Pastor gregem per pratum ducit et agnum parvum pascit.

Because pastor is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject of a Latin sentence.

• pastor = the shepherd / a shepherd
• It is the one doing the actions:
  • ducit = leads
  • pascit = feeds

So pastor is the person who leads the flock and feeds the small lamb.

Gregem is accusative singular.

It is in the accusative because it is the direct object of ducit. In other words, it is what the shepherd is leading.

• grex = flock
• gregem = the flock as a direct object

So:

• Pastor gregem ducit = The shepherd leads the flock

The preposition per means through or along, and it takes the accusative case.

That is why pratum is accusative singular here.

• per = through
• pratum = meadow (accusative singular form here)

So:

• per pratum = through the meadow

This is a very common pattern in Latin:

• per + accusative

Ducit is present tense, third person singular.

It means he/she leads.

Since the subject is pastor (the shepherd), Latin uses the third person singular verb form:

• ducit = he leads / she leads / leads

For comparison:

• ducit = leads (present)
• ducet = will lead (future)
• duxit = led / has led (perfect)

Et means and.

It connects the two actions done by the shepherd:

• gregem per pratum ducit = leads the flock through the meadow
• agnum parvum pascit = feeds the small lamb

So et joins these two parts into one sentence.

Because parvum is an adjective describing agnum, and in Latin adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe.

Both words are:

• accusative
• singular
• masculine

So:

• agnum = lamb (direct object)
• parvum = small, matching agnum

This agreement is a basic Latin rule: adjectives match their nouns in gender, number, and case.

Because it is the direct object of pascit.

The shepherd is feeding the small lamb, so agnum parvum must be accusative.

• pascit = feeds
• What does he feed? agnum parvum

So the accusative marks the thing receiving the action.

Yes. Latin word order is more flexible than English word order.

Both agnum parvum and parvum agnum mean the small lamb. The endings show which words belong together, so Latin does not depend as heavily on word order as English does.

That said, word order can still affect emphasis or style. In a simple sentence like this, either order is understandable.

Latin often places the verb later in the clause, sometimes at the very end. That is a common Latin style, although not a strict rule.

Here we get:

• Pastor gregem per pratum ducit
• et agnum parvum pascit

This feels natural in Latin. English usually prefers the verb earlier:

• The shepherd leads the flock through the meadow and feeds the small lamb.

So this sentence is a good example of normal Latin word order.

Classical Latin normally has no articles.

So:

• pastor can mean the shepherd or a shepherd
• gregem can mean the flock or a flock
• agnum parvum can mean the small lamb or a small lamb

You figure out which English article to use from the context or from the most natural translation.

Yes. They are both:

• present tense
• third person singular
• active voice

So both verbs match the same subject, pastor.

• ducit = he leads
• pascit = he feeds

This is useful for learners because the sentence shows one subject doing two present-tense actions.