Puer aegrotus est, itaque mater medicum vocat.

Because medicum is the direct object of vocat (calls), so it must be in the accusative case.

• medicus = doctor as a subject
• medicum = doctor as the person being called

So in mater medicum vocat, the mother is doing the action, and the doctor is receiving it.

Because mater is the subject of vocat. The subject goes in the nominative case.

• mater = mother as the subject
• matrem = mother as a direct object

In this sentence, the mother is the one who calls, so Latin uses mater.

Because aegrotus is not a direct object. It is a predicate adjective linked to puer by est.

In puer aegrotus est:

• puer = the subject
• est = is
• aegrotus = describes the subject

Since it describes puer, it agrees with puer and stays in the nominative masculine singular.

Both are possible in Latin, but they are slightly different in structure.

• aegrotus est = is sick / is ill
• aegrotat = is sick / is ill as a verb

The sentence uses an adjective plus est rather than a single verb. English does this too: the boy is sick.

Because it agrees with puer, which is a masculine singular noun.

Latin adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

So:

• puer aegrotus = the boy is sick
• if it were a girl, it would be puella aegrota est

Because puer is the normal nominative singular form of this noun. Not all second-declension masculine nouns end in -us in the nominative.

Examples:

• servus = slave
• amicus = friend
• puer = boy

So puer is already the dictionary form, not a shortened version of puerus.

Itaque means and so, therefore, or so.

It introduces the result of the first clause:

• Puer aegrotus est = the boy is sick
• itaque mater medicum vocat = and so / therefore the mother calls the doctor

It shows cause and result very clearly.

Yes, but not in the same way as in English.

Latin word order is more flexible because the endings show each word’s role. So you know:

• puer is the subject of est
• mater is the subject of vocat
• medicum is the object of vocat

Even if the order changed, the basic meaning would stay the same as long as the forms stayed the same.

For example, Latin could also say:

• Mater itaque medicum vocat
• Medicum mater vocat

But the given order is natural and clear.

Because Latin has no articles.

So a noun like puer can mean:

• the boy
• a boy

The exact meaning depends on context. English must choose, but Latin does not have separate words for the and a.

The same is true for:

• mater = the mother / a mother
• medicum = the doctor / a doctor

Both are present tense, indicative mood, active voice.

• est = he/she/it is
• vocat = he/she/it calls

So the sentence is describing a present situation:

• the boy is sick
• therefore the mother calls the doctor

We know from the case endings.

• mater is nominative, so it is the subject
• medicum is accusative, so it is the direct object

That tells us:

• mater vocat medicum = the mother calls the doctor

If the doctor were the subject, Latin would need medicus.

In normal prose, est is often included, especially in simple teaching sentences like this one.

Latin can sometimes omit forms of to be when they are easily understood, especially in certain styles, but here est is perfectly normal and helps make the structure clear:

• puer aegrotus est = the boy is sick

For a learner, this is the most straightforward version.

Latin often leaves out possessive words like his, her, or their when the relationship is obvious from context.

So mater may simply mean the mother, but in natural English we often translate it as his mother because we understand it is the boy’s mother.

Latin prefers to avoid unnecessary possessives when the meaning is already clear.

Yes. Vocare can mean to call, to summon, or to call for.

In this sentence, medicum vocat means that the mother calls for the doctor or summons the doctor.

So it does not just mean saying the doctor’s name aloud. It means she is sending for him.

Yes, it could come before it. Latin adjectives often come after the noun, but word order is flexible.

So these are both possible:

• puer aegrotus
• aegrotus puer

The version with puer aegrotus est is a very standard, uncomplicated way to say it.

They are:

• puer, pueri = boy
• aegrotus, aegrota, aegrotum = sick, ill
• sum, esse; here est = is
• itaque = and so, therefore
• mater, matris = mother
• medicus, medici = doctor
• voco, vocare; here vocat = calls

Knowing the dictionary forms helps you see how the sentence forms are built.