Miles ante portam stat et viatores servat.

Miles is the nominative singular form of the noun miles, militis, meaning soldier.

A very common beginner question is: Why does it end in -es if it is singular?
That is because miles is a third-declension noun, and third-declension nouns do not follow the familiar -a / -us / -um patterns.

In this sentence, miles is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular:

• miles = the soldier / a soldier

Its plural would be milites = soldiers.

Because ante here is a preposition meaning before / in front of, and it takes the accusative case.

So:

• porta = gate (nominative singular)
• portam = gate (accusative singular)

Since the soldier is standing before the gate, Latin uses:

• ante portam = before the gate

This is something you simply learn with the preposition:

• ante + accusative

Because viatores is the direct object of servat.

The verb servat means something like he watches, he observes, or he guards, and the person or thing being watched is the direct object. In Latin, direct objects usually go in the accusative.

So:

• viator = traveler (singular)
• viatores = travelers (either nominative plural or accusative plural, depending on context)

Here it is accusative plural because they are the ones being watched:

• viatores servat = he watches the travelers

Both are present tense, third person singular.

• stat = he/she/it stands
• servat = he/she/it watches/guards

Because the subject is miles (the soldier), we understand both verbs as:

• the soldier stands
• and watches the travelers

So the whole sentence describes an action happening in the present.

Classical Latin has no articles. That means there is no separate word for the or a/an.

So:

• miles can mean a soldier or the soldier
• portam can mean a gate or the gate
• viatores can mean travelers or the travelers

Which one sounds best depends on the context and the English translation you are given.

This is very normal in Latin. You often have to supply the or a in English even though no word for it appears in the Latin.

Servat comes from servo, servare. Its basic meanings include:

• to save
• to preserve
• to keep
• to watch
• to guard

In this sentence, servat most naturally means watches or keeps an eye on, depending on the context.

A beginner might confuse it with English serve, but that is not what it means here.
So viatores servat is not serves the travelers. It means something more like:

• he watches the travelers
• he keeps watch on the travelers
• he guards/observes the travelers

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

This sentence could be rearranged in several ways without changing the basic meaning, for example:

• Ante portam miles stat et viatores servat
• Miles stat ante portam et viatores servat
• Viatores miles ante portam stat et servat
  (less neutral, but still understandable)

The given order is straightforward and natural:

• Miles = subject first
• ante portam = where he stands
• stat = first verb
• et = and
• viatores servat = second action

Latin word order often helps with emphasis or style, not just grammar.

Et simply means and.

It joins the two verbs:

• stat = stands
• servat = watches

Since the same subject, miles, does both actions, Latin does not need to repeat the noun:

• Miles stat et servat = The soldier stands and watches

Then the sentence adds more detail:

• ante portam = before the gate
• viatores = the travelers

No. Ante can be:

• a preposition: before / in front of
• an adverb: before, earlier

In this sentence, it is clearly a preposition because it is followed by a noun:

• ante portam = before the gate

When used as a preposition, ante takes the accusative.

Because miles is the only nominative singular noun in the sentence that can act as the subject, and both verbs are third person singular.

So the grammar matches:

• miles = singular subject
• stat = singular verb
• servat = singular verb

That tells you:

• the soldier stands
• the soldier watches the travelers

Latin often gives one subject and then several verbs connected to it.

A simple classroom pronunciation would be:

MEE-les AHN-teh POR-tam staht et wee-ah-TOH-res SER-waht

If you want it word by word:

• Miles = MEE-les
• ante = AHN-teh
• portam = POR-tam
• stat = staht
• et = et
• viatores = wee-ah-TOH-res
• servat = SER-waht

Exact pronunciation can vary a little depending on whether you are using a more traditional English-style system or a reconstructed classical pronunciation, but this will help you say the sentence clearly.