Uterque discipulus codicem suum legit.

Uterque literally means each of two or both, one each. It refers to two people or things taken individually.

So in this sentence, uterque discipulus means each student / both students.
The idea is not just that there are two students, but that the statement applies to the two of them individually.

A very natural English translation is:

• Each student reads his own book
• or Both students read their own books

Both capture the sense fairly well.

Because uterque is grammatically singular, even though its meaning involves two people.

So Latin treats uterque discipulus as each student rather than as a plural noun phrase. That is why:

• discipulus is singular
• the verb legit is singular
• suum is singular

This is similar to English sentences like:

• Each student has a book

Even though more than one student is involved overall, each student is grammatically singular.

For the same reason: the subject is uterque discipulus, which is grammatically singular.

So Latin says:

• uterque discipulus ... legit = each student ... reads

Even though two students are meant, Latin agrees with the singular form of uterque.

It is nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can tell from its job in the sentence:

• uterque discipulus = the one doing the reading
• codicem suum = the thing being read

So:

• uterque discipulus = nominative singular
• codicem = accusative singular

The basic structure is:

• subject: uterque discipulus
• direct object: codicem suum
• verb: legit

Because codicem is the accusative singular form, used for the direct object.

The dictionary form is codex, meaning book or manuscript. But here the book is the thing being read, so it must be in the accusative:

• nominative: codex
• accusative: codicem

That is why Latin says codicem suum legit = reads his own book.

Suum refers back to the subject, uterque discipulus.

The adjective suus, sua, suum means his/her/its own or their own, referring to the subject of the clause.

So here:

• uterque discipulus codicem suum legit

means that each student reads his own book, not someone else’s.

This is an important point. Latin uses suus when the possessor is the subject of the clause.

Because Latin distinguishes between:

• suus, sua, suum = his/her/their own when it refers back to the subject
• eius = his/her/its, referring to someone else, not the subject

So:

• discipulus codicem suum legit = the student reads his own book
• discipulus codicem eius legit = the student reads his book, meaning someone else’s book

In your sentence, the subject is the one owning the book, so suum is the correct word.

Because it agrees with codicem, not with discipulus.

Latin adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here suum describes codicem, so it is:

• masculine
• singular
• accusative

That matches codicem exactly.

Even though suum refers in meaning to the student, grammatically it must match the noun book, because it is modifying codicem.

Yes, potentially. Legit can be either:

• he/she reads (present tense)
• or he/she read (perfect tense)

This happens because some Latin verb forms look the same.

So on its own, legit is ambiguous. Context usually tells you which meaning is intended.

In a simple teaching sentence like this, it is often understood as reads. But grammatically, read is also possible.

It could, but it would not mean exactly the same thing.

Compare:

• Uterque discipulus codicem suum legit = Each student reads his own book
• Discipuli codices suos legunt = The students read their books

The plural version is a more general statement about the group.
The uterque version emphasizes the individuals separately: one student reads his book, and the other student reads his book.

So the Latin sentence is more precise in highlighting each of the two.

The word order is normal and clear, but Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammar.

Here we have:

• Uterque discipulus = subject
• codicem suum = object
• legit = verb

This is a very straightforward arrangement.

Latin could rearrange the words for emphasis, for example:

• Codicem suum uterque discipulus legit
• Uterque codicem suum discipulus legit would be much less natural, but the endings still help

The original order is neat and easy for a learner: subject + object + verb.

Because Latin often expresses his own with the single adjective suus.

English usually needs two words:

• his own book

Latin uses one possessive adjective:

• codicem suum

That single word already includes the idea of possession and reflexive reference to the subject. So suum naturally means his own, her own, or their own, depending on the context.

Not exactly as written, because discipulus is masculine.

If you wanted each female student reads her own book, you would normally say:

• Utraque discipula codicem suum legit.

Changes:

• uterque becomes utraque to match a feminine noun
• discipulus becomes discipula

But suum would stay suum here, because it agrees with codicem, which is masculine accusative singular.

So the gender of suum depends on book, not on the student.

Yes, often it can.

Latin can say simply:

• Uterque codicem suum legit

if the noun student is already understood from context.

In your sentence, discipulus is included to make the meaning explicit. That is very common in beginner examples, because it makes the structure easier to see.