Matertera gaudet, quod remedium utile fuit et puella tandem bene dormit.

All three are nominative singular here, because each one is the subject of its own verb:

• matertera → subject of gaudet
• remedium → subject of fuit
• puella → subject of dormit

So the sentence is built like this:

• Matertera gaudet = the aunt is glad
• quod remedium utile fuit = because the remedy was useful
• et puella tandem bene dormit = and the girl is finally sleeping well

Latin often uses case endings instead of strict word order to show who is doing the action.

Matertera means maternal aunt, that is, your mother’s sister.

Latin can be more specific than English about family relationships. For example:

• amita = father’s sister
• matertera = mother’s sister

So this is not just any aunt, but specifically a maternal aunt.

Here quod means because.

It introduces the reason why matertera gaudet:

• Matertera gaudet, quod... = The aunt is glad because...

In some contexts, quod can also mean that, especially after verbs of emotion or mental activity. So learners may sometimes see:

• gaudet quod... = she is glad that...
• or more naturally in English here, she is glad because...

Both ideas are close, but in this sentence the clause clearly gives the reason for her joy.

Because the speaker presents the reason as a real fact, not as an idea, claim, or doubtful explanation.

So we get indicative verbs:

• fuit
• dormit

This is very normal with quod meaning because, especially when the reason is treated as objective or accepted as true.

A learner may later meet cases where a reason clause uses the subjunctive, but this sentence is straightforward and factual.

Because utile agrees with remedium.

• remedium is neuter singular nominative
• so the adjective must also be neuter singular nominative

The adjective is from utilis, utile:

• masculine/feminine nominative singular: utilis
• neuter nominative singular: utile

Since remedium is neuter, Latin uses utile, not utilis.

Fuit is the perfect tense of sum, meaning was or has been.

So:

• remedium utile est = the remedy is useful
• remedium utile fuit = the remedy was useful / has been useful

Here fuit suggests that the usefulness of the remedy has already been shown or completed in some way. The remedy has proved effective, and now the result is visible: the girl is finally sleeping well.

The sentence uses two different tenses because the actions are viewed differently:

• fuit = perfect tense, looking at the remedy’s usefulness as something already established
• dormit = present tense, describing the girl’s current state now

So the sense is something like:

• the remedy turned out to be / has been useful
• and now the girl is sleeping well

Latin often mixes tenses this way when one action is seen as completed and another as ongoing in the present.

Because bene is an adverb, and adverbs modify verbs.

• dormit is a verb
• so Latin uses bene = well

By contrast, bonus, bona, bonum are adjectives, and adjectives modify nouns, not verbs.

So:

• puella bona = a good girl
• puella bene dormit = the girl sleeps well

This is the same distinction as English good vs well.

Tandem means finally, at last, or in the end.

It adds the feeling that this took some time or was anxiously awaited:

• puella tandem bene dormit = the girl is finally sleeping well

So it suggests relief. That fits nicely with matertera gaudet.

Here et connects two whole clauses inside the quod clause:

1. remedium utile fuit
2. puella tandem bene dormit

So the structure is:

• Matertera gaudet
• quod [remedium utile fuit et puella tandem bene dormit]

In other words, the aunt is glad because both of these things are true:

• the remedy was useful
• the girl is now sleeping well

Yes. Latin word order is more flexible than English because the endings show grammatical function.

For example, these would still be understandable Latin:

• Gaudet matertera, quod utile remedium fuit et puella tandem bene dormit.
• Matertera, quod remedium utile fuit, gaudet.

But the original order is clear and natural enough for a learner.

Latin word order often helps with emphasis rather than basic grammar. For example:

• utile remedium may slightly emphasize useful
• putting tandem before bene dormit helps highlight finally

It can be understood either way, depending on context.

With verbs of emotion like gaudeo, Latin quod often introduces the thing someone is happy, sad, angry, or surprised about:

• gaudet quod puella dormit = she is glad that the girl is sleeping

At the same time, in English that idea can sound very much like a reason:

• she is glad because the girl is sleeping well

So in this sentence the difference is small. A learner should mainly recognize that quod introduces the content/reason for the aunt’s joy.

Because Latin has no articles.

English uses:

• the aunt
• the remedy
• the girl
• a useful remedy

Latin usually leaves that idea to context:

• matertera can mean the aunt or an aunt
• remedium utile can mean a useful remedy or the useful remedy
• puella can mean the girl or a girl

The context or the translation will decide which is most natural in English.