Si iudex servum absolvit, multi gaudent; si eum damnat, soror flens domum redit.

Because servum is the direct object of absolvit.

• iudex = the judge → subject
• absolvit = acquits
• servum = the slave → the person being acquitted

In Latin, the direct object is usually put in the accusative, so servus becomes servum.

The same idea appears in the second clause:

• eum damnat = he condemns him
• eum is also accusative, because it is the direct object of damnat.

Because iudex belongs to the third declension, not the second.

Many beginners expect a nominative singular masculine noun to end in -us, but that is mainly true for many second-declension nouns like servus.

iudex, iudicis means judge, and its nominative singular is simply iudex. It is the subject of absolvit, so nominative is exactly what we would expect.

Si means if and introduces a conditional clause.

So the sentence has this pattern:

• Si iudex servum absolvit, multi gaudent = If the judge acquits the slave, many people rejoice
• si eum damnat, soror flens domum redit = if he condemns him, his sister returns home weeping

Latin often uses si just as English uses if.

They are present tense because this is a general present condition: it describes what happens if something happens.

So the sense is:

• if the judge acquits the slave, many rejoice
• if he condemns him, the sister goes home crying

Latin often uses the present indicative in both parts of this kind of straightforward condition.

Also note:

• absolvit can sometimes look like either present or perfect in isolation, depending on vowel length
• but here, because of the context and the parallel with damnat, it is understood as present: acquits

Because Latin often uses a pronoun when the meaning is already clear.

• first clause: servum
• second clause: eum = him

Here eum clearly refers back to servum. English often does the same thing:

• If the judge acquits the slave, many rejoice; if he condemns him...

This avoids unnecessary repetition.

The subject is still iudex, understood from the first clause.

Latin often omits a noun if it is obvious from the context. So:

• si iudex servum absolvit
• si eum damnat

means:

• if the judge acquits the slave
• if the judge condemns him

Latin does not need to repeat iudex in the second si clause.

Because multi is the subject of gaudent.

• multi = many people or simply many
• gaudent = rejoice

So multi gaudent means many rejoice.

Latin often uses multi by itself as a substantive adjective, meaning many people.

Because its subject, multi, is plural.

• multi = many people
• gaudent = they rejoice

Latin verbs change form to agree with their subject in person and number.

So:

• singular subject → singular verb
• plural subject → plural verb

That is why multi gaudent uses a plural verb.

Flens is the present participle of flere, meaning crying or weeping.

So soror flens means:

• the sister, weeping
• or more naturally in English, the weeping sister / the sister weeping

It describes soror and agrees with it in case, number, and gender:

• soror = nominative singular
• flens = nominative singular

In context, it tells us the manner or emotional state of the sister as she returns home.

Latin often leaves possession understood from context when it is obvious.

In English, we might naturally say his sister returns home weeping, but Latin can simply say soror flens domum redit.

Because the condemned person has just been mentioned (eum), it is natural to understand soror as his sister.

If Latin wanted to make it explicit, it could use a possessive such as soror eius, but it does not have to.

Domum means home and is a special accusative of motion toward.

Normally, Latin uses ad + accusative for motion toward a place:

• ad urbem = to the city

But with domus (home/house), Latin often uses the accusative without a preposition:

• domum = home
• domum redit = she returns home

This is a common idiom and worth memorizing.

Latin word order is more flexible because grammatical endings show how the words function.

For example:

• Si iudex servum absolvit
  literally: If judge slave acquits
• soror flens domum redit
  literally: sister weeping home returns

Even though that order sounds unusual in English, the endings tell us:

• iudex is the subject
• servum/eum are objects
• soror is the subject
• domum shows motion toward home

Latin word order is often used for emphasis, style, or rhythm, not just grammar.

Yes, in form absolvit can represent either:

• present: he acquits
• perfect: he acquitted / has acquitted

In actual reading, you decide from the context.

Here it is best taken as present, because:

• it matches the present-tense conditional structure with si
• it is parallel to damnat
• the main clauses also use present verbs: gaudent, redit

So in this sentence, absolvit means acquits, not acquitted.

The semicolon separates two closely related conditional statements:

• If the judge acquits the slave, many rejoice;
• if he condemns him, the sister returns home weeping.

This punctuation helps show that the two halves are parallel but distinct.

Latin manuscripts in antiquity did not use punctuation exactly like modern printed texts do, so this is mainly an editorial aid for readers. It helps you see the structure more clearly.