Meridie sol calidissimus est, et servi sub umbra sedent.

Meridie is ablative singular of meridies, meaning midday or noon.

Here it is an example of the ablative of time when, which Latin often uses without a preposition. So:

• meridie = at noon / at midday

English usually needs at, but Latin often does not.

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

So:

• sol can mean the sun or a sun, depending on context
• servi can mean the slaves or slaves

In this sentence, the context makes the sun and the slaves the natural translation.

Calidissimus is the superlative form of calidus, meaning hot.

The endings go like this:

• calidus = hot
• calidior = hotter
• calidissimus = hottest / very hot

So sol calidissimus est means literally the sun is hottest or sometimes more loosely the sun is very hot.

Because it agrees with sol.

In Latin, adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• sol is masculine singular nominative
• so calidissimus must also be masculine singular nominative

That is why it is calidissimus, not a different form.

Est means is and comes from esse, to be.

It links the subject sol with the adjective calidissimus:

• sol = the sun
• calidissimus = hottest / very hot
• est = is

So the structure is a standard subject + predicate adjective + to be pattern: sol calidissimus est = the sun is hottest / very hot

Yes, the word order is perfectly normal for Latin.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show how the words function. So Latin can move words around for emphasis or style.

In this sentence:

• Meridie comes first to set the time: At midday
• sol calidissimus est gives the first statement
• et servi sub umbra sedent adds the second statement

Also, Latin often puts the verb near the end, especially in simple prose.

Servi is nominative plural, so it can be the subject.

Also, the verb sedent is third person plural, meaning they sit. That matches servi:

• servi = slaves
• sedent = they sit

So servi must be the subject: the slaves sit.

Sedent is from the verb sedere, meaning to sit.

Its form here is:

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

So sedent means they are sitting or they sit.

Because sub can take two different cases, depending on the meaning:

• ablative = location, under
• accusative = motion toward, to/under

Here the slaves are already resting in a place: they sit under the shade

So Latin uses the ablative:

• sub umbra = under the shade

If there were movement toward that position, Latin might use the accusative instead.

Umbra is ablative singular.

It is ablative because it follows sub in the sense of location rather than motion. So:

• sub umbra = under the shade

This is a good example of how a preposition in Latin can govern different cases depending on meaning.

Yes, in umbra is possible Latin, but the nuance is a little different.

• sub umbra emphasizes being under the shade
• in umbra emphasizes being in the shade

In many contexts the English translation may be similar, but sub more literally suggests underneath the sheltering shade.

Not always.

A Latin superlative can mean:

• a true superlative: the hottest
• or an intensive idea: very hot

So sol calidissimus est could be understood as:

• the sun is hottest at noon
• or simply the sun is very hot at noon

Both are possible, and context decides which sounds best in translation.