Regina misericordiam amat, sed clementiam suam hominibus iniquis non semper ostendit.

Because regina is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

• regina = queen
• nominative singular ending for a 1st-declension noun = often -a

So regina is the queen as the one doing the actions amat and ostendit.

They are both in the accusative singular, which is the case usually used for a direct object.

Here they are the things the queen is acting on:

• misericordiam amat = she loves mercy/compassion
• clementiam suam ... ostendit = she shows her clemency

For many 1st-declension feminine nouns, the accusative singular ends in -am.

They are similar, but not identical.

• misericordia often suggests compassion, pity, or mercy felt in the heart
• clementia often suggests clemency, leniency, or merciful restraint shown in action, especially by someone with power

So the sentence is nicely contrasting two related ideas: the queen loves mercy, but she does not always show leniency to unjust people.

Suam is the reflexive possessive adjective, meaning her own and referring back to the subject of the clause.

Since the subject is regina, suam means the queen’s own clemency.

Latin uses suus, -a, -um when the possessor is the subject of the clause.

Because suam must agree with clementiam, not directly with regina.

• clementiam is feminine singular accusative
• so the adjective modifying it must also be feminine singular accusative
• therefore: suam

This is an important Latin rule: adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case.

In meaning, it refers to regina. In grammar, it agrees with clementiam.

That is a very common thing in Latin:

• an adjective like suam agrees with the noun it modifies: clementiam
• but the idea of possession points back to the subject: regina

So clementiam suam means her clemency, where her means the queen’s.

Both words are dative plural.

• hominibus = to people / to men
• iniquis = unjust / wicked
• together: to unjust people

They are in the dative because ostendere can take a person to whom something is shown.

So:

• clementiam suam hominibus iniquis ostendit
• literally: she shows her clemency to unjust people

Because of agreement.

• hominibus is plural
• iniquis is also plural
• both are in the same case here, dative plural
• the adjective naturally modifies the noun with which it agrees

So hominibus iniquis is one phrase: unjust people or wicked people.

Formally, yes: hominibus can be either dative plural or ablative plural. But in this sentence, the meaning and the verb strongly point to dative.

With ostendit, the phrase is best understood as the person to whom something is shown:

• she shows her clemency to unjust people

So this is a good example of how context helps decide between two forms that look the same.

Because non semper means not always, not never.

That distinction matters:

• non semper ostendit = she does not always show it
• numquam ostendit = she never shows it

So the sentence does not say the queen is never merciful to unjust people. It says she is not merciful every time.

Latin word order is flexible, and adverbs like non and semper are often placed near the word or idea they modify.

Here non semper ostendit naturally groups together as:

• does not always show

The placement is very normal and emphasizes the limitation on the action.

Latin often puts the verb at or near the end of the clause, especially in straightforward prose.

So this order is very natural:

• subject: regina
• object(s): clementiam suam
• indirect object: hominibus iniquis
• adverb: non semper
• verb: ostendit

Latin does not rely on word order as much as English does, because the endings already show the grammatical roles.

Latin has no definite article and no indefinite article.

So regina can mean:

• queen
• a queen
• the queen

You figure out which one is meant from the context. In a sentence like this, English usually translates it as the queen.

Because the same subject, regina, is understood with both verbs.

The sentence has two coordinated clauses joined by sed:

• Regina misericordiam amat
• sed clementiam suam hominibus iniquis non semper ostendit

Latin does not need to repeat regina in the second clause, because it is already clear that the queen is the subject of both verbs.

Sed means but and introduces a contrast.

The contrast is between:

• what the queen feels or values: misericordiam amat
• what she actually shows to unjust people: clementiam suam ... non semper ostendit

So sed signals that the second idea qualifies or contrasts with the first one.

Because the subject regina is singular.

• amat = she loves
• ostendit = she shows

The endings tell you the verbs are 3rd person singular, matching regina.

The verb ending itself, -t, only tells you 3rd person singular: he/she/it. The reason we know it is she is the subject noun regina, which is feminine in meaning.

So:

• amat by itself could mean he loves, she loves, or it loves
• but with regina, it clearly means the queen loves, so in English we use she

Yes, because this sentence is making a distinction between loving mercy and showing clemency.

• amat expresses attitude, affection, or approval
• ostendit expresses outward action

That contrast is the point of the sentence: someone may value mercy in principle, yet not always display it toward unjust people.

Often, yes. Because Latin uses case endings, many rearrangements would still be understandable.

For example, these would still make sense:

• Regina misericordiam amat, sed non semper clementiam suam hominibus iniquis ostendit.
• Misericordiam regina amat, sed clementiam suam hominibus iniquis non semper ostendit.

However, changing the order can shift emphasis. The given sentence is a natural, clear version.

They are:

• regina, reginae = queen
• misericordia, misericordiae = mercy, compassion
• amo, amare, amavi, amatum = love
• sed = but
• clementia, clementiae = clemency, mercy, leniency
• suus, sua, suum = his/her/its/their own
• homo, hominis = human being, person, man
• iniquus, iniqua, iniquum = unjust, unfair, wicked
• non = not
• semper = always
• ostendo, ostendere, ostendi, ostentum = show, display

Seeing the dictionary forms helps explain why some forms in the sentence look irregular, especially hominibus, since homo is a 3rd-declension noun.