Serva stragulum in cubili sternit, ut hospes bene dormiat.

Because serva is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject. It also matches sternit, which is third-person singular present: the slave girl spreads.

A beginner might momentarily wonder whether serva could mean save! (the imperative of servare), but in this sentence the grammar clearly shows it is the noun serva = female slave / maidservant.

Stragulum is accusative singular. It is the direct object of sternit.

So the structure is:

• serva = subject
• stragulum = thing being spread out
• sternit = verb

In other words, the maidservant is spreading out the blanket / coverlet / bedspread.

Because in with the ablative usually expresses location: in/on the bed.

Here:

• cubile = bed, couch
• cubili = ablative singular

So in cubili means something like on the bed or in the bed depending on context. If Latin wanted to emphasize motion into something, in would usually take the accusative instead.

Sternit is from sternere, which means to spread out, lay out, strew, and in context often to make a bed or to lay bedding down.

So serva stragulum in cubili sternit is very natural Latin for the idea that the maid lays out a coverlet on the bed.

Here ut introduces a purpose clause. It means so that or in order that.

So:

• main action: Serva stragulum in cubili sternit
• purpose: ut hospes bene dormiat

The sense is: the maid spreads the bedding so that the guest may sleep well.

Because after ut in a purpose clause, Latin normally uses the subjunctive, not the indicative.

So:

• dormit = he/she sleeps (plain statement)
• dormiat = may sleep / might sleep in a purpose clause

This is one of the most important patterns in Latin: ut + subjunctive = in order that / so that.

The main verb sternit is in a primary tense (present), so the purpose clause normally uses the present subjunctive. This is the usual sequence of tenses:

• primary main verb -> present subjunctive for contemporaneous/subsequent purpose
• secondary main verb -> imperfect subjunctive

So with sternit, Latin naturally gives dormiat.

Because hospes is nominative singular, so it works as the subject of the verb in the ut clause.

That means:

• serva is the subject of sternit
• hospes is the subject of dormiat

Latin often changes subjects between clauses without needing any extra word like English the guest or he/she.

Yes. Hospes can refer to either a man or a woman, depending on context. The form itself does not tell you the gender here.

So unless the wider passage makes it clear, the guest is the safest translation.

No. Bene is an adverb, not an adjective. It means well and modifies the verb dormiat.

So bene dormiat means may sleep well or sleep well.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because the endings show each word’s role.

This sentence could be rearranged in several ways without changing the basic meaning. But the given order is natural:

• Serva first: introduces the person doing the action
• stragulum in cubili: gives the object and place
• sternit: main verb
• ut hospes bene dormiat: purpose placed afterward

So the order helps the sentence flow, but the grammar depends mainly on the forms, not the position.

Yes. A fairly literal translation would be:

The maidservant spreads a coverlet on the bed, so that the guest may sleep well.

A more natural English version might be:

The maid makes the bed so that the guest can sleep well.

Both reflect the same Latin structure, but the more literal one helps you see how the Latin is built.