Agnus balaturus matrem quaerit.

The subject is agnus.

It is in the nominative singular, which is the case Latin normally uses for the subject of a finite verb. Here, agnus is the one doing the action of quaerit.

Quaerit is the 3rd person singular present active indicative of quaerere.

So it means he/she/it seeks, is seeking, or looks for.

Why 3rd person singular?

• 3rd person because the subject is agnus = the lamb
• singular because there is only one lamb

Because matrem is the direct object, so it must be in the accusative case.

The dictionary form is:

• mater = nominative singular
• matrem = accusative singular

So:

• mater = mother as a subject
• matrem = mother as the thing being sought

Since the lamb is seeking the mother, Latin uses matrem.

Balaturus is a future active participle.

It comes from the verb balare, meaning to bleat.

A future active participle usually means something like:

• about to ...
• going to ...
• destined to ...
• sometimes simply ready to ...

So agnus balaturus means something like the lamb about to bleat or the lamb that is going to bleat.

Because balaturus agrees with agnus in gender, number, and case.

Compare the forms:

• agnus = nominative singular masculine
• balaturus = nominative singular masculine
• matrem = accusative singular feminine

Since balaturus matches agnus, it modifies agnus.

If it modified matrem, it would need to be feminine accusative singular, not balaturus.

Because balaturus is not the main verb. It is a participle modifying agnus.

The main verb of the sentence is quaerit.

So the structure is basically:

• agnus = subject
• balaturus = participle describing the subject
• matrem = object
• quaerit = main verb

In English we often expand this more than Latin does, but Latin can express it compactly without adding is.

Yes. A participle is a verbal adjective, and here balaturus is functioning adjectivally.

That means it describes agnus, just as an ordinary adjective would, but it still keeps a verbal sense:

• ordinary adjective: parvus agnus = the small lamb
• participle: balaturus agnus = the lamb about to bleat

So it is adjective-like in grammar, but verbal in meaning.

Yes, Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show the grammar.

This order is perfectly natural:

• subject first: agnus
• descriptive participle next: balaturus
• object before the verb: matrem
• main verb at the end: quaerit

That final position for the finite verb is very common in Latin prose.

Other orders are possible, but they would often create different emphasis.

Because Classical Latin does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• agnus can mean a lamb or the lamb
• matrem can mean a mother, the mother, or simply mother

The context tells you which is most natural in translation.

It can, yes.

Latin often leaves possession unspoken when it is obvious from context. A lamb seeking mother will naturally be understood as seeking its mother unless the context suggests otherwise.

If Latin wanted to emphasize this more explicitly, it could say matrem suam.

So:

• matrem = mother / the mother
• matrem suam = his own mother / its own mother

Agnus is a 2nd-declension masculine noun.

Its nominative singular ending -us is a very common sign of a 2nd-declension masculine noun.

So a learner might recognize:

• agnus = nominative singular
• if it were an object, you would expect agnum

That helps you identify it as the subject here.

Mater, matris is a 3rd-declension noun.

That is why its accusative singular is not something simple like materam, but the irregular-looking matrem.

Important forms are:

• mater = nominative singular
• matrem = accusative singular
• matris = genitive singular

So this sentence gives you a good example of a common 3rd-declension family noun.

Yes. Future participles do not always map neatly onto one single English form.

Depending on context, balaturus could be translated as:

• about to bleat
• going to bleat
• ready to bleat
• destined to bleat
• sometimes even one who will bleat

The exact English wording depends on style and context, but the basic idea is futurity relative to the lamb.

In a simple Classical pronunciation, roughly:

• agnus = AHG-noos (with gn pronounced as two consonants together)
• balaturus = bah-lah-TOO-roos
• matrem = MAH-trem
• quaerit = KWAI-rit

A rough stress guide:

• Agnus
• balaturus
• matrem
• quaerit

If your course uses Ecclesiastical pronunciation, some sounds will differ, especially quae.