Avus in speculo vultum suum spectat et dicit se hodie laetiorem esse.

Speculo is in the ablative singular.

With in, Latin uses:

• accusative for motion into something
• ablative for location in/on something

So in speculo means in the mirror or more naturally in a mirror / in the mirror’s surface. There is no idea of movement here, so the ablative is used.

Vultum is accusative singular. It is the direct object of spectat.

• spectat = he looks at / watches
• What does he look at? vultum suum = his own face

So vultum must be in the accusative.

Latin often includes a possessive where English might leave it out.

So:

• vultum = face
• vultum suum = his own face

In English, he looks at his face in the mirror sounds natural, but even he looks at his face can sometimes feel unnecessary because English often assumes whose face it is from context. Latin is more likely to state it explicitly.

Also, suum is important because it shows that the face belongs to the subject of the clause.

Because suum is the reflexive possessive adjective. It refers back to the subject of its own clause.

Here the subject is avus, so:

• vultum suum = his own face (the grandfather’s own face)

If Latin used eius, that would usually mean the face of someone else, not the subject’s own.

This is a very common distinction:

• suus, sua, suum = one’s own
• eius = his/her/its, referring to another person

Both can involve sight, but they are not exactly the same.

• videt = sees
• spectat = looks at, watches, gazes at

So spectat emphasizes the act of looking. In a mirror sentence, that makes good sense: the grandfather is actively looking at his reflection, not merely noticing it.

This is one of the most important Latin constructions: the indirect statement.

After verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, perceiving, and so on, Latin often uses:

• accusative subject
• infinitive verb

So:

• dicit = he says
• se ... esse = that he is ...

Literally, Latin says something like:

• he says himself to be happier today

But natural English is:

• he says that he is happier today

Latin usually prefers this accusative + infinitive construction instead of using that.

Se is the reflexive accusative pronoun, and here it is the subject of the infinitive esse in indirect statement.

It refers back to the subject of dicit, which is avus.

So:

• dicit se hodie laetiorem esse = he says that he is happier today

If Latin used eum, that would normally mean he says that another man is happier today.

So se clearly shows that the person being spoken about is the same person who is doing the speaking.

Because laetiorem agrees with se, and se is accusative.

In an indirect statement, the subject of the infinitive is in the accusative:

• se = accusative

Any predicate adjective that goes with that subject also goes into the accusative:

• masculine/feminine nominative singular comparative: laetior
• masculine/feminine accusative singular comparative: laetiorem

So:

• se laetiorem esse = that he is happier

This is exactly the form we expect.

In classical prose, esse is normally expressed in this kind of sentence.

So:

• se hodie laetiorem esse = that he is happier today

Latin can sometimes omit forms of to be, especially in certain styles or contexts, but here esse is standard and expected, especially for learners.

Hodie is an adverb meaning today.

It modifies the idea of the indirect statement:

• se hodie laetiorem esse = that he is happier today

It tells us when he is happier. It does not change case, because adverbs do not have case.

Laetiorem means happier. Latin comparatives do not always need an explicit than phrase.

So he says he is happier today can mean:

• happier than before
• happier than usual
• happier than he was yesterday

The comparison is understood from context. English does exactly the same thing sometimes.

Formally, laetiorem could be masculine or feminine accusative singular. The form is the same for both.

Here it refers to se, which refers to avus, a man, so in meaning it is masculine.

Yes, Latin word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence is arranged quite naturally:

• Avus — subject first
• in speculo vultum suum spectat — the first action
• et dicit se hodie laetiorem esse — the second action, with the indirect statement following dicit

But Latin could rearrange many of these words without changing the basic meaning, because the endings show the grammar.

For example, Latin often places:

• important words near the beginning or end
• the infinitive at the end of an indirect statement
• reflexive words near the words they relate to

So the order here is normal, but not the only possible one.

It refers to avus, not to vultum suum.

That is because se belongs to the clause after dicit:

• dicit se hodie laetiorem esse

Within that indirect statement, se is the person who is said to be happier. A face cannot naturally be the one who is happier, so both grammar and meaning point to avus.

The main finite verbs are:

• spectat = he looks at
• dicit = he says

Both are 3rd person singular present active indicative.

Then there is also:

• esse = to be

But esse is an infinitive, not a finite verb. It belongs to the indirect statement after dicit.