Puer non iam timet, quia mater adest.

Latin has no definite article like English the and no indefinite article like a/an.

So:

• puer can mean the boy or a boy
• mater can mean the mother or a mother

You figure out which is meant from the context. In this sentence, English naturally uses the boy and the mother.

Both puer and mater are in the nominative singular, because they are the subjects of their verbs:

• Puer ... timet = The boy fears / is afraid
• mater adest = the mother is present / is here

A native English speaker often looks first for word order, but in Latin it is usually the endings and the form of the noun that tell you its job in the sentence.

Because puer is a regular type of second-declension masculine noun that keeps the -er in the nominative singular.

Its forms begin like this:

• nominative: puer = boy
• genitive: puerī = of the boy

So puer is not irregular just because it does not end in -us. It simply belongs to a common subgroup of masculine nouns.

timet is the third-person singular present active indicative of timēre, meaning to fear or to be afraid.

So puer timet can mean:

• the boy fears
• the boy is afraid

In this sentence, natural English usually prefers is afraid.

In Latin, timēre can take an object, but it does not have to.

For example:

• canem timet = he fears the dog
• timet = he is afraid

So here puer non iam timet means the boy is not afraid anymore, even though Latin does not explicitly say what he was afraid of.

Here non iam means no longer.

Literally, the two words are:

• non = not
• iam = now / already

But together in a sentence like this, they naturally give the sense not now anymore, that is, no longer.

So:

• Puer non iam timet = The boy is no longer afraid

A learner may also see iam non in Latin. Word order with these little adverbs can vary, but in this sentence the intended sense is clearly no longer.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order, especially with adverbs like non and iam.

Here non iam is functioning as a unit of sense: no longer.

So the important thing is not to translate word by word too mechanically as not now, but to understand the phrase as a whole in context.

quia means because and introduces a subordinate clause giving the reason.

So the sentence divides like this:

• main clause: Puer non iam timet
• subordinate clause: quia mater adest

Together: The boy is no longer afraid, because his mother is here.

adest is from adesse, a compound of ad- + esse.

It means:

• to be present
• to be here
• to be at hand

So:

• mater est = the mother is
• mater adest = the mother is present / the mother is here

In this sentence, adest is more precise than plain est, because it explains why the boy is no longer afraid: his mother is present.

It is a form of a verb built from esse (to be), so its forms follow that verb’s pattern.

adest is:

• third-person singular
• present indicative
• from adesse

Compare:

• est = he/she/it is
• adest = he/she/it is present / is here

So yes, it behaves like a compound of the irregular verb esse.

Latin often leaves possessive words unexpressed when the relationship is obvious from context.

So mater here naturally means his mother, even though Latin does not say eius mater or sua mater.

English usually needs to make that relationship explicit, but Latin often does not.

Yes, Latin could say eius mater adest, meaning his mother is here, but that would be more explicit.

In a simple sentence like this, mater adest is enough, because readers naturally understand that it is the boy’s mother.

Latin often prefers not to add a possessive unless it is needed for clarity or emphasis.

Latin word order is flexible. A very common pattern is to put the verb near the end of its own clause.

Here we have two clauses:

• Puer non iam timet
• quia mater adest

In each clause, the verb comes at the end:

• timet
• adest

That is very normal Latin style, even though Latin does not have to follow that order.

Yes, often they could.

For example, Latin might rearrange parts for emphasis:

• Mater quia adest, puer non iam timet
• Puer quia mater adest non iam timet

The basic meaning would stay similar, because the forms still show the grammar. But the given order is clear and natural for a beginner sentence.

Because this clause states a straightforward fact: because the mother is here.

With quia, Latin commonly uses the indicative when the reason is presented as an actual fact. Since this is a simple factual explanation, adest is in the indicative.

A good way is:

1. Find the first subject: Puer = the boy
2. Find the verb: timet = is afraid / fears
3. Notice the adverbs: non iam = no longer
4. See the connector: quia = because
5. Read the second clause:
   • mater = mother
   • adest = is here / is present

So the structure is:

• Puer non iam timet = The boy is no longer afraid
• quia mater adest = because his mother is here

That is often the easiest way for an English speaker to read beginner Latin accurately.