Serva ampullam e mensa tollit et vas integrum in armario ponit.

Because serva is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject.

Also, the verb tollit means she takes up / removes, so the sentence needs a singular subject, and serva fits that role.

So in the first clause:

• serva = subject
• ampullam = direct object
• tollit = verb

In the second clause, the subject is still the same serva, even though Latin does not repeat it.

The ending -am shows that ampullam is accusative singular.

The accusative case is commonly used for the direct object, meaning the thing directly affected by the verb. Here, the maid is taking up or removing the bottle/flask, so ampullam is the object of tollit.

This is a very common first-declension pattern:

• nominative singular: ampulla
• accusative singular: ampullam

E mensa means from the table.

The preposition e or ex takes the ablative case, so mensa here is ablative singular.

So the phrase breaks down like this:

• e = from, out of
• mensa = table, in the ablative

Together: from the table.

In English we might say from the table or off the table, and Latin often uses e/ex + ablative for that idea.

Both e and ex mean the same thing here: from or out of.

A simple rule of thumb is:

• ex is especially common before vowels or h
• e is especially common before consonants

Since mensa begins with m, e mensa is perfectly normal.

So this is mostly a matter of form and sound, not a change in meaning.

Tollit is third person singular, present tense, active voice.

So it means:

• she lifts
• she takes up
• she removes

Its dictionary form is tollo, tollere.

The ending -it tells you the subject is he/she/it. Since the subject here is serva, we understand she.

Because vas is a third-declension neuter noun, not a second-declension neuter noun.

Many English speakers expect a neuter noun to end in -um, but that is only one common pattern. Latin has neuter nouns in other declensions too.

For vas, the singular nominative and accusative are both vas. That is normal for neuter nouns: nominative and accusative are usually the same.

So here vas is the direct object of ponit, even though it does not have an -m ending.

Integrum is an adjective agreeing with vas.

It is:

• neuter
• singular
• accusative

because vas is neuter singular accusative.

Latin adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

So:

• vas = neuter singular accusative
• integrum = neuter singular accusative

As for position, Latin often places adjectives after the noun, although they can also come before it. So vas integrum simply means the intact vessel or the unbroken container.

This is a very common learner question.

Beginners often learn:

• in + accusative = into
• in + ablative = in / on

That rule is useful, but with verbs of placing such as pono, Latin can also use in + ablative to indicate the place where something is put. In other words, the focus can be on the resulting location rather than just the motion.

So in armario ponit is idiomatic and means she puts it in the cupboard/cabinet.

Here:

• armario is ablative singular
• it depends on in

Yes. The sentence has two clauses joined by et:

1. Serva ampullam e mensa tollit
2. et vas integrum in armario ponit

The subject of the second verb ponit is still serva. Latin often leaves the subject unstated when it is already clear.

So we understand:

• The maid removes the flask from the table
• and the maid puts the intact vessel in the cupboard

English often does the same thing: we do not usually repeat the subject if it is obvious.

Because Latin has no articles.

There is no exact Latin equivalent of English the or a/an used in ordinary sentences. So a noun like serva can mean:

• a maid
• the maid

and ampullam can mean:

• a flask
• the flask

You decide from the context which English translation sounds right.

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

This sentence is arranged quite naturally:

• Serva = subject first
• ampullam = object
• e mensa = prepositional phrase
• tollit = verb
• et = and
• vas integrum = second object phrase
• in armario = prepositional phrase
• ponit = second verb

A more literal English-style order might be something like:

• The maid removes the flask from the table and puts the intact vessel in the cupboard

But Latin can move words around for emphasis without changing the basic meaning, as long as the case endings still make the roles clear.

Because Latin very often likes to place the verb at or near the end of a clause.

That is not a strict rule, but it is extremely common, especially in straightforward prose and textbook Latin.

Here each clause ends with its verb:

• ... tollit
• ... ponit

This is one of the first word-order habits that English speakers notice in Latin.

It is a sentence with two coordinated clauses joined by et.

You can map it like this:

• Serva = subject
• ampullam = object of tollit
• e mensa = from the table
• tollit = removes / takes up

and

• vas integrum = object of ponit
• in armario = in the cupboard
• ponit = puts

So the pattern is basically:

subject + object + phrase + verb + and + object + phrase + verb

That makes it a very useful sentence for practicing how Latin marks grammar through endings rather than through strict English-style word order.