Intra portam multae feminae exspectant, sed extra urbem ventus adhuc fortis est.

Because intra and extra are prepositions that normally take the accusative. With these two words, the accusative does not necessarily mean motion toward something.

So:

• intra portam = inside the gate
• extra urbem = outside the city

This is different from prepositions like in, where case often helps show the difference between location and motion.

Multae feminae is nominative plural.

You can tell because:

• feminae can be nominative plural of femina
• multae agrees with it in gender, number, and case
• the verb exspectant is third person plural, so it needs a plural subject

So multae feminae is the subject: many women.

Because its subject, multae feminae, is plural.

The ending -nt in exspectant shows third person plural present tense: they are waiting or they wait.

Compare:

• exspectat = he/she/it waits
• exspectant = they wait

Latin usually does not need a subject pronoun if the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Here, exspectant already means they wait, so Latin does not need to add eae or another pronoun.

This is very common in Latin:

• exspectant = they wait
• est = he/she/it is

Adhuc means still, yet, or up to this point.

In this sentence, it shows that the wind continues to be strong:

• ventus adhuc fortis est = the wind is still strong

So adhuc adds the idea of something continuing.

Because fortis is the correct nominative masculine singular form of the adjective fortis, forte.

This adjective is a third-declension adjective:

• masculine singular: fortis
• feminine singular: fortis
• neuter singular: forte

Since ventus is masculine singular, the adjective must also be masculine singular: fortis.

Because it is a predicate adjective with est.

In ventus fortis est, both words are in the nominative:

• ventus = the subject
• fortis = the adjective describing the subject through est

So the structure is:

• the wind is strong

Latin commonly uses the nominative for both the subject and a predicate adjective after forms of esse.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order.

In multae feminae, multae is simply modifying the noun directly: many women.

In ventus fortis est, fortis is linked to ventus by est, so it works as a predicate adjective: the wind is strong.

So the two phrases are doing slightly different jobs:

• multae feminae = adjective + noun
• ventus fortis est = noun + predicate adjective + is

Not exactly.

• in can mean in or into, depending on the case used
• intra more specifically means inside or within

So intra portam means inside/within the gate.

A learner may expect something like in porta, but that would not mean the same thing. Intra gives a clearer sense of being within the boundary.

Yes. Latin word order is flexible because the endings show grammatical function.

For example, the sentence could be rearranged in other ways without changing the basic meaning. The current order helps highlight the contrast:

• Intra portam ...
• sed extra urbem ...

That makes the contrast between inside the gate and outside the city especially clear.

Not always. Exspectare often means to wait for someone or something, and then it can take a direct object. But it can also be used without naming the object, especially when the context does not matter or is already understood.

So here multae feminae exspectant simply means many women are waiting. The sentence does not say what they are waiting for.