Meridie servi in horto non laborant, sed sub umbra sedent et aquam bibunt.

Meridie means at midday / at noon. It is in the ablative singular, used to express time when something happens.

So Latin is literally saying something like:

• At midday, the slaves do not work...

Latin often puts a time expression near the beginning of the sentence to set the scene first.

Servi is the nominative plural of servus (slave or servant). It is the subject because it is the group doing the actions:

• they do not work
• they sit
• they drink

So:

• servus = one slave
• servi = slaves

The ending -i here tells you it is plural nominative.

Latin usually does not need to use a separate subject pronoun like they, because the verb ending already tells you who is acting.

For example:

• laborant = they work
• sedent = they sit
• bibunt = they drink

The ending -nt shows third person plural. So once you have servi, Latin does not need to add ei or another pronoun.

They are plural because the subject servi is plural.

Latin verbs must agree with their subject in number:

• servus laborat = the slave works
• servi laborant = the slaves work

The same pattern appears in all three verbs here:

• non laborant = they do not work
• sedent = they sit
• bibunt = they drink

Non is the normal Latin word for not. It usually goes directly before the word it negates, especially before a verb.

So:

• non laborant = they do not work

That is a very standard placement in Latin.

They connect parts of the sentence in different ways:

• sed = but
• et = and

So the structure is:

• non laborant, sed... = they do not work, but...
• sedent et aquam bibunt = they sit and drink water

Sed introduces a contrast.
Et simply adds another action.

Because in horto means in the garden in the sense of location—where they are.

With in:

• in + ablative = in/on a place, with rest
• in + accusative = into/onto a place, with motion toward

So:

• in horto = in the garden
• in hortum = into the garden

Here the slaves are not moving into the garden; the sentence is just telling you where they are not working.

Umbra here is in the ablative singular, because sub can take the ablative when it means under in a sense of position rather than motion.

So:

• sub umbra = under the shade / in the shade

A learner may expect sub umbram, but that would more naturally suggest motion toward a position under the shade.

As with many prepositions in Latin:

• sub + ablative = position
• sub + accusative = motion toward

Latin often uses a more literal expression than English does.
Sub umbra literally means under the shade, but in natural English we often translate it as in the shade.

So this is a good example where the Latin wording and the English wording are not exactly the same, even though the meaning is.

Because aquam is the direct object of bibunt.

They are drinking water, so water is the thing directly affected by the action. In Latin, direct objects normally go in the accusative.

• aqua = water
• aquam = water as a direct object

So:

• aquam bibunt = they drink water

Because water is usually treated as a mass noun, just as in English. You normally say:

• they drink water

not

• they drink waters

So Latin naturally uses the singular aquam.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammatical roles.

This sentence could be rearranged in several ways without changing the basic meaning. For example, Latin could move servi or meridie or in horto to different positions for emphasis.

The given order is natural and clear:

• Meridie sets the time first
• servi gives the subject
• in horto gives the place
• non laborant, sed... gives the contrast in actions

So the order is meaningful in style and emphasis, but not as rigid as English word order.

Because they belong to different conjugation patterns.

• laborant comes from laborare
• sedent comes from sedere
• bibunt comes from bibere

All three are present tense, third person plural, but different verb families form that tense slightly differently.

A beginner does not need to worry too much yet beyond recognizing that all three mean they ... in the present tense.

Yes. That is very normal in Latin.

The subject servi applies to all the coordinated verbs:

• non laborant
• sedent
• bibunt

Latin does not need to repeat servi each time. English works the same way:

• The slaves do not work, but sit and drink water.

So one subject can easily govern multiple verbs.

A helpful way to see it is:

• Meridie = time
• servi = subject
• in horto = place
• non laborant = first action, negated
• sed = contrast
• sub umbra = place
• sedent et aquam bibunt = second and third actions

So the sentence is built around a contrast:

• they do not work
• but they sit and drink

That makes sed an important organizing word in the sentence.