Post cenam avia infantes curat et parvum puerum in lecto ponit.

Because post is a preposition that normally takes the accusative when it means after. So:

• cena = dinner/supper
• cenam = accusative singular

That is why post cenam means after dinner.

Avia is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

Also, the verbs are singular:

• curat = she/he cares for
• ponit = she/he puts

So avia is the one doing both actions.

Latin often does not need a separate word for she, because the verb ending already tells you the person and number.

• curat = he/she/it cares for
• ponit = he/she/it puts

So even without avia, those verbs already contain the idea of she/he/it. The noun avia simply makes it clear that the person is grandmother.

Infantes is the accusative plural here, and it is the direct object of curat.

A learner might hesitate because infantes can also be nominative plural in form. But in this sentence it cannot be the subject, because:

• curat is singular, not plural
• avia is already a clear singular nominative subject

So the structure is:

• avia = subject
• infantes = object of curat

Because parvum puerum is the direct object of ponit, so both words must be in the accusative singular masculine.

• puer = nominative singular
• puerum = accusative singular
• parvus = nominative singular masculine
• parvum = accusative singular masculine

The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case, so:

• parvum puerum = the little boy as object

No. Latin adjective position is much freer than English.

Both of these could mean little boy:

• parvum puerum
• puerum parvum

In this sentence, parvum puerum is just a natural word order. The important thing is not position, but agreement: both words are masculine, singular, and accusative.

The basic rule is:

• in + ablative = in/on a place, showing location
• in + accusative = into/onto a place, showing motion toward it

So in lecto literally means in/on the bed.

A student may expect in lectum after a verb like ponit because there is movement. That expectation is reasonable. But Latin can use in + ablative with verbs of placing when the focus is on the resulting position: the boy ends up in bed/on the bed.

So here in lecto emphasizes where he is placed.

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

English depends heavily on order:

• The grandmother cares for the children

Latin can move words around more easily because case endings show who is doing what.

A very literal English order of the Latin would be something like:

• After dinner grandmother the children cares for and the little boy in bed puts

That sounds strange in English, but it is normal in Latin. Verbs often come near the end of the clause.

Because there are two verbs joined by et:

• infantes curat = she cares for the children
• parvum puerum in lecto ponit = she puts the little boy in bed

The same subject, avia, does both actions, but each verb has its own object.

Et means and. It connects the two actions done by the same subject:

• curat
• ponit

So the sentence says that the grandmother does one thing and another thing.

Both are present active indicative, third person singular.

• curat = she cares for / is caring for
• ponit = she puts / is putting

In simple textbook sentences, the present tense is often translated with simple English present, but depending on context it can also sound natural as an English progressive.

Classical Latin does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• avia can mean grandmother, a grandmother, or the grandmother
• infantes can mean children, the children
• parvum puerum can mean a little boy or the little boy

You understand which one is meant from the context or from the translation given.