Puella a magistra consilium accipit.

Because puella is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject.

• puella = girl
• ending -a here is nominative singular for a first-declension noun

So puella is the one doing the action of accipit.

Consilium is accusative singular, and it is the direct object of accipit.

That means it is the thing being received.

• consilium = advice, plan, or counsel, depending on context
• because accipio is a transitive verb, it can take a direct object
• here, the girl is receiving the advice / plan / counsel

A magistra means from the teacher here.

The preposition a/ab with the ablative case often means from or away from.

So:

• a = from
• magistra = teacher in the ablative singular
• a magistra = from the teacher

Even though a/ab can also mean by with a passive verb, this sentence is active: accipit = she receives. So the most natural understanding is from the teacher, not by the teacher.

Because Latin often uses a preposition to show this relationship clearly.

Here the idea is receiving something from someone, so Latin uses:

• a/ab
  • ablative

Without the preposition, magistra by itself would not clearly mean from the teacher.

Accipit is:

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

It comes from the verb accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptum, meaning to receive, to get, or sometimes to accept.

So accipit means:

• she receives
• he receives
• it receives

Here, because the subject is puella, it means the girl receives.

Because Latin has no articles.

English distinguishes between:

• a girl
• the girl

Latin usually just says puella, and the exact sense depends on context.

So puella can mean:

• a girl
• the girl

The same is true for magistra and consilium.

Because accipit is an active verb form, not a passive one.

• accipit = receives
• passive would be something like accipitur = is received

Also, puella is nominative, so she is the doer of the action, not the thing being acted on.

Yes. Latin word order is more flexible than English because the endings show each word’s role.

So these could mean essentially the same thing:

• Puella a magistra consilium accipit.
• Consilium puella a magistra accipit.
• A magistra puella consilium accipit.

The original order is perfectly natural, but Latin can move words around for emphasis, style, or rhythm.

Because magistra is the feminine form meaning female teacher or mistress in some contexts.

Compare:

• magister = male teacher
• magistra = female teacher

So the sentence specifically says the advice comes from a female teacher.

Here are the noun forms:

• puella, puellae — first declension
• magistra, magistr ae — first declension
• consilium, consilii — second declension neuter

In this sentence:

• puella = nominative singular
• magistra = ablative singular after a
• consilium = accusative singular

Yes. Consilium is a flexible word.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• advice
• plan
• decision
• counsel
• purpose

So the exact English translation depends on the situation. In a classroom-type sentence, advice is often the most natural choice, but a plan or guidance could also fit in another context.