Multi cives ad contionem veniunt, quia volunt audire quid consul in curia dixerit.

Because multi cives is the subject of veniunt (many citizens come/are coming), so both words are in the nominative plural.

• multi = many (masculine nominative plural)
• cives = citizens (nominative plural)

If Latin said multos cives, that would be accusative plural, which would usually make them the direct object, not the subject.

Cives here is nominative plural, because it is the subject of veniunt.

The noun is civis, civis (citizen), a 3rd-declension noun. Its nominative plural is cives.

A learner may notice that cives could also be accusative plural in some contexts. That is true. So here you know it is nominative mainly from its job in the sentence: these are the people doing the action of coming.

Because ad takes the accusative case and usually means to or toward.

So:

• ad = to / toward
• contionem = accusative singular of contio

Together, ad contionem means to the public meeting / assembly / speech gathering.

This is a very common Latin pattern:

• ad + accusative = motion toward a place or goal

Because in with the ablative usually means in or inside a place, while ad with the accusative means to a place.

So:

• in curia = in the senate-house / in the curia
• ad curiam = to the curia

Here the sentence is talking about where the consul spoke, not where he went. So Latin uses in curia.

Because after in meaning in/inside, Latin normally uses the ablative.

The noun is curia, -ae, a 1st-declension noun:

• nominative singular: curia
• ablative singular: curia

In the 1st declension, the nominative singular and ablative singular often look the same, so the form does not change visibly here. But grammatically it is ablative singular.

Veniunt is present tense because the main action is happening now in the sentence: many citizens are coming / come.

Latin present tense can often be translated in more than one natural English way, depending on context:

• many citizens come
• many citizens are coming

Both can fit. Latin present tense is often a little broader than English in how we translate it.

Because volo (I want) is commonly followed by an infinitive in Latin.

So:

• volunt = they want
• audire = to hear

Together: they want to hear

This is very similar to English. Latin does not need an extra word like that or in order that here.

Because quid here introduces an indirect question: what the consul said.

After verbs like ask, know, hear, see, learn, Latin often uses an indirect question:

• quid = what?
• ubi = where?
• cur = why?
• quis = who?

So audire quid consul in curia dixerit means to hear what the consul said in the curia.

By contrast, quod more often means because, the fact that, or which, depending on context. Here Latin needs the interrogative word quid, not quod.

Because it is in an indirect question, and in Latin indirect questions normally take the subjunctive.

The direct question would be something like:

• Quid consul in curia dixit?
• What did the consul say in the curia?

When that question becomes indirect after audire (to hear), Latin changes the verb to the subjunctive:

• quid consul in curia dixerit

So the subjunctive here does not necessarily mean doubt or unreality. It is mainly there because of the grammar of indirect questions.

Formally, dixerit can be either:

• perfect subjunctive, or
• future perfect indicative

But here it must be perfect subjunctive, because it is inside an indirect question after quid.

So in this sentence, dixerit means roughly said / has said, not will have said.

Because the speaking happened before the citizens want to hear about it.

The sequence is:

1. the consul said something in the curia
2. the citizens come because they want to hear what he said

So Latin uses a perfect form to show that the consul’s speaking is earlier than the hearing.

In indirect questions after a present main verb like volunt, the perfect subjunctive often refers to an action already completed.

Because consul is a 3rd-declension noun, and its nominative singular is simply consul.

Here it is the subject of dixerit:

• consul = the consul
• dixerit = said

So consul is nominative singular, even though to an English speaker it may look like an unfinished form.

Because of both meaning and case/function.

Inside the clause quid consul in curia dixerit:

• quid = what (the thing said)
• consul = the person doing the speaking
• in curia = where he spoke
• dixerit = said

So consul is naturally the one who performed the action of speaking.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because Latin shows grammatical relationships through endings, not mainly through position.

So quid consul in curia dixerit puts the verb at the end in a very normal Latin way. This often helps Latin build suspense or keep the clause neatly organized.

English usually needs a stricter order:

• what the consul said in the curia

Latin can move words around more freely without losing clarity.

Quia means because and introduces the reason for the main action.

So the sentence is organized like this:

• Multi cives ad contionem veniunt = main statement
• quia volunt audire... = reason

In other words: Many citizens come to the meeting because they want to hear...

Yes. More specifically, quid consul in curia dixerit is an indirect question functioning as the object of audire.

So:

• volunt = they want
• audire = to hear
• quid consul in curia dixerit = what the consul said

The whole phrase means they want to hear what the consul said.

Because Latin expresses this idea differently from English.

In English, we often say:

• they want to hear what the consul said

We do not usually say:

• they want to hear that the consul said...

That would mean something different.

Latin uses an indirect question after audire when the idea is to hear what exactly was said. So quid is the natural choice.

Yes. In many contexts, both are possible.

Latin present tense often covers both:

• a simple present: come
• a present progressive: are coming

So depending on the context, you might translate:

• Many citizens come to the meeting
• Many citizens are coming to the meeting

Both can be reasonable.