In bibliotheca quisque librum suum aperit et interea voces aliorum non facile audit.

Because in can take two different cases depending on the meaning:

• in + ablative = in / on a place, showing location
• in + accusative = into / onto a place, showing motion toward

Here, in bibliotheca means in the library, so it is describing where the action happens, not movement into the library. That is why bibliotheca is in the ablative.

Quisque means each (person) or everyone, depending on context.

In this sentence, it has a distributive sense: it treats the people one by one:

• quisque librum suum aperit = each person opens his or her own book

Even though English may translate it with a plural idea like everyone, Latin uses quisque as a singular word, so the verb is singular too: aperit.

Because quisque is grammatically singular.

Latin often expresses each person individually rather than using a plural form. So:

• quisque ... aperit = each one ... opens

This is different from a true plural subject such as omnes, which would normally take a plural verb.

Librum is the direct object of aperit, so it is in the accusative singular: book.

Suum agrees with librum in:

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

So librum suum means his/her own book.

The important point is that suum describes the book and matches librum, not quisque directly.

Because suus, sua, suum is the reflexive possessive adjective. It refers back to the subject of the clause.

Here the subject is quisque, so:

• quisque librum suum aperit = each person opens his or her own book

If Latin used eius, it would usually mean someone else’s book, not the subject’s own book.

So the contrast is:

• suum = his/her own
• eius = his/her (of another person)

Voces is accusative plural.

It is the direct object of audit:

• audit = he/she hears
• voces = voices

So voces aliorum non facile audit means he/she does not easily hear the voices of others.

The nominative plural of this noun is also voces, so the form looks the same, but here the syntax shows it is the object.

Aliorum means of others and is genitive plural.

It depends on voces:

• voces aliorum = the voices of others

So aliorum is not the object of the verb. Instead, it shows possession or association: whose voices? the voices of others.

Its basic dictionary form is alius, alia, aliud = other, another.

Interea is an adverb meaning meanwhile or in the meantime.

It connects the two actions:

• each person opens their own book
• meanwhile, they do not easily hear others’ voices

So it helps show that the second action is happening during the same general time as the first.

Yes, facile comes from facilis (easy) and here it is an adverb, meaning easily.

So:

• facile audit = he/she hears easily
• non facile audit = he/she does not hear easily

In natural English, we might translate this as:

• does not easily hear
• cannot hear very well
• does not readily hear

Latin often uses non + adverb in a straightforward way like this.

Yes, that would be possible.

• non facile = not easily
• difficulter = with difficulty / hardly / not easily

The sentence as written uses the simpler expression non facile. Latin often has both options: either a negative with a positive adverb, or a more explicitly negative-sounding adverb.

Latin word order is much more flexible because the endings show the grammatical roles.

This sentence is arranged as:

• In bibliotheca = setting
• quisque = subject
• librum suum = object
• aperit = verb
• et interea = connector + adverb
• voces aliorum = object
• non facile = adverb phrase
• audit = verb

English depends heavily on word order, but Latin can move words around for emphasis, rhythm, or style. Even so, this sentence is actually quite natural and readable Latin.

Very often, yes.

Quisque can behave a little like a postpositive word, meaning it often comes after the word it is associated with or at least not first in the sentence. Learners often notice that it is less likely to stand prominently at the beginning than English each.

That said, Latin authors do have flexibility, and placement can vary.

Because the sentence is describing a general present situation or habitual action:

• aperit = opens
• audit = hears

This can mean something like:

• each person opens his or her book and meanwhile does not easily hear the voices of others

So the present tense here is not necessarily about one single moment only; it can also describe what typically happens in that situation.

It has two coordinated clauses joined by et:

1. In bibliotheca quisque librum suum aperit

   • location: in bibliotheca
   • subject: quisque
   • object: librum suum
   • verb: aperit

2. et interea voces aliorum non facile audit

   • connector: et
   • time adverb: interea
   • object: voces aliorum
   • adverb phrase: non facile
   • verb: audit

The subject quisque is understood with the second verb as well, even though it is not repeated.