Avus dicit hominem sapientem saepe audire et non semper clamare.

Because this sentence uses indirect statement after dicit.

After verbs like dicit, Latin often does not use a clause with that the way English does. Instead, it uses:

• an accusative subject
• plus an infinitive

So in hominem sapientem saepe audire et non semper clamare, hominem sapientem is the subject of audire and clamare, but in Latin indirect statement that subject goes into the accusative.

Both words are accusative singular masculine:

• hominem = man, person
• sapientem = wise

So together they mean a wise man or a wise person as the subject of the reported idea.

For the same reason: this is the normal Latin way to express an indirect statement after a verb of saying.

Instead of using something like that a wise man often listens, Latin says, more literally:

• Grandfather says
• a wise man in the accusative
• to listen and to shout in the infinitive

So:

• dicit = says
• hominem sapientem = a wise man
• audire = to hear, to listen
• clamare = to shout

This construction is often called the accusative-and-infinitive construction.

It is hominem sapientem who is doing both actions.

Even though avus is the subject of dicit, the person understood as hearing and shouting inside the indirect statement is hominem sapientem.

So the structure is:

• Avus dicit = Grandfather says
• hominem sapientem audire et clamare = that a wise man listens and shouts

In other words:

• avus is the one speaking
• hominem sapientem is the one performing audire and clamare

Because Latin does not need one here.

In English we often say:

• Grandfather says that a wise man often listens

Latin usually handles this differently after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, and similar verbs. Instead of using a separate word meaning that, Latin uses the accusative + infinitive construction.

So dicit hominem sapientem audire already means says that a wise man listens.

Avus is nominative singular.

It is the subject of dicit, so it must be in the nominative:

• avus = grandfather
• dicit = says

Together, Avus dicit means Grandfather says.

Because Latin word order is flexible, and adjectives can come either before or after the nouns they describe.

Here, sapientem simply agrees with hominem:

• same case: accusative
• same number: singular
• same gender: masculine

So hominem sapientem means a wise man.

You could also find adjective placement changed in other sentences, sometimes for emphasis or style. But here the order is normal and straightforward.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Homo often means:

• human being
• person
• man in a general sense

So hominem sapientem could be understood as:

• a wise man
• or more generally a wise person

A learner often notices that English may choose one translation, but the Latin word itself can be broader.

Literally, audire means to hear, but in many contexts it can naturally be translated as listen or listen to.

In a sentence like this, where the idea is about wisdom and behavior, English often prefers listen because it sounds more natural:

• a wise person often listens

So the Latin word is broader than a single English choice might suggest.

Saepe modifies audire.

It means often, so the sense is:

• often listen

The sentence then balances that idea with the second part:

• et non semper clamare = and not always shout

So the pattern is roughly:

• often listen
• and not always shout

Because non semper means not always, not never.

That is an important difference:

• non semper = not always
• numquam = never

So the sentence does not say that a wise person never shouts. It says that a wise person does not shout all the time. The meaning is softer and more realistic.

Et joins the two infinitives:

• audire
• clamare

So the structure is:

• hominem sapientem saepe audire
• et
• non semper clamare

That means the wise person is understood as doing both actions, and both infinitives depend on dicit.

They are present infinitives.

In Latin indirect statement, a present infinitive usually shows action that is simultaneous with the main verb, or action presented as generally true.

So dicit hominem sapientem audire means something like:

• he says that a wise person listens
• he says that a wise person is listening
• he says that a wise person generally listens

In this sentence, the idea is clearly general or habitual, not a one-time event. It is basically a statement about what wise people do.

Yes, Latin sometimes uses other constructions, but after a verb like dicit, the accusative + infinitive is one of the most standard and common ways to express reported statements.

So for a learner, this sentence is a very good example of a major Latin pattern:

• verb of saying
• accusative subject
• infinitive verb

Recognizing that pattern will help with a huge number of Latin sentences.