Denique hospes dicit cubile bene paratum esse, stragulum calidum esse, et se apud hanc familiam semper libenter manere.

This is the normal Latin way to report what someone says, thinks, knows, hears, and so on. Latin often uses an accusative + infinitive construction where English would use that.

So:

• dicit cubile bene paratum esse = he says that the bed has been well prepared
• dicit stragulum calidum esse = he says that the blanket is warm
• dicit se ... manere = he says that he stays / likes to stay ...

In this construction:

• the subject of the reported statement goes into the accusative
• the verb goes into the infinitive

This is called indirect statement.

They are the subjects of the infinitives, but in an indirect statement, Latin puts that subject into the accusative.

So:

• cubile ... esse
• stragulum ... esse
• se ... manere

all follow the same pattern.

This can feel strange to an English speaker, because English keeps the subject in its normal form after that:

• he says that the bed is ready
• he says that the blanket is warm

But Latin does not use that here. Instead, it uses the accusative subject + infinitive structure.

Because adjectives and participles must agree with the nouns they describe.

• cubile is neuter singular, so paratum is neuter singular
• stragulum is also neuter singular, so calidum is neuter singular

So:

• cubile bene paratum esse = the bed to have been well prepared
• stragulum calidum esse = the blanket to be warm

The endings show agreement in gender, number, and case.

paratum esse is the perfect passive infinitive of paro.

It means to have been prepared.

So:

• parare = to prepare
• parari = to be prepared
• paratum esse = to have been prepared

In indirect statement, Latin uses an infinitive, not a finite verb. That is why you get paratum esse, not something like parat.

The idea is that the guest says the bed has been prepared already.

Because each reported statement has its own infinitive:

• cubile bene paratum esse
• stragulum calidum esse

Latin can sometimes omit a repeated infinitive if it is obvious, but repeating it here makes the structure clear and balanced.

It helps you see that the guest says three separate things:

1. the bed has been well prepared
2. the blanket is warm
3. he always gladly stays with this family

se is the reflexive pronoun. It refers back to the subject of the main verb, here hospes.

So:

• hospes dicit ... se ... manere
• the guest says that he stays ...

The he in English refers to the same person as the guest, so Latin uses se.

If Latin used eum, that would normally mean some other man, not the guest himself.

It is accusative, because it is the subject of the infinitive manere in an indirect statement.

That is the same pattern as with cubile and stragulum:

• cubile ... esse
• stragulum ... esse
• se ... manere

All three are accusative subjects of infinitives.

apud usually means at the house of, with, or among, depending on context.

Here apud hanc familiam means something like:

• with this family
• in the home of this family

apud takes the accusative case, which is why you get hanc familiam, not hac familia.

This is a very common preposition in Latin, especially when talking about being at someone’s house or in someone’s company.

Because apud requires the accusative.

The forms are:

• nominative: haec familia = this family
• accusative: hanc familiam = this family as the object of a preposition or verb

So after apud, Latin must use hanc familiam.

libenter means gladly, willingly, or with pleasure.

It is an adverb because it describes how he stays:

• manere = to stay
• libenter manere = to stay gladly / to like staying

English often uses a different expression, such as he is happy to stay or he enjoys staying, but Latin commonly uses libenter with a verb.

It means always to stay gladly or more natural English, to always be glad to stay.

The two adverbs each add something different:

• semper = always
• libenter = gladly / willingly

So the guest is not just saying he stays there; he is saying that he always enjoys staying with this family.

Denique often means finally, at last, or in short / to sum up, depending on context.

Here it most likely introduces the final part of a narrative:

• Finally, the guest says ...

So it signals that this is the concluding remark or final reaction.

hospes can mean either guest or host in Latin. Context tells you which one is meant.

In this sentence, the person is talking about:

• the bed being well prepared
• the blanket being warm
• staying with this family

That strongly suggests guest, since he is the one receiving hospitality.

This is one of those Latin words whose exact meaning depends on the situation.

No. manere already is the infinitive verb needed for the indirect statement.

In the first two parts, the verb is to be, so you need esse:

• cubile ... paratum esse
• stragulum ... calidum esse

But in the third part, the verb is manere = to stay, so that infinitive stands by itself:

• se apud hanc familiam semper libenter manere

You only add esse when to be is actually the verb of that clause, or when it is part of a compound infinitive like paratum esse.

Latin word order is fairly flexible. The grammar is shown mostly by endings, not position.

So the sentence could be rearranged in various ways and still mean the same basic thing. However, the chosen order is natural and clear:

• Denique hospes dicit introduces the reported speech
• then the three statements follow in sequence

The current order also gives a nice rhythm:

1. cubile bene paratum esse
2. stragulum calidum esse
3. et se apud hanc familiam semper libenter manere

Latin often uses word order for emphasis, but the grammatical relationships remain clear because of the forms.