Vitulus matrem quaerit et saepe mugit.

• Vitulus = the calf / a calf. It is the subject.
• matrem = mother. It is the direct object.
• quaerit = seeks, looks for.
• et = and.
• saepe = often.
• mugit = moos, bellows.

So the structure is:

Vitulus | matrem | quaerit | et | saepe | mugit
subject | object | verb | and | adverb | verb

Because matrem is the accusative singular form of mater.

In Latin, the direct object usually goes into the accusative case. Since the calf is looking for its mother, mother is the thing being looked for, so Latin uses:

• mater = mother, as a dictionary form / subject form
• matrem = mother, as a direct object

This is one of the most important habits in Latin: the ending changes to show the word’s role in the sentence.

We know from its form and from the verb endings.

• vitulus is in the nominative singular, the case usually used for the subject.
• quaerit and mugit are both third person singular, so they need a singular subject.
• vitulus fits that role perfectly: the calf seeks ... and often moos.

Meanwhile, matrem is accusative, so it cannot be the subject here.

Quaerit is:

• third person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from the verb quaerere, meaning to seek, to look for, or sometimes to ask for depending on context.

So quaerit means he/she/it seeks or is seeking.
Here, since the subject is vitulus, it means it seeks.

Mugit is also:

• third person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from mugire, meaning to moo, to bellow, or to low.

So mugit means he/she/it moos.
Here it means the calf moos.

Because one subject can govern more than one verb.

In this sentence, vitulus is the subject of both:

• quaerit
• mugit

So Latin is saying:

The calf seeks its mother and often moos.

English does the same thing:

The calf looks for its mother and often moos.

Latin does not need to repeat vitulus before the second verb.

Saepe is an adverb meaning often, and it modifies mugit.

Its position here is very natural:
et saepe mugit = and often moos

Latin adverbs are often somewhat flexible in placement, but they are commonly put near the word they modify. So placing saepe close to mugit helps show that it is the mooing that happens often.

No, Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because Latin uses case endings to show grammatical function.

So this sentence could be rearranged in various ways and still mean basically the same thing, for example:

• Vitulus matrem quaerit et saepe mugit.
• Matrem vitulus quaerit et saepe mugit.
• Vitulus et saepe mugit matrem quaerit.

However, not all orders are equally natural. The original sentence is clear and straightforward.

English relies much more on word order, while Latin relies much more on endings.

Classical Latin has no articles like English the or a/an.

So vitulus can mean:

• a calf
• the calf

And matrem can mean:

• a mother
• the mother
• sometimes more naturally its mother, depending on context

The exact English choice depends on the context and the sense of the sentence.

Literally, matrem just means mother in the accusative singular.

Latin often leaves possession unstated when it is obvious from context. A calf looking for mother naturally means its mother, so English usually adds its because that sounds normal.

So:

• literal Latin sense: the calf seeks mother
• natural English: the calf seeks its mother

Because -t is the standard ending for a third person singular present-tense verb in Latin.

For example:

• quaeri-t = he/she/it seeks
• mugi-t = he/she/it moos

This is a very useful pattern:

• -o / -m = I
• -s = you (singular)
• -t = he/she/it

So the -t tells you that the subject is he, she, or it—here, it, referring to vitulus.

A classroom-style pronunciation would be roughly:

WEE-too-loos MAH-trem KWAE-rit et SAE-peh MOO-git

A few notes:

• v is often pronounced like w in reconstructed Classical Latin.
• qu sounds like kw.
• ae sounds like the ai in aisle in Classical pronunciation.
• g is always hard, as in go.
• c is always hard too, though this sentence does not contain one.

If someone is using an ecclesiastical pronunciation system, some sounds may differ, but the grammar stays the same.

Here are the main forms:

• vitulus: a second-declension masculine noun
  
  • nominative singular: vitulus
• mater, matris: a third-declension noun
  
  • accusative singular: matrem
• quaerere: a third-conjugation verb
  
  • present singular: quaerit
• mugire: a fourth-conjugation verb
  
  • present singular: mugit

So the sentence gives a nice mixture of common noun and verb patterns.