Mater ab argentario pecuniam mutuari recusat, quia parum argenti habet.

Because it depends on recusat: recusat mutuari means she refuses to borrow.

In Latin, verbs like recuso can be followed by an infinitive to express what someone refuses, dares, wants, is able, and so on. So:

• recusat = she refuses
• mutuari = to borrow

Together: she refuses to borrow.

Mutuari is a deponent verb. That means it has passive-looking forms, but an active meaning.

So even though mutuari looks as if it might mean to be borrowed, it actually means to borrow.

Its dictionary form is:

• mutuor, mutuari, mutuatus sum = borrow

This is a very common thing for Latin learners to notice, because English does not really have an equivalent pattern.

Because it is the direct object of mutuari.

The sentence is saying that the mother refuses to borrow money, and money is the thing being borrowed. In Latin, the thing directly affected by the verb often goes in the accusative.

So:

• pecunia = money
• pecuniam = money, as the direct object

Because it expresses the source or person from whom the money would be borrowed.

With verbs of getting, taking, receiving, or borrowing, Latin often uses a/ab + ablative for from someone.

So:

• argentarius = banker, money-lender
• ab argentario = from the banker

This is why argentario is ablative singular.

They are related, but they are not being used in exactly the same way.

• pecunia means money in the ordinary practical sense
• argentum literally means silver, but it can also mean money, especially wealth in the form of silver

So in this sentence:

• pecuniam mutuari = to borrow money
• parum argenti habet = she has too little money / too little silver

Latin often varies its vocabulary this way, where English might just use money both times.

Because parum is followed by a partitive genitive.

This is a very common Latin construction. Words meaning enough, too much, a little, more, less, and similar ideas often take a genitive to mean of something.

So:

• parum = too little / not enough
• argenti = of silver / of money

Together, parum argenti means too little money or more literally too little of money.

Other similar examples are:

• multum aquae = much water
• satis temporis = enough time
• nihil spei = no hope

Because argentum here is being treated as an uncountable substance noun, like silver or money.

Latin often uses the singular for this kind of idea:

• parum argenti = too little silver / money

It is not talking about separate individual coins as countable objects. It is talking about money as an amount or substance.

Quia means because and introduces the reason.

So the sentence has two parts:

• Mater ab argentario pecuniam mutuari recusat = The mother refuses to borrow money from the banker
• quia parum argenti habet = because she has too little money

Latin very often uses quia just like English because.

Because quia normally introduces a straightforward statement of fact here: because she has too little money.

So Latin uses the indicative:

• habet = she has

In many school-level Latin sentences, quia + indicative is the normal pattern when the speaker is presenting the reason as an actual fact.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order, because the endings already show the grammatical relationships.

Putting Mater first gives it some emphasis or simply sets the topic:

• Mater = the mother

So the sentence begins by telling us who is involved. That is very natural Latin style.

A more literal word-by-word English order would be something like:

• Mother from the banker money to borrow refuses, because too little money she has

That sounds strange in English, but it is normal for Latin to arrange words in a different order.

In this sentence, no: it means to borrow.

That is important because English learners can get confused about financial verbs. Latin distinguishes them differently from English. Here the construction makes it clear:

• pecuniam mutuari ab argentario = to borrow money from the banker

The mother is the one receiving the money, not giving it.

Argentarius literally has to do with silver, but in actual usage it commonly means banker, money-dealer, or money-lender.

So ab argentario is not just from a silver-man in a literal sense, but more naturally from the banker.

This is a good example of how a Latin word’s original literal meaning develops into a standard social role or profession.

Yes. Recusat means refuses or declines, so it suggests an active unwillingness.

Compare:

• non mutuatur = she does not borrow
• mutuari recusat = she refuses to borrow

The actual sentence gives a stronger idea: she is choosing not to do it, and the reason is given afterward.

Because Latin uses the infinitive form itself to express what English often translates with to + verb.

So:

• mutuari = to borrow

English needs the extra word to, but Latin does not. The infinitive ending already tells you that it is the basic verb form used here after recusat.