Si sapiens es, veritatem dicere debes.

Si means if and introduces the condition:

Si sapiens es = If you are wise

This is a straightforward conditional statement. The sentence sets up a condition first, then gives the result or obligation:

• Si sapiens es = if you are wise
• veritatem dicere debes = you ought to tell the truth

So the basic pattern is:

si + condition, main clause

Latin often leaves subject pronouns unstated because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

Here:

• es = you are
• debes = you ought / you must

Both verbs are second person singular, so Latin does not need to add tu.

If you did include tu, it would usually be for emphasis:

• Si sapiens es, veritatem dicere debes = normal
• Si tu sapiens es, veritatem dicere debes = if you are wise...

Sapiens is a third-declension adjective meaning wise. It comes from a present participle form and has a different pattern from first-and-second-declension adjectives like bonus, bona, bonum.

In this sentence, sapiens is:

• nominative singular
• agreeing with the implied subject you

So:

• sapiens es = you are wise

It does not need a separate ending like -us here. Sapiens is simply the correct nominative singular form.

Because it is a predicate adjective with es.

In English, we say:

• you are wise

not

• you are wisely
• you are a wise

Latin works similarly. After a form of to be, an adjective describing the subject is put in the nominative:

• subject: implied you
• verb: es
• predicate adjective: sapiens

So sapiens matches the subject, which is why it is nominative.

Because it is the direct object of dicere.

The verb dicere means to say / to speak / to tell. What is being told?

veritatem = the truth

So Latin puts veritas into the accusative singular:

• nominative: veritas = truth
• accusative: veritatem = truth as the object

That is why the sentence has veritatem dicere = to tell the truth.

Because debeo commonly takes an infinitive to express obligation.

So:

• debes = you ought / you must
• dicere = to say / to tell

Together:

• dicere debes = you ought to speak / you ought to tell
• veritatem dicere debes = you ought to tell the truth

This is a very common Latin construction:

• laborare debes = you must work
• manere debemus = we ought to remain
• hoc facere debet = he/she ought to do this

Because Latin infinitives do not use a separate word like English to.

In English:

• to speak
• to tell

In Latin, the infinitive is a single word:

• dicere = to speak / to tell

So dicere already includes the idea of to tell. Latin does not need an extra word.

It can mean any of those depending on context.

Debes literally comes from debeo, which originally means to owe, and from there it develops the sense to be obligated.

So in context it may be translated as:

• you ought to
• you should
• you must

In this sentence, ought to or should often sounds natural in English, but must is also possible if you want a stronger sense of obligation.

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

This sentence uses a very normal order:

• veritatem first
• dicere next
• debes at the end

Having the finite verb debes at the end is very common in Latin prose.

Other orders are possible, for example:

• Si sapiens es, debes veritatem dicere
• Si sapiens es, dicere veritatem debes

These all mean basically the same thing, though the emphasis may shift slightly.

The given order is natural and elegant.

In this sentence, tell is usually the best English choice.

Dicere has a broad meaning range, including:

• to say
• to speak
• to tell

With veritatem, the phrase veritatem dicere is naturally understood as to tell the truth.

A very literal translation might be to speak the truth, but idiomatic English usually prefers tell the truth.

Yes. Sapiens can be used either as an adjective or as a substantive.

So it can mean:

• wise as an adjective
• a wise person as a noun-like word

But in this sentence it is clearly adjectival because it goes with es:

• sapiens es = you are wise

If it were being used more like a noun, the sentence structure would look different.

A useful breakdown is:

• Si = if
• sapiens = wise
• es = you are
• veritatem = the truth, in the accusative
• dicere = to tell / to speak
• debes = you ought / must

So the structure is:

• conditional clause: Si sapiens es
• main clause: veritatem dicere debes

A very literal English order would be:

If wise you are, the truth to tell you ought

A natural English translation would be:

If you are wise, you ought to tell the truth.