Medica dicit dolorem mox minui posse, si puer quiete sedet et non flet.

Medica is nominative singular feminine, and it is the subject of dicit.

So:

• medica = the female doctor
• dicit = says

A learner may notice that this is feminine because the ending -a often marks a first-declension noun. If the doctor were male, you would usually expect medicus instead.

This is one of the most important grammar points in the sentence.

After verbs like dicit (says), Latin often uses an indirect statement. In this construction, the subject of the reported idea appears in the accusative, and the verb appears as an infinitive.

So in:

Medica dicit dolorem mox minui posse

the part dolorem ... minui posse means that the pain can soon lessen.

Even though pain is the logical subject of can lessen, Latin puts it in the accusative because it is the subject of an infinitive phrase inside indirect statement.

Posse means to be able or can. It is the infinitive of possum.

It is paired with another infinitive:

• minui = to be reduced, to lessen, or more idiomatically to diminish

So:

• minui posse = to be able to lessen / to be able to be reduced

In context, the natural English meaning is something like:

• that the pain can soon lessen
• or that the pain can soon be reduced

A common thing to notice is that posse often takes another infinitive with it, just like English to be able to.

Minui is the present passive infinitive of minuo, minuere.

So:

• minuere = to reduce, lessen
• minui = to be reduced, to be lessened

In English, we may translate this more naturally as to lessen or to diminish, even though the Latin form is passive.

This is very common in Latin: sometimes a passive infinitive is best translated by a more natural English intransitive expression.

Because classical Latin usually prefers the accusative-and-infinitive construction for indirect statement after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, hearing, and so on.

So instead of saying:

• The doctor says that the pain can soon lessen

Latin typically says:

• Medica dicit dolorem mox minui posse

Literally, this is more like:

• The doctor says the pain to be able soon to lessen

That sounds unnatural in English, but it is perfectly normal in Latin.

So after dicit, learners should often expect:

• accusative noun/pronoun
  • infinitive

Mox is an adverb meaning soon.

It modifies the infinitive idea:

• dolorem mox minui posse = that the pain can lessen soon

It is simply telling you when the lessening may happen.

Quiete is an ablative form used adverbially.

Here it means something like:

• quietly
• in quiet
• still

So:

• puer quiete sedet = the boy sits quietly / sits still

Latin often uses an ablative noun or expression where English would prefer a simple adverb. That can feel strange to English speakers at first, but it is very normal in Latin.

Because this is a straightforward, real condition.

• si = if
• sedet = he sits
• flet = he cries

So:

• si puer quiete sedet et non flet = if the boy sits still and does not cry

Latin commonly uses the indicative in a normal, open condition like this. There is no idea here of unreality or impossibility; it is simply a practical condition.

Because the verb endings already show the person and number.

• sedet = he/she/it sits
• flet = he/she/it cries

Since puer is already given, Latin does not need to add a separate word for he.

This is very common in Latin:

• the subject pronoun is often omitted
• the verb ending gives enough information

Yes, but it is also very normal Latin.

Latin word order is more flexible than English because the endings show each word’s role. So the sentence does not have to follow strict English-style order.

For example:

• Medica dicit dolorem mox minui posse places posse at the end of the indirect statement, which is very natural in Latin.

English prefers a more fixed pattern, but Latin often saves an important infinitive or verb for the end.

So the order may feel unfamiliar, but the grammar is carried mainly by the endings, not by position alone.