Hoc est praemium quod bona discipula accipit.

Hoc means this here.

It is the neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun hic, haec, hoc. Latin uses different forms of this depending on gender, number, and case.

In this sentence, hoc is used because it points forward to praemium, which is a neuter noun meaning reward. So hoc est praemium literally means this is a reward or this is the reward, depending on context.

Praemium is in the nominative singular because it is the predicate noun after est.

In hoc est praemium, both hoc and praemium are linked by est (is). Latin often puts both sides of an X is Y statement in the nominative.

So:

• hoc = this
• est = is
• praemium = reward

Quod is a relative pronoun, meaning which or that.

It introduces the relative clause:

quod bona discipula accipit
= which the good student receives

This clause describes praemium.

So the sentence breaks down like this:

• Hoc est praemium = This is the reward
• quod bona discipula accipit = that the good student receives

Because it refers back to praemium, and praemium is:

• neuter
• singular

The relative pronoun must match the noun it refers to in gender and number. Since praemium is neuter singular, the correct nominative/accusative singular neuter form is quod.

So:

• qui = masculine singular
• quae = feminine singular
• quod = neuter singular

Here, quod matches praemium.

Quod is in the accusative singular neuter.

Even though it refers to praemium, its case depends on its role inside the relative clause, not just on the noun it refers to.

In quod bona discipula accipit, the verb accipit means receives, and the thing received is the direct object. Therefore quod is accusative.

So:

• it matches praemium in gender and number
• it gets its case from its job in the relative clause

Bona discipula means the good student or a good student.

• discipula is a feminine singular nominative noun meaning female student
• bona is the feminine singular nominative form of bonus, bona, bonum meaning good

The adjective must agree with the noun it describes in:

• gender
• number
• case

So because discipula is feminine singular nominative, the adjective must be bona.

Because discipula is the subject of accipit.

In the clause bona discipula accipit, the good student is the one doing the action of receiving. The subject of a Latin verb is normally in the nominative case.

So:

• bona discipula = subject
• accipit = receives
• quod = direct object

Accipit is present tense, meaning receives or is receiving, depending on context.

It comes from accipio, accipere, meaning receive or accept.

The ending -it here shows:

• third person
• singular
• present active

So accipit means he/she/it receives.

Since the subject is bona discipula, the meaning is the good student receives.

Latin has no articles, so there is no separate word for the or a/an.

That means a noun like praemium can mean:

• a reward
• the reward

And bona discipula can mean:

• a good student
• the good student

You decide which English article to use from the context. That is why translations can vary slightly without changing the Latin.

Latin word order is often more flexible than English word order because endings show the grammatical relationships.

This sentence uses a fairly clear order:

Hoc est praemium quod bona discipula accipit.

But Latin could rearrange parts of it and still keep the same basic meaning, as long as the forms remain clear.

For example, the relative clause quod bona discipula accipit still works because:

• bona discipula is nominative, so it is the subject
• quod is accusative, so it is the object

So word endings matter more than word order, though authors may change order for emphasis or style.

Yes. In English, hoc can sometimes be translated as this, this thing, or even this here, depending on context.

Because it is neuter singular, it often has the sense of this thing. In this sentence, though, smooth English usually just says this is the reward that the good student receives.

So hoc is grammatically a pronoun, but in natural translation it may sound like either:

• this
• this thing