Mater dicit se magis confidere filiae quam filio, quia illa veritatem sine mora fatetur.

Because after dicit, Latin often uses indirect statement:

• subject of the reported statement = accusative
• verb of the reported statement = infinitive

So se ... confidere means that she trusts...

Here se is reflexive, referring back to the main subject Mater. So the mother says that she herself trusts the daughter more than the son.

If Latin used eam, that would normally mean her as some other female person, not the subject mater.

Because it is part of an accusative-and-infinitive construction, which Latin commonly uses after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, perceiving, and so on.

So:

• Mater dicit = The mother says
• se magis confidere filiae quam filio = that she trusts the daughter more than the son

In English we often use that + a finite verb. Latin usually uses accusative + infinitive instead.

Because confidere takes the dative case for the person trusted.

So:

• confidere alicui = to trust someone
• filiae = to/for the daughter
• filio = to/for the son

This is different from English, where trust takes a direct object. In Latin, the verb works more like to have confidence in someone.

The form filiae can be ambiguous. It could be, in other contexts:

• genitive singular
• dative singular
• nominative plural
• vocative plural

But here the verb confidere strongly points to the dative, because it normally takes the person trusted in the dative case.

So here filiae must mean to the daughter / in the daughter.

Magis means more, and quam means than.

So:

• magis confidere filiae quam filio = to trust the daughter more than the son

It is a comparative construction. Latin is comparing the mother’s degree of trust toward the daughter with her degree of trust toward the son.

You can think of it as slightly expanded:

• se magis confidere filiae quam (se confidit) filio

Latin often leaves out repeated words when they are understood.

In sense, it is comparing the mother’s trust in the daughter with her trust in the son.

So the comparison is really between:

• trusting the daughter
• trusting the son

Latin expresses this compactly by putting the two datives after magis ... quam.

Illa is the feminine singular form of ille, illa, illud. It can mean:

• that woman / that one
• or, depending on context, simply she

Here it most naturally refers to the daughter. The sense is:

• because she admits the truth without delay

Latin often uses ille/illa to point something out a bit more clearly or emphatically than a plain personal pronoun would.

Grammatically, a learner might wonder that, but in context it most naturally refers to the daughter.

Why?

1. The sentence has just contrasted filiae and filio.
2. The reason given explains why the daughter is trusted more.
3. illa is feminine singular, which fits either mater or filia, but the logic strongly favors filia.

So the meaning is: the mother trusts the daughter more than the son because the daughter tells the truth promptly.

Because fateor, fateri, fassus sum is a deponent verb.

Deponent verbs:

• have passive forms
• but active meanings

So fatetur looks passive in form, but it means:

• she admits
• she confesses

not she is admitted.

This is a very common feature of Latin and one that English speakers often need time to get used to.

Veritatem is accusative singular.

It is the direct object of fatetur:

• veritatem fatetur = she admits the truth

So even though fatetur is deponent in form, it still behaves like an active verb in meaning and can take a direct object.

Sine mora means without delay.

• sine is a preposition that takes the ablative
• mora is therefore ablative singular

This is a standard prepositional phrase:

• sine
  • ablative = without ...

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because Latin endings show grammatical relationships.

So Latin can say:

• Mater dicit se magis confidere filiae quam filio, quia illa veritatem sine mora fatetur

without needing the rigid English order.

That said, the order is not random. Here it helps highlight important ideas:

• Mater dicit sets up the main clause.
• se ... confidere gives the reported statement.
• filiae quam filio puts the daughter/son contrast close together.
• quia illa brings attention to the one who gives the reason.
• veritatem sine mora fatetur ends with the key action.

Because Latin usually does not need a separate word equivalent to English that in this kind of sentence.

English says:

• The mother says that she trusts...

Latin normally says:

• Mater dicit se confidere...

The accusative + infinitive construction itself already expresses the idea of a reported statement, so no extra that is needed.

Usually yes in this sentence, but its basic sense is closer to to have confidence in.

That helps explain why Latin uses the dative with it. So:

• filiae confidere = to trust the daughter / to have confidence in the daughter

This is a useful way for an English speaker to remember the construction.