Debitum cras solvendum est.

The sentence has three main parts:

• debitum = the subject, the debt or what is owed
• cras = an adverb meaning tomorrow
• solvendum est = a gerundive + est construction, often called the passive periphrastic, expressing necessity or obligation

So the structure is basically:

The debt + tomorrow + must be paid

That is why the sentence is commonly understood as The debt must be paid tomorrow.

Here debitum is nominative singular neuter, because it is the subject of est.

A beginner may wonder whether it could be accusative, since neuter singular nominative and accusative often look the same. In this sentence, the syntax shows it is nominative:

• est needs a subject
• solvendum agrees with debitum
• together they form debitum ... solvendum est = the debt is to be paid

So even though the form could also be accusative in another context, here it is functioning as the nominative subject.

Solvendum is the gerundive of solvo, solvere.

A gerundive is a verbal adjective that often carries the idea of needing to be done. So:

• solvo = I loosen, release, pay
• solvendum = needing to be paid / to be paid

In the context of debt, solvere commonly means to pay. So solvendum here means to be paid or needing payment.

Because gerundive + est is a standard Latin way to express obligation or necessity.

So:

• solvendum est literally means something like is to-be-paid
• in natural English, that usually becomes must be paid or has to be paid

This construction is very common in Latin. It is often more natural in Latin than using a direct equivalent of English must.

Not formally, no.

The verb est is present tense, but the whole construction expresses obligation, not simple time. The future sense comes from cras:

• est = is
• cras = tomorrow

So the sentence does not mean a plain future like will be paid tomorrow. It means there is an obligation for it to be paid tomorrow.

That is why must be paid tomorrow is a better translation than just will be paid tomorrow.

Because it agrees with debitum in:

• gender: neuter
• number: singular
• case: nominative

The gerundive behaves like an adjective, so it must match the noun it goes with.

If the noun were different, the gerundive would change too. For example:

• masculine singular: solvendus
• feminine singular: solvenda
• neuter singular: solvendum

Here the subject is debitum, so the correct agreeing form is solvendum.

Because Latin does not have to state the responsible person if it is obvious or unimportant.

With this construction, the person responsible is often put in the dative. For example:

• mihi debitum cras solvendum est = I must pay the debt tomorrow
• literally, the debt is to be paid by me tomorrow

In your sentence, that dative is simply omitted. So the sentence focuses on the obligation itself, not on the agent.

Latin has several ways to express obligation.

For example, you could say something like:

• aliquis debitum cras solvere debet = someone must pay the debt tomorrow

But debitum cras solvendum est is more impersonal and often more idiomatic in formal Latin. It emphasizes the debt as something that needs paying, rather than emphasizing a particular person who must pay it.

So the choice affects the focus:

• debet construction = focus on the person who must act
• gerundive + est = focus on the thing that must be done

Because Latin word order is flexible.

Cras is an adverb, and it can be placed in different positions depending on style or emphasis. In this sentence it sits naturally between the subject and the verbal idea:

• debitum cras solvendum est

But Latin could also say:

• cras debitum solvendum est
• debitum solvendum est cras

The basic meaning stays the same. The position mainly affects rhythm or emphasis, not core grammar.

It can be slightly broader.

Depending on context, debitum may mean:

• debt
• that which is owed
• an amount due
• an obligation owed

So in a financial context, debt is the most natural translation. But the Latin word can sometimes be understood more generally as what is due.

Yes.

Debitum is historically the neuter form of the past participle of debeo, debere, meaning to owe. So its basic idea is that which is owed.

Over time, it is very commonly used as a noun meaning debt or something owed. That is what is happening in this sentence.