Postquam pluvia desinit, discipulis extra scholam ludere licet.

Postquam means after. It introduces a time clause: postquam pluvia desinit = after the rain stops.

So the sentence is divided into two parts:

• postquam pluvia desinit = after the rain stops
• discipulis extra scholam ludere licet = the students are allowed to play outside the school

In Latin, postquam is a subordinating conjunction, so it introduces a subordinate clause.

Desinit is the present indicative, third person singular, from desinere = to stop, cease.

The present tense works well here because the sentence expresses a general situation: after the rain stops, the students may play. In other words, it means something like whenever the rain stops or once the rain stops.

If Latin were talking about one specific event in the past, you would often see a past tense instead, such as postquam pluvia desiit = after the rain stopped.

Pluvia is nominative singular. It is the subject of desinit.

So:

• pluvia = the rain
• desinit = stops

Literally, pluvia desinit means the rain stops.

This can feel a little different from English, because English often says it stops raining. Latin can certainly express weather in different ways, but here it simply uses rain as the subject.

Licet is an impersonal verb. It means it is permitted, it is allowed, or more naturally in English, one may / someone may.

Because it is impersonal, it normally stays in the third person singular form, even if the person allowed is plural.

So in this sentence:

• discipulis ... licet does not mean the students permit
• it means it is permitted to the students

A very literal translation would be:

After the rain stops, it is permitted to the students to play outside the school.

Natural English would usually be:

After the rain stops, the students may play outside the school.

Because licet regularly takes the dative for the person who is allowed to do something.

So:

• discipulis = to the students
• ludere licet = it is permitted to play

Together, discipulis ludere licet means the students are allowed to play.

This is a very common Latin pattern:

• mihi licet = I am allowed / it is permitted to me
• nobis licet = we are allowed
• discipulis licet = the students are allowed

Because after licet, Latin normally uses an infinitive to express the action that is permitted.

So:

• licet = it is permitted
• ludere = to play

Together: ludere licet = it is permitted to play / may play

Ludere is the present active infinitive of ludere.

This is similar to other Latin constructions where an infinitive completes the meaning of another verb or expression.

Because extra is a preposition that takes the accusative case.

So:

• schola = school
• scholam = accusative singular
• extra scholam = outside the school

This is something you simply have to learn with the preposition: extra + accusative.

Here it means location: outside the school.

Even though many Latin prepositions change meaning depending on whether they take the accusative or ablative, extra simply takes the accusative. So the accusative here is required by the preposition; it does not automatically mean motion toward.

So extra scholam ludere means to play outside the school, not to play out to the school or anything like that.

To an English speaker, it may feel unusual, but it is perfectly normal Latin.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order. This sentence puts:

1. the time clause first: Postquam pluvia desinit
2. then the person affected: discipulis
3. then the place: extra scholam
4. then the action + impersonal verb: ludere licet

Latin often puts an important verb like licet near the end.

You could rearrange the second part and still keep the same basic meaning, for example:

Postquam pluvia desinit, discipulis licet extra scholam ludere.

That said, the original order is smooth and natural Latin.

A helpful literal breakdown is:

• Postquam = after
• pluvia = the rain
• desinit = stops
• discipulis = to the students
• extra scholam = outside the school
• ludere = to play
• licet = it is permitted

So the sentence is literally:

After the rain stops, it is permitted to the students to play outside the school.

That literal version helps you see the grammar clearly, even though a more natural English translation would be:

After the rain stops, the students may play outside the school.