Cur tam diu ante ianuam moramini, cum cena iam parata sit?

Because moramini comes from moror, morari, moratus sum, which is a deponent verb.

Deponent verbs:

• have passive forms
• but active meanings

So moramini is grammatically a passive-looking form, but it means you (plural) are delaying / lingering / waiting.

More specifically:

• moramini = you all are lingering or you all wait / delay
• it is 2nd person plural, present indicative

This is a very common thing for English speakers to ask, because in English form and meaning usually match more closely.

The ending -mini in moramini shows that the verb is addressed to more than one person.

So the speaker is talking to:

• you all
• you two
• you people

Latin makes this distinction clearly:

• moraris = you (singular) are lingering
• moramini = you (plural) are lingering

English usually does not mark that difference unless we say something like you all or you two.

Cur means why.

It often appears near the beginning of a question, just as why often does in English:

• Cur moramini? = Why are you waiting?

It does not absolutely have to be the first word in every sentence, but putting it first is very natural and common in direct questions.

Tam diu means so long or for such a long time.

The two words work together:

• tam = so
• diu = for a long time

So Cur tam diu ... moramini? means:

• Why are you waiting so long ... ?
• or Why have you been lingering for so long ... ?

English speakers sometimes expect a single word for this, but Latin often uses short combinations like this.

Because ante is a preposition that takes the accusative case.

So:

• ante = before / in front of
• ianuam = accusative singular of ianua (door)

Together:

• ante ianuam = in front of the door or before the door

This is simply the case pattern required by the preposition.

Here it means in place, not time.

With a noun like door, ante ianuam naturally means:

• in front of the door
• at the door

Latin ante can refer either to:

• space: in front of
• time: before

But context makes the meaning clear here. Since people are lingering and dinner is ready, the idea is that they are standing outside instead of going in.

Because this cum introduces a clause explaining the circumstances or reason, and Latin commonly uses the subjunctive in that kind of cum clause.

So:

• cum cena iam parata sit = since / when dinner is already ready

Here sit is the present subjunctive of sum.

This kind of cum is often called circumstantial or causal cum:

• when
• since
• although
  depending on context

In this sentence, since works especially well:

• Why are you lingering so long at the door, since dinner is already ready?

English does not usually show this distinction with verb mood, so for learners it can seem strange that Latin uses sit instead of est.

No. This cum is a conjunction, not the preposition meaning with.

Latin has two different words spelled cum:

1. cum

   • ablative = with
   • cum amico = with a friend

2. cum as a conjunction = when / since / although

   • cum cena iam parata sit = since dinner is already ready

So in this sentence, cum introduces a whole clause, not a noun phrase.

Because the subjunctive here is not mainly about unreal action or future time. It is required by the type of cum clause being used.

Forms:

• est = present indicative
• sit = present subjunctive

In English, we might still translate it with an ordinary indicative:

• since dinner is already ready

So the use of the subjunctive here is a matter of Latin grammar, not because the speaker doubts that the dinner is ready.

Parata is the feminine singular form of the adjective (or participial adjective) paratus, parata, paratum, meaning prepared or ready.

It agrees with cena:

• cena = feminine singular
• parata = feminine singular

So:

• cena parata = the meal, prepared / ready
• more naturally: dinner is ready

This agreement is very important in Latin:

• masculine noun -> masculine adjective
• feminine noun -> feminine adjective
• neuter noun -> neuter adjective

Iam means now already, by now, or simply already.

Here it emphasizes that the meal is ready at this point already:

• cena iam parata sit = dinner is already ready

It gives the sentence a mild sense of impatience:

• Why are you still standing there?
• Dinner is already ready.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because Latin uses endings to show grammatical relationships.

Placing sit at the end of the clause is very natural Latin style:

• cum cena iam parata sit

This lets the clause build up and end with the verb, which is a common pattern in Latin prose.

English usually prefers:

• since dinner is already ready

So the word order is different, but the grammar is perfectly normal for Latin.

In some contexts, paratus/parata can suggest prepared, but here the phrase is idiomatic and means ready.

So:

• cena iam parata sit is best understood as dinner is already ready

You could analyze parata as a participial adjective with the sense having been prepared, but in this sentence the natural English meaning is simply that the meal is ready to be eaten or served.

Yes, it is a direct question.

You can tell from:

• cur = why
• the question mark
• the main verb moramini

So the structure is:

• main question: Cur tam diu ante ianuam moramini?
• added explanatory clause: cum cena iam parata sit

The cum clause gives the background or reason that makes the question sharper.

A useful breakdown is:

• Cur = why
• tam diu = so long
• ante ianuam = in front of the door
• moramini = are you (plural) lingering / waiting
• cum cena iam parata sit = since dinner is already ready

So the skeleton is:

Why + are you all lingering + so long + at the door + since dinner is already ready?

That is often the easiest way to understand Latin word order: identify the main verb first, then attach the phrases around it.