Faber fenestram reficit, ne pluvia intus cadat.

Faber is nominative singular, and it is the subject of reficit.

A learner might expect a nominative ending like -us, but faber is one of those second-declension masculine nouns that keeps -er in the nominative singular. So even though it does not look like servus, it still functions the same way grammatically.

You can tell it is the subject because:

• it is in the nominative case
• reficit is third person singular, so it matches a singular subject
• the meaning also fits: the craftsman is the one doing the repairing

Fenestram is accusative singular because it is the direct object of reficit.

The verb reficit means repairs / restores / fixes, and the thing being repaired is the window. In Latin, the direct object usually goes in the accusative case.

So:

• faber = the one doing the action
• fenestram = the thing receiving the action

Faber is a broad word meaning craftsman, workman, or artisan. In some contexts it can mean a more specific kind of worker, such as a carpenter, smith, or builder, depending on what the person is making or repairing.

In this sentence, since he is repairing a window, craftsman or workman is a safe general meaning.

Reficit is:

• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood
• third person singular

It comes from reficere, meaning to repair, restore, or make good again.

So faber fenestram reficit means the craftsman repairs the window or is repairing the window.

Because Latin present tense can cover both simple present and progressive present, English may translate it either way depending on context.

Ne introduces a negative purpose clause.

That means it tells you the purpose of the action in the main clause, but in a negative way:

• He repairs the window
• so that rain may not fall inside

A very common pattern in Latin is:

• ut
  • subjunctive = positive purpose, so that
• ne
  • subjunctive = negative purpose, so that ... not

So here ne means so that ... not or lest.

Because it is inside a purpose clause introduced by ne.

Latin regularly uses the subjunctive mood in purpose clauses. Since the main verb reficit is present tense, the purpose clause uses the present subjunctive: cadat.

So:

• main clause: faber fenestram reficit
• purpose clause: ne pluvia intus cadat

This is a standard Latin construction.

Cadat is:

• present tense
• active voice
• subjunctive mood
• third person singular

It comes from cadere, meaning to fall.

So literally it means something like may fall, but in this sentence you should not translate it as a wish. Because it is in a purpose clause, it is better understood as part of so that rain does not fall inside.

Pluvia is the subject of cadat, so it must be in the nominative.

Even though the whole ne clause depends on the main sentence, it still has its own internal grammar. Inside that clause:

• pluvia = subject
• cadat = verb
• intus = adverb

So pluvia is the thing doing the falling.

Intus is an adverb, meaning inside or indoors.

It is not a noun and it is not agreeing with anything. It simply modifies cadat and tells you where the rain would fall.

So pluvia intus cadat means the rain falls inside.

Latin often uses verbs more literally than English does. Cadere means to fall, and with intus the phrase naturally gives the idea of rain falling inside.

In smoother English, we might say:

• so that rain does not come in
• so that rain does not get inside

But the Latin image is still perfectly natural: the repaired window prevents the rain from falling into the interior space.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammatical roles.

This order is very natural:

• Faber sets up the subject
• fenestram gives the object
• reficit finishes the main clause
• ne pluvia intus cadat adds the purpose

A Roman could rearrange parts of the sentence for emphasis, but this version is clear and straightforward. The important thing is not position alone, but the forms:

• faber = nominative
• fenestram = accusative
• pluvia = nominative
• cadat = subjunctive

In normal classical Latin, negative purpose is usually expressed with ne, not ut non.

So:

• ut cadat = so that it may fall
• ne cadat = so that it may not fall

That is why ne is exactly what you expect here. A learner should get used to seeing ne as the regular marker for a negative purpose clause.

The comma is mainly a modern punctuation choice to make the two parts easier to read:

• main clause: Faber fenestram reficit
• subordinate purpose clause: ne pluvia intus cadat

Ancient Latin manuscripts did not use punctuation the way modern editions do. So the comma helps the reader, but the grammar itself is shown by the forms and the conjunction ne.