Haec hora mihi incommoda est, sed sorori commodior, quia illa sero domum venit.

Because hora is a feminine singular noun, and haec must agree with it in gender, number, and case.

• hora = feminine singular
• haec = nominative feminine singular of hic, haec, hoc

So haec hora means this hour/time, with both words matching grammatically.

Hora is nominative singular and is the subject of the sentence.

The basic structure is:

• Haec hora ... est = This hour is ...

So hora is the thing being described as incommoda and commodior.

They are both agreeing with hora, but they come from different adjective forms.

• incommoda is the regular feminine nominative singular form of incommodus, -a, -um
• commodior is the comparative form of commodus

Comparatives belong to the third declension, so the masculine and feminine nominative singular are both -ior. Since hora is feminine singular, commodior is the correct form.

So both adjectives agree with hora, but one is a positive adjective and the other is a comparative adjective.

Because commodus and incommodus often take the dative of the person for whom something is convenient or inconvenient.

So:

• mihi incommoda est = it is inconvenient for me
• sorori commodior = more convenient for my sister

This is a very common Latin pattern. English often uses for, but Latin often uses the dative case instead.

It is simply understood.

The full form would be:

• Haec hora mihi incommoda est, sed sorori commodior est

Latin often leaves out a repeated form of esse when it is obvious from the context. This is a very normal kind of omission.

Because the sentence is making a comparison.

It is not just saying the hour is convenient for the sister; it is saying it is more convenient for the sister than it is for the speaker.

That is why Latin uses the comparative:

• commoda = convenient
• commodior = more convenient

Because the comparison is clear from the context, so Latin does not need to spell it out fully.

The contrast is already established:

• mihi incommoda
• sed sorori commodior

So the idea is something like inconvenient for me, but more convenient for my sister. The standard of comparison is understood from the sentence as a whole.

Here illa refers back to sorori: it means she or that one.

Latin often uses demonstratives like ille, illa, illud where English would simply use a personal pronoun. So illa can naturally mean she, especially when referring back to someone already mentioned.

It also helps make the subject of venit very clear: the person who comes home late is the sister.

Because sero is an adverb, meaning late.

Compare:

• serus, sera, serum = late, tardy (adjective)
• sero = late (adverb)

In this sentence, the word modifies venit (comes), not a noun, so Latin uses the adverb sero.

Because Latin often uses domum by itself to mean homeward or to home.

This is a special idiomatic use of domus:

• domum ire = to go home
• domum venire = to come home

So domum here is an accusative of motion toward without a preposition. This is very common with home in Latin.

Formally, venit can be either:

• present: he/she comes
• perfect: he/she came / has come

The form is the same, so you have to decide from the context.

Here the context strongly suggests the present meaning, because the sentence is explaining why this hour is more suitable for the sister: because she comes home late. That sounds like a general or habitual fact, not a one-time past event.

Because Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order. The endings show the grammatical relationships, so Latin does not depend as heavily on position.

This sentence uses word order to highlight contrasts:

• mihi vs. sorori
• incommoda vs. commodior

And placing venit at the end is very typical Latin style.

So the word order is not random; it helps emphasize the important ideas while the case endings keep the grammar clear.