Lucia prudens esse putatur, quia semper ante alios parata venit.

Because Latin often uses a passive verb of saying or thinking to mean is said/thought to...

So:

• Lucia prudens esse putatur = Lucia is thought to be prudent

A very common active equivalent would be:

• Luciam prudentem esse putant = They think Lucia is prudent

In the active version, Luciam and prudentem are accusative. In the passive version, Lucia becomes the subject, so the adjective also changes to nominative: prudens.

It is basically:

• Lucia = subject
• putatur = is thought
• esse prudens = to be prudent

More literally, Latin is saying:

• Lucia is thought to be prudent

This is a standard Latin pattern: a passive verb like putatur followed by an infinitive phrase.

Latin often keeps esse (to be) in this kind of construction, especially in straightforward prose.

So:

• prudens esse putatur = is thought to be prudent

You may sometimes see esse omitted in Latin when it is easily understood, but here its presence is completely normal and clear.

Because prudens is a third-declension adjective of one termination.

That means the nominative singular form is the same for:

• masculine: prudens
• feminine: prudens
• neuter: prudens

So even though Lucia is feminine, the correct form is still prudens, not prudenta.

Because it agrees with Lucia, which is the subject of the passive sentence.

In the passive version:

• Lucia prudens esse putatur

both Lucia and prudens are nominative.

But in the active equivalent:

• Luciam prudentem esse putant

both would be accusative, because Lucia would then be the object of putant.

So the case changes because the sentence has been turned into the passive.

Prudens usually means something like:

• prudent
• sensible
• wise
• judicious

The exact English word depends on context. In this sentence, since the reason given is that Lucia always comes prepared before others, sensible or prudent both work well.

Parata means prepared or ready, and it agrees with Lucia.

Its form shows:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So:

• Lucia ... parata venit = Lucia comes ready / comes prepared

This is a very common Latin use of an adjective or participle with a verb of motion.

It is originally the perfect passive participle of parare (to prepare), but here it functions adjectivally:

• parata = prepared, ready

So in this sentence it behaves much like an adjective describing Lucia's condition when she comes.

Because ante is a preposition that takes the accusative.

So:

• ante alios = before the others / earlier than the others

Here alios is the accusative plural of alii.

Here it most naturally means before others in time, not necessarily in front of them physically.

So the sense is:

• she comes before the others
• she arrives earlier than the others

Because the sentence is about being prepared, the time sense is the more natural one.

Because venit is the main finite verb of the quia clause:

• quia semper ante alios parata venit
• because she always comes/arrives prepared before the others

A clause introduced by quia normally uses a finite verb, not an infinitive.

Here venit is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• from venire = to come

Because Latin often leaves subject pronouns unstated when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

So venit already tells you:

• he/she/it comes

Since Lucia is the subject of the whole sentence, Latin does not need to repeat ea (she).

Quia means because and introduces the reason for the judgment.

So the structure is:

• Lucia prudens esse putatur = Lucia is thought to be prudent
• quia... = because...

The second clause explains why people think she is prudent.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order, and this sentence is quite natural.

• Lucia prudens esse putatur puts the main statement first.
• quia semper ante alios parata venit gives the reason after it.
• semper is placed early for emphasis: always
• parata comes close to venit because it describes Lucia's state when she arrives.

A very literal English order may sound awkward, but the Latin order is normal and clear.

Yes. A common active version would be:

• Luciam prudentem esse putant
• They think Lucia is prudent

Then you could add the same reason clause:

• Luciam prudentem esse putant, quia semper ante alios parata venit.

This is useful to compare, because it shows the case change:

• passive: Lucia prudens
• active: Luciam prudentem