Parva avis super saxum stat, altera ad nidum volat.

Because parva has to agree with avis in gender, number, and case.

• avis = nominative singular
• it is usually feminine
• so the adjective must also be feminine nominative singular

That gives parva avis = small bird.

Even though avis and parva belong to different declension patterns, agreement is what matters.

Yes, avis is normally feminine in Latin.

A noun’s ending does not always tell you its gender automatically. Avis is a third-declension noun, and third-declension nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. So you usually learn the gender as part of the vocabulary.

Here, the feminine adjective parva confirms that avis is being treated as feminine.

Altera means the other one or the second one.

It is feminine nominative singular, and it stands for the other bird. Latin often leaves out a noun when it is easy to understand from context, so:

• parva avis = one bird
• altera = the other bird

A useful distinction:

• alter, altera, alterum = the other of two
• alius, alia, aliud = another / a different one / other more generally

Since the sentence clearly involves two birds, altera is the natural word.

Because Latin often omits a noun if it is already obvious.

So instead of saying:

• altera avis ad nidum volat

Latin can simply say:

• altera ad nidum volat

The noun avis is understood. English does this too sometimes: One bird stands on the rock; the other flies to the nest.

Saxum is accusative singular.

It is the object of the preposition super. With super, Latin can use either the accusative or the ablative, depending on style and meaning. In this sentence, super saxum means on / above the rock.

So the important beginner point is:

• super = on, above, over
• saxum here is in the accusative singular

Also, saxum is a neuter second-declension noun.

Both prepositions can relate to position, but they are not exactly the same.

• super means on, above, over
• in with the ablative often means in or on in a more general sense

So super saxum gives the idea of being on top of or upon the rock. It is a good, natural choice here because the bird is standing on the rock.

Nidum is accusative singular because ad takes the accusative.

• ad = to, toward
• nidum = nest in the accusative singular

So ad nidum volat means the bird is flying to/toward the nest.

This is different from simple location. The phrase shows direction.

Because stat is more specific.

• est = is
• stat = stands / is standing

So parva avis super saxum stat does not just mean the bird exists on the rock; it tells you the bird is standing there.

The verb stat comes from sto, stare.

Both are present tense, third person singular, active, indicative.

• stat = he/she/it stands or is standing
• volat = he/she/it flies or is flying

In Latin, the present tense can often cover both the simple present and the progressive idea that English expresses with is ...-ing.

So depending on context:

• stat = stands / is standing
• volat = flies / is flying

No. Here volat comes from volo, volare, meaning to fly.

That is a different verb from:

• volo, velle = to want

They can look similar in some forms, which can confuse beginners. But here there is no problem:

• volat = flies
• the verb to want would have vult in the third person singular, not volat

Because Classical Latin has no articles.

So a noun like avis can mean:

• a bird
• the bird

and the context tells you which is better in English.

That is why a Latin sentence often has to be translated with an article in English even though there is no separate Latin word for it.

Latin word order is fairly flexible because the endings show how words function.

This sentence could be rearranged in several ways and still make sense, for example:

• Super saxum parva avis stat
• Ad nidum altera volat

The original order is natural and clear:

• Parva avis introduces the subject first
• super saxum gives the location
• stat puts the verb at the end of the clause

That verb-final tendency is very common in Latin, though not mandatory. Word order is often used for emphasis rather than basic grammar.

In a common restored Classical pronunciation:

• avis ≈ AH-wis
• saxum ≈ SAK-soom
• nidum ≈ NEE-doom

A few helpful points:

• v is pronounced like English w in restored Classical pronunciation
• x is pronounced ks
• the stress usually falls on the first syllable in these words: AV-is, SAX-um, NI-dum

So the whole sentence would sound roughly like:

PAR-wa AH-wis SOO-per SAK-soom stat, AL-te-ra ad NEE-doom WO-laht.