Pater prudentiam filiae laudat, quia antequam respondeat semper rem totam audit.

Latin does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• pater can mean father, a father, or the father
• filiae can mean of a daughter or of the daughter
• rem can mean a thing/matter or the thing/matter

English has to choose an article when translating, but Latin usually leaves that to context.

The sentence has a main clause and two subordinate parts:

• Main clause: Pater prudentiam filiae laudat
  = The father praises the daughter's prudence

• Reason clause introduced by quia: quia ... audit
  = because ... she listens/hears

• Inside that reason clause is a time clause: antequam respondeat
  = before she answers

So the overall shape is:

The father praises the daughter's prudence, because, before she answers, she always hears the whole matter.

Because it is the direct object of laudat.

• laudat = he praises
• What does he praise? prudentiam = prudence / good judgment

The ending -am shows accusative singular for a first-declension noun:

• prudentia = nominative, prudence
• prudentiam = accusative, prudence as the object

Here filiae is genitive singular: of the daughter.

So:

• prudentiam filiae = the daughter's prudence

This form is a little tricky, because filiae could also be:

• dative singular
• nominative plural

But context tells us genitive is right here. Prudentiam filiae laudat naturally means he praises the prudence of the daughter. A dative meaning such as he praises prudence to/for the daughter would not fit well.

Quia means because and introduces the reason.

So:

• Pater prudentiam filiae laudat = the statement
• quia ... = the explanation for that statement

The sentence is saying that the father praises her prudence because she has the good habit described in the second half.

Latin often omits subject pronouns when they are not needed.

Both:

• audit = he/she/it hears
• respondeat = he/she/it may answer / answers in this construction

The verb ending tells you the subject is third person singular, but not whether it is he, she, or it. Context supplies that.

In this sentence, the intended subject is the daughter. English usually has to say she, but Latin can leave it unspoken.

Because after antequam (before), Latin often uses the subjunctive when the action is viewed as something that has not yet happened at that point.

So:

• antequam respondeat = before she answers

This does not necessarily mean doubt or uncertainty in English. It is just a normal Latin way of expressing an action that is still ahead relative to the main action.

A helpful way to think of it is:

• she first listens to the whole matter
• only after that does she answer

Latin marks that not-yet-completed idea with the subjunctive here.

Res is a very broad Latin word. It can mean:

• thing
• matter
• affair
• issue
• case

In this sentence, rem totam means something like:

• the whole matter
• the entire issue
• the whole story

Both words are accusative singular feminine:

• rem = accusative of res
• totam = whole/entire, agreeing with rem

So totam matches rem in gender, number, and case.

The basic meaning of audio is hear, but in context it can also imply attentive hearing.

So rem totam audit is more than accidental hearing. It means she gives the matter a full hearing. In smoother English, that may come out as:

• she listens to the whole matter
• she hears the whole matter out
• she hears the whole case before answering

Latin often uses audio where English prefers a slightly fuller phrase.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because Latin uses endings, not just position, to show grammatical function.

For example:

• pater is nominative, so it is the subject
• prudentiam is accusative, so it is the object
• filiae is genitive, so it shows possession

That means Latin can move words around for emphasis, rhythm, or style without changing the basic meaning very much.

So this sentence's order is natural Latin, even though English would usually arrange it more rigidly.

Yes. Both are possible.

Latin adjectives can come before or after the noun they modify. So both:

• rem totam
• totam rem

can mean the whole matter.

Sometimes the choice is stylistic or rhythmic rather than a major change in meaning. In this sentence, rem totam is perfectly natural.

Prudentia is often more than just abstract wisdom. It can mean:

• good judgment
• sound sense
• discretion
• practical wisdom

That nuance fits the sentence well. The daughter is being praised not just for knowing things, but for behaving sensibly: she hears the entire matter before answering.