Serva dicit se mappam sub pulvino reliquisse, cum infans ibi luderet.

Because this is an indirect statement after dicit.

In Latin, after verbs like dicit (she says), putat (she thinks), audit (he hears), and so on, Latin often uses:

• an accusative subject
• plus an infinitive

So se mappam sub pulvino reliquisse literally means herself to have left the napkin under the pillow.

Here se is a reflexive pronoun, referring back to the subject of dicit, namely serva. So the sense is:

• The maid says that she left the napkin under the pillow.

If Latin used ea instead, that would normally point to some other woman, not back to the maid herself.

It is an accusative-and-infinitive construction, often called indirect statement.

Its parts are:

• se = the subject of the indirect statement, in the accusative
• mappam = the object of reliquisse
• reliquisse = perfect active infinitive of relinquere

So the structure is:

• Serva dicit = the maid says
• se ... reliquisse = that she left ...

This is one of the most important Latin sentence patterns to learn.

Reliquisse is the perfect active infinitive of relinquere, meaning to leave.

Because it is perfect, it shows an action that happened before the verb dicit:

• dicit = she says
• reliquisse = to have left / that she left

So Latin is showing that the leaving happened earlier than the saying.

A very literal version would be:

• The maid says that she has left the napkin under the pillow.

In smoother English, we usually say:

• The maid says that she left the napkin under the pillow.

Because mappam is the direct object of reliquisse.

The verb relinquere takes a direct object: you leave something.

So:

• reliquisse mappam = to have left the napkin

The accusative ending -am shows that mappa is the thing being left.

Because sub can take either the ablative or the accusative, depending on the meaning.

• sub + ablative = under, in a stationary location
• sub + accusative = to a position under, showing motion toward

Here the idea is location:

• the napkin was left under the pillow

So Latin uses:

• sub pulvino = under the pillow

If the sentence were about movement, Latin might use the accusative instead:

• mappam sub pulvinum posuit = she placed the napkin under the pillow

Pulvino is ablative singular of pulvinus.

It is ablative because it follows sub in the sense of location rather than motion.

So:

• sub pulvino = under the pillow

This is a very common pattern with prepositions in Latin: the case often helps show whether something is static or moving.

This is a cum clause, and here cum means when or while.

So:

• cum infans ibi luderet = when / while the child was playing there

This clause gives the circumstance surrounding the action. It tells us what was going on at that time.

In context, it may suggest something like:

• she left it there at a time when the child was playing there
• or she says she left it there while the child was there playing

Because after cum, Latin often uses the subjunctive for a circumstantial clause, especially in past narration.

So cum infans ibi luderet is not just a simple time marker like when the child played, but more like:

• when/while the child was playing
• in the situation where the child was playing there

The form luderet is the imperfect subjunctive.

This is very common in Latin prose:

• cum
  • imperfect subjunctive for background action in past time
• cum
  • pluperfect subjunctive for an action completed before another past action

The imperfect subjunctive here shows an ongoing background action in past time.

So:

• infans ibi luderet = the child was playing there

That fits well with the rest of the sentence, because the playing is presented as the surrounding situation when the napkin was left.

It is not a one-time completed event; it is more like a continuing scene in the background.

Ibi means there.

It refers to the place already understood from the context, most naturally the area under the pillow or there in that place.

So:

• cum infans ibi luderet = while the child was playing there

Latin often uses adverbs like ibi instead of repeating the full location phrase.

No. Here cum is a conjunction, not the preposition meaning with.

Latin cum has two common uses:

1. cum

   • ablative = with
   • cum amico = with a friend

2. cum as a conjunction = when, while, since, although

   • cum infans ibi luderet = when/while the child was playing there

You can tell which one it is by the grammar:

• if cum is followed by a noun in the ablative, it usually means with
• if it introduces a clause with a verb, it is the conjunction

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

In this sentence:

• Serva is the subject
• dicit is the main verb
• se is the subject of the indirect statement
• mappam is the object
• sub pulvino is the prepositional phrase
• reliquisse is the infinitive
• cum infans ibi luderet is the subordinate clause

Latin often places the infinitive near the end and can move words around for emphasis or style. English depends much more heavily on word order, but Latin depends more on inflection.

Grammatically, cum with the subjunctive can sometimes mean since, when, or although, depending on context.

But in this sentence, the most natural meaning is probably when or while:

• while the child was playing there
• when the child was playing there

A translation with since is possible only if the broader context suggests a reason, but nothing in this sentence strongly points that way on its own.

Yes. Because of se, the subject of the indirect statement refers back to serva.

So the grammar clearly says:

• The maid says that she herself left the napkin ...

If the sentence wanted to say that someone else left it, Latin would normally use a different pronoun or noun, not the reflexive se.