Noli extra domum morari; mater te vocat.

It is a negative command addressed to one person.

Latin often forms a negative imperative with noli + an infinitive:

• noli morari = do not linger / do not stay
• literally, noli means be unwilling, but in normal English translation it just works like don't

So Noli extra domum morari is the equivalent of telling one person Don’t stay outside the house.

Because the command is being given to one person.

• noli = singular, used when speaking to one person
• nolite = plural, used when speaking to more than one person

So if a mother were speaking to several children, she could say Nolite extra domum morari.

After noli or nolite, Latin normally uses the infinitive.

So instead of making morari itself into an imperative, Latin says:

• noli morari = don’t stay / don’t linger

This is just how the construction works. English uses don’t + base verb; Latin uses noli/nolite + infinitive.

Morari is the infinitive of moror, morari, moratus sum, a deponent verb.

That means it has passive-looking forms but an active meaning. So even though morari looks as if it might be passive, it means something active like:

• to linger
• to delay
• to stay

That is why morari can mean stay/linger, not be stayed.

Yes, there is a slight nuance. Morari often suggests lingering, delaying, or hanging around, not just neutrally remaining somewhere.

So Noli extra domum morari can feel a bit like:

• Don’t linger outside
• Don’t hang around outside
• Don’t stay out there

The exact English wording depends on context, but the idea is stronger than a completely neutral be.

Here domum is accusative singular.

That is because extra is a preposition that takes the accusative. So:

• extra domum = outside the house/home

Also, domus is an irregular noun, so some of its forms may look unusual. But in this sentence, the main reason for domum is simple: extra governs the accusative.

Not in this sentence.

Latin does sometimes use domum by itself to mean homeward / to home, as in going home. But here domum is not standing alone; it is the object of the preposition extra.

So in extra domum, it just means outside the house/home, not toward home.

Because te is the accusative form of you, and it is the direct object of vocat.

• tu = you as subject
• te = you as object

So:

• mater te vocat = mother is calling you

If Latin used tu, that would wrongly make you the subject.

Latin often leaves out possessive words like your when they are obvious from the context, especially with family members and body parts.

So mater te vocat can naturally mean:

• mother is calling you
• or, in smoother English, your mother is calling you

The Latin does not need an explicit word for your here.

Vocat is present indicative active, third person singular, from voco.

It can be translated in more than one natural English way, depending on context:

• calls
• is calling

So mater te vocat can mean either mother calls you or, more naturally in this context, mother is calling you.

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

So mater te vocat and te mater vocat and te vocat mater are all possible, with slightly different emphasis. In this sentence, putting mater later can give a natural feeling of explanation after the command:

• Don’t stay outside; mother is calling you

The second clause gives the reason for the first.

It links two closely related clauses:

• Noli extra domum morari = the command
• mater te vocat = the reason

So the sense is: Don’t stay outside, because mother is calling you.

The semicolon is mainly a punctuation choice in the printed text. The important point is that the second clause explains why the speaker gives the command.