Bos prope portam ligatus exire non potest.

Because bos is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject in Latin.

Here, bos means ox (or more generally cow/ox/cattle animal, depending on context), and it is the thing doing or experiencing the main action:

• Bos = the ox
• potest = is able / can

So bos ... potest means the ox can ... or in this sentence, with non, the ox cannot ...

Bos is a third-declension noun, and it is somewhat irregular, so it does not look like a first- or second-declension noun such as puella or servus.

Its basic nominative form is:

• bos = ox

Some forms are:

• nominative singular: bos
• accusative singular: bovem
• genitive singular: bovis

So if you were expecting a more familiar ending, that is why bos may look unusual.

Because prope takes the accusative case.

So:

• prope = near
• portam = the gate

This is a very common pattern in Latin:

• prope villam = near the house
• prope urbem = near the city
• prope portam = near the gate

Even though English uses near without changing the noun’s form, Latin marks the noun after prope with the accusative.

It means near the gate.

That is important, because prope describes location or closeness, not movement toward something.

So:

• prope portam = near the gate

If Latin wanted to emphasize motion toward the gate, it would use a different expression, such as one involving ad.

Ligatus is the perfect passive participle of ligare, meaning tied or bound.

In this sentence, it works like an adjective describing bos:

• bos ligatus = the tied ox / the ox having been tied

Since it agrees with bos, it is:

• nominative
• singular
• masculine

So the phrase bos prope portam ligatus means the ox, tied near the gate or the ox tied near the gate.

Because ligatus agrees with bos in gender, number, and case.

Here it is:

• nominative singular masculine: ligatus

Latin bos can refer to either a male or female bovine depending on context, but in this sentence the participle is masculine, so the animal is being treated as masculine.

If it were feminine, you would expect:

• bos ... ligata

So the participle helps show how the noun is being understood.

It is describing bos, not forming the main finite verb.

The main finite verb is:

• potest = is able / can

Meanwhile:

• ligatus = tied

So the structure is roughly:

• Bos ... ligatus ... exire non potest
• The ox, tied ..., cannot go out

In English, we might translate ligatus with a relative clause:

• the ox, which has been tied near the gate, cannot go out

or more naturally:

• the ox tied near the gate cannot go out

Because it depends on potest.

In Latin, just as in English, verbs of being able often take an infinitive:

• potest exire = he/she/it can go out

So:

• potest = is able / can
• exire = to go out

Together:

• exire non potest = cannot go out

This is very similar to English can go out, except Latin often uses the infinitive where English has the bare verb.

Exire is the present active infinitive of exeo, meaning to go out, to leave, or to come out.

It is a compound of:

• ex = out
• ire = to go

So exire literally means to go out.

In this sentence, it tells us what the ox is unable to do:

• exire non potest = it cannot go out

Because non normally negates the word or phrase that follows, and here it negates the verb:

• non potest = cannot / is not able

That is the standard Latin way to say cannot.

So the sentence ends with:

• exire non potest = cannot go out

Latin word order is flexible, but non potest is a very normal combination.

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

English depends heavily on position:

• The ox cannot go out.

Latin can move parts around more freely because forms such as bos and portam show their roles.

This sentence puts descriptive information in the middle:

• Bos prope portam ligatus exire non potest.

A natural way to understand it is:

• Bos = subject
• prope portam ligatus = description of the subject
• exire non potest = main verbal idea

So the Latin word order is not random; it simply reflects Latin’s greater freedom and often places descriptive details before the main verb.

Yes. Depending on how natural you want the English to sound, ligatus could be translated as:

• tied
• bound
• having been tied

So the sentence might be rendered as:

• The ox tied near the gate cannot go out.
• The ox, bound near the gate, cannot go out.
• The ox, having been tied near the gate, cannot go out.

In most beginner contexts, tied is the most natural translation.

A useful way is:

• Bos = the ox
• prope portam = near the gate
• ligatus = tied
• exire = to go out
• non potest = cannot

Then put it together:

• Bos prope portam ligatus exire non potest.
• The ox, tied near the gate, cannot go out.

This chunking helps show that prope portam ligatus all belongs with bos, while exire non potest is the main verbal statement.