Cum meridies venit, servi sub umbra sedent et aquam bibunt.

Here cum means when.

So Cum meridies venit means When midday comes or more naturally When it is noon.

This is a very common use of cum to introduce a time clause. In other contexts, cum can also mean with, but not in this sentence.

Because cum has more than one use in Latin.

Two very common uses are:

• cum + ablative noun = with
  • for example: cum amico = with a friend
• cum + verb clause = when, since, or although, depending on context

In Cum meridies venit, cum is followed by a whole clause, not just a noun, so it means when.

Meridies means midday, noon, or sometimes the south in other contexts.

In this sentence, it clearly means midday/noon.

Grammatically, meridies is the subject of venit, so literally the clause says midday comes.

English usually prefers when noon comes or simply at noon.

Latin often uses expressions that are more literal than natural English.

Meridies venit is literally midday comes, but in smoother English we would usually say:

• when noon comes
• at noon
• when it is noon

So the Latin is normal; it just does not map word-for-word onto the most natural English phrasing.

Because venit is present tense, and the basic present tense in Latin can often be translated in several ways depending on context:

• comes
• is coming
• sometimes even a more idiomatic English present like arrives

Here comes is the most straightforward translation.

Also, be careful: venit can sometimes also be perfect tense in form, depending on the verb and context, but here with cum meridies it is understood as present: midday comes.

Servi is nominative plural, meaning the slaves or the servants, and it is the subject of sedent and bibunt.

We know this because:

• servi is the plural form of servus
• the verbs sedent and bibunt are both third person plural, so they need a plural subject
• therefore servi = the slaves/servants

Because the subject servi is plural.

Latin verbs change form to match their subject:

• sedet = he/she/it sits
• sedent = they sit

and

• bibit = he/she/it drinks
• bibunt = they drink

Since servi means the slaves/servants, the plural verb forms are required.

Because sub can take different cases depending on the meaning.

• sub + ablative usually means under in a static position
• sub + accusative usually means movement to a position under

Here the slaves are already sitting in place, so sub umbra means under the shade/shadow.

If there were motion toward that position, Latin might use sub umbram.

Umbra is ablative singular here.

It is ablative because it follows sub in the sense of location: under the shade.

So:

• sub umbra = under the shade
• umbra is singular because Latin is treating shade as a general mass or area of shade, not counting separate shades

Because aquam is the direct object of bibunt.

The verb bibere means to drink, and what is drunk goes into the accusative case.

So:

• bibunt = they drink
• aquam = water

Together: they drink water.

Classical Latin does not have definite or indefinite articles like English the or a/an.

So a noun like servi can mean:

• slaves
• the slaves
• sometimes even the servants, depending on context

Likewise:

• aquam can mean water or the water
• umbra can mean shade, the shade, shadow, or the shadow

You decide the best English wording from the context.

Latin word order is more flexible than English because the endings show each word’s role in the sentence.

This sentence is:

Cum meridies venit, servi sub umbra sedent et aquam bibunt.

A very literal order would be:

When midday comes, the slaves under the shade sit and water drink.

That sounds odd in English, but it is perfectly normal in Latin. The cases and verb endings make the meaning clear even when the word order differs from English expectations.

Yes. Servus often literally means slave, but in some learning contexts it may be translated servant to sound more natural in English.

Which translation is best depends on the historical and cultural context. In a Roman setting, slave is often the more accurate meaning.

Yes. Et is the ordinary Latin word for and.

Here it links the two actions done by the same subject:

• sedent = they sit
• bibunt = they drink

So sedent et aquam bibunt means they sit and drink water.

Yes. A few natural English translations are:

• When noon comes, the slaves sit in the shade and drink water.
• At noon, the slaves sit in the shade and drink water.
• When it is noon, the slaves sit under the shade and drink water.

The most natural English version is probably At noon, the slaves sit in the shade and drink water.