reasonable expectation. In actual Latin, usage is not always completely rigid, and teaching materials sometimes simplify or vary forms. So it is useful to recognize that e amphora and ex amphora are closely related, though ex amphora may look more expected to many students.

They belong to familiar beginner declensions:

• coquus = second declension, masculine
• cultrum = second declension, neuter
• oleum = second declension, neuter
• mensa = first declension, feminine
• amphora = first declension, feminine

This matters because the declension helps determine the endings used for different cases.

Often, yes. For example, Latin could rearrange parts of the sentence and still keep the same basic meaning, because the endings show each word’s role.

For instance, something like this would still be understandable:

• Coquus oleum e amphora sumit et cultrum in mensa ponit.

That said, different word orders can slightly change emphasis. Latin word order is flexible, but not random. Writers move words around for style, focus, and rhythm.