Reus iudicium severum timet, sed iustitiam sperat.

Because reus is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject in Latin.

• reus = the defendant / the accused person
• It is the one doing the actions:
  • timet = fears
  • sperat = hopes for

So reus is the person who both fears and hopes.

They are in the accusative case because they are the direct objects of the verbs.

• iudicium severum is what the defendant fears
• iustitiam is what the defendant hopes for

More specifically:

• iudicium = accusative singular neuter
• severum = accusative singular neuter, agreeing with iudicium
• iustitiam = accusative singular feminine

In Latin, many verbs take a direct object in the accusative, just as in English we say fear something.

Because severum is an adjective describing iudicium, and Latin adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• iudicium is neuter
• singular
• accusative

So the adjective must also be neuter singular accusative, which gives severum.

This is why it is severum, not severa or severus.

That is a very common question. In Latin, sperare can take a direct object in the accusative.

So:

• iustitiam sperat = he hopes for justice

Even though English usually uses hope for, Latin often expresses the idea more directly.

So the Latin structure is normal:

• timet iudicium
• sperat iustitiam

Both verbs are followed by accusative objects.

Because Latin has no articles.

Latin does not have separate words that exactly match English the, a, or an. Whether you translate a noun as the defendant, a defendant, the justice, or simply justice depends on context.

So:

• reus can mean the defendant or a defendant
• iudicium severum can mean a severe judgment or the severe judgment, depending on context

English must choose an article; Latin does not have to.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because case endings show the grammatical roles.

This sentence is:

• Reus iudicium severum timet, sed iustitiam sperat.

A very literal breakdown is:

• The defendant
• a severe judgment
• fears,
• but
• justice
• hopes for

Even though the object comes before the verb, the endings make the meaning clear.

The word order here is natural and straightforward, but Latin could rearrange it for emphasis, for example:

• Reus timet iudicium severum, sed sperat iustitiam.

That would mean the same basic thing.

Not necessarily. Reus often means the accused person, the defendant, or the person involved in a legal case.

Depending on context, it can sometimes carry the sense of guilty or liable, but in a sentence like this, the most natural meaning is defendant or accused person.

So a learner should not automatically assume that reus means the person has already been proved guilty.

They are related legal ideas, but they do not mean the same thing.

• iudicium = judgment, trial, legal decision, or court proceeding
• iustitia = justice, fairness, what is right

So the contrast in the sentence is meaningful:

• the defendant fears a severe judgment
• but hopes for justice

That suggests a contrast between a harsh legal outcome and a fair one.

Because Latin, like English, does not need to repeat the subject if it stays the same.

Here the subject is reus, and it applies to both verbs:

• reus ... timet
• (reus) ... sperat

Latin simply leaves the second reus unstated because it is understood.

This is very common and perfectly normal.

Sed means but.

It connects the two parts of the sentence and shows a contrast:

• he fears a severe judgment
• but he hopes for justice

So sed is a coordinating conjunction joining two balanced ideas.