Nobis satis feni non est, sed multam paleam in stabulo servamus.

Nobis is the dative plural of nos, and here it means for us.

Latin often uses the dative with esse to express possession or personal concern. So:

• Nobis satis feni non est = There is not enough hay for us
• more naturally in English: We do not have enough hay

This is a very common Latin pattern. Instead of saying we do not have, Latin often says something like to us there is not enough...

Satis means enough. In Latin, satis is commonly followed by the genitive case to show enough of what.

So:

• satis feni = enough hay
• literally: enough of hay

This is a standard construction. Similar examples are:

• satis aquae = enough water
• satis pecuniae = enough money

So feni is in the genitive because it depends on satis.

Because fenum meaning hay is treated here as a mass noun, and after satis Latin uses the genitive.

So:

• nominative/accusative: fenum
• genitive singular: feni

Thus satis feni means enough hay or more literally enough of hay.

The verb is singular because the idea satis feni is treated as a single amount or quantity: enough hay.

Latin often uses a singular verb with expressions of quantity like this. So:

• satis feni non est = there is not enough hay

Even though English learners may think of hay as some kind of plural amount, Latin is treating the whole phrase as one quantity.

Because paleam is the direct object of servamus.

• servamus = we keep / we store
• what do we keep? multam paleam

So paleam is accusative singular from palea, and multam agrees with it:

• paleam = accusative singular feminine
• multam = accusative singular feminine

Together they mean a lot of straw or much straw.

Because palea meaning straw is being treated as a mass noun, not as a countable plural.

Latin often uses the singular for substances or materials:

• multa aqua = much water
• multum vinum = much wine
• multa palea = much straw

In this sentence, the accusative form is needed, so it becomes multam paleam.

They are not the same thing.

• fenum = hay
• palea = straw

That distinction matters in the sentence:

• Nobis satis feni non est = we do not have enough hay
• sed multam paleam in stabulo servamus = but we keep a lot of straw in the stable

So the sentence contrasts two different materials.

Because in with the ablative usually means in or inside a place, showing location.

So:

• in stabulo = in the stable

Compare:

• in stabulo = in the stable, inside the stable, at the stable location
• in stabulum = into the stable

The ablative is used here because there is no motion into the stable; the straw is simply being kept there.

Here servamus means we keep, we store, or we preserve.

The basic meaning of servare is broad: it can mean to save, to preserve, to keep, to watch over, depending on context.

In this sentence, because the object is straw and the phrase in the stable follows, the most natural meaning is:

• we keep
• we store

So multam paleam in stabulo servamus means we keep/store a lot of straw in the stable.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show each word’s function.

This sentence is:

Nobis satis feni non est, sed multam paleam in stabulo servamus.

A more English-like arrangement might be:

• Satis feni nobis non est
• Servamus multam paleam in stabulo

But Latin can place words for emphasis or style. In the actual sentence:

• nobis comes first, giving prominence to for us
• satis feni stays together as a quantity phrase
• multam paleam is placed before servamus, emphasizing what is being stored

So the order is normal Latin, even if it feels different from English.

Yes, that is close to the literal structure, but it is not the best English translation.

Word-for-word, the idea is something like:

• for us enough of hay is not

But natural English would be:

• There is not enough hay for us
• or We do not have enough hay

This is a good example of why Latin learners should understand the grammar, not just translate word by word.

Because Latin simply uses est.

English often says there is or there are, but Latin usually just uses est or sunt without any separate dummy word like English there.

So:

• satis feni non est = there is not enough hay

Latin does not need an extra word corresponding to English there.