Hic mensis brevis est, sed alius mensis longior erit.

Hic is the masculine nominative singular form of the demonstrative adjective/pronoun meaning this.

It is masculine nominative singular here because it modifies mensis (month), which is:

• masculine
• singular
• the subject of the sentence

So:

• hic mensis = this month

Latin demonstratives change form depending on gender, number, and case, so you cannot always use hic in every situation.

Because mensis is a masculine noun.

The forms are different by gender:

• hic = masculine nominative singular
• haec = feminine nominative singular
• hoc = neuter nominative singular

Since mensis is masculine, Latin uses hic:

• hic mensis = this month

Even though some English learners may expect something like hoc for this, Latin has to match the noun’s gender.

In both places, mensis is nominative singular.

Why? Because each mensis is the subject of its clause:

• Hic mensis brevis est = This month is short
• sed alius mensis longior erit = but another month will be longer

So both instances of mensis are doing the job of the subject, which is why they are nominative.

Because grammatical gender in Latin is a feature of the noun itself, not a reflection of biological sex or English usage.

In Latin:

• mensis is a masculine noun

That means words modifying it must also use masculine forms:

• hic mensis
• alius mensis
• longior agrees with mensis as well

English does not usually show grammatical gender, but Latin does.

Yes. Brevis is an adjective meaning short, and it agrees with mensis.

Here it is:

• masculine
• nominative
• singular

The form brevis can be masculine or feminine nominative singular, so even though it does not look obviously masculine, it still agrees correctly with mensis.

So:

• hic mensis brevis est = this month is short

Because longior is the comparative form of longus.

• longus = long
• longior = longer

Since the sentence says that another month will be longer, Latin uses the comparative adjective:

• alius mensis longior erit

This is different from English, where we often just add -er. In Latin, many comparatives use forms like:

• -ior for masculine/feminine
• -ius for neuter

In this sentence, longior is understood in context: another month will be longer than this month.

Latin often leaves the comparison implicit when it is obvious from context. Since the first clause says this month is short, and the second says another month will be longer, the comparison is naturally understood.

If Latin wanted to make the comparison fully explicit, it could do so, but it does not have to.

Erit is the future tense of esse (to be).

• est = is
• erit = will be

So the sentence contrasts present and future:

• Hic mensis brevis est = This month is short
• sed alius mensis longior erit = but another month will be longer

The future tense tells you that the second statement refers to a later time.

Because the two clauses refer to different times.

• est describes the present: this month is short
• erit describes the future: another month will be longer

Latin uses tense very directly here, just as English does.

Alius usually means another or other.

Here, alius mensis means:

• another month
• or a different month

It suggests a month different from this month. In this sentence, another month is the most natural English translation.

Like hic, alius changes form to agree with the noun it modifies. Here it is masculine nominative singular because it goes with mensis.

Yes, Latin could often leave it out if the meaning were clear enough from context. But repeating mensis makes the sentence clearer and more balanced:

• Hic mensis brevis est
• sed alius mensis longior erit

The repetition helps emphasize the contrast between this month and another month. Latin often repeats nouns for clarity or style even when omission might be possible.

The sentence has a very straightforward and learner-friendly word order:

• Hic mensis brevis est
• sed alius mensis longior erit

A rough pattern is:

• demonstrative/adjective + noun + predicate adjective + verb
• connector + adjective + noun + comparative adjective + verb

This is perfectly normal Latin. Latin word order is flexible, but this order is clear and natural.

English speakers should remember that Latin word order can vary more than English because the endings show the grammatical roles.

Yes, often it could.

Because Latin relies heavily on endings, a number of word orders would still make sense, for example:

• Brevis est hic mensis, sed longior erit alius mensis.

That would still mean the same basic thing. However, changing word order can shift emphasis.

In the original sentence, the focus begins with:

• Hic mensis = this month and then contrasts it with
• alius mensis = another month

That makes the comparison easy to follow.

Yes. Sed is the common Latin conjunction meaning but.

It connects the two contrasting clauses:

• This month is short
• but another month will be longer

So sed signals contrast, just as but does in English.

Because Latin adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

So in this sentence:

• hic agrees with mensis
• brevis agrees with mensis
• alius agrees with mensis
• longior agrees with mensis

Even though the adjective endings are not all identical, they are all in forms that match a masculine nominative singular noun.

This agreement system is one of the most important features of Latin grammar.

Yes, it is functioning as masculine nominative singular here because it agrees with mensis.

Comparative adjectives have forms that work like this:

• longior = masculine or feminine nominative singular
• longius = neuter nominative singular

Since mensis is masculine, longior is the correct form.

Yes—this sentence is a good example of several core Latin ideas working together:

1. Agreement

   • hic, brevis, alius, and longior all agree with mensis

2. Gender matters

   • mensis is masculine, so modifiers must match it

3. Comparative adjective

   • longior means longer

4. Different tenses

   • est = present
   • erit = future

5. Contrast

   • sed joins two opposite ideas

So even though the sentence is short, it gives practice with several very important Latin grammar features at once.