Hostes portam urbis oppugnant, sed milites eam defendunt.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because Latin uses case endings to show what each word is doing.

So in Hostes portam urbis oppugnant, you can tell that:

• hostes is the subject
• portam is the direct object
• oppugnant is the verb

Even though the order happens to be fairly natural in English, Latin does not depend mainly on position to show meaning.

This sentence is arranged in a very ordinary and readable way:

• Hostes = the enemies
• portam urbis = the gate of the city
• oppugnant = attack

Then:

• sed = but
• milites = the soldiers
• eam = it
• defendunt = defend

A different order could still mean the same thing, though it might change emphasis.

Hostes is the nominative plural of hostis, meaning enemy.

Here it is nominative plural because it is the subject of oppugnant:

• hostes oppugnant = the enemies attack

A learner should also notice that hostes is a 3rd-declension noun.

Portam is the accusative singular of porta, meaning gate.

It is accusative because it is the direct object of oppugnant. In other words, it is the thing being attacked:

• hostes portam oppugnant = the enemies attack the gate

The ending -am is a very common sign of the accusative singular feminine in the 1st declension.

Urbis is the genitive singular of urbs, meaning city.

The genitive often shows a relationship like of. So:

• porta urbis = the gate of the city

In the sentence, portam urbis means the gate of the city.

This is a very common Latin pattern:

• noun + genitive
• portam urbis = the city’s gate / the gate of the city

Because the sentence does not mean that the enemies attack the city directly. It means they attack the gate of the city.

So Latin uses:

• portam = the gate, as the direct object
• urbis = of the city, showing possession or relationship

If it said urbem, that would be the city in the accusative, which would make the city the direct object instead.

Sed means but.

It joins two clauses that contrast with each other:

• Hostes portam urbis oppugnant = the enemies attack the city gate
• sed milites eam defendunt = but the soldiers defend it

So sed signals a contrast between the enemies’ action and the soldiers’ response.

Milites is the nominative plural of miles, meaning soldier.

Here it is nominative plural because it is the subject of defendunt:

• milites defendunt = the soldiers defend

Like hostes, this is also a 3rd-declension noun.

Because eam is the accusative singular feminine form of the pronoun is, ea, id.

It is accusative because it is the direct object of defendunt:

• milites eam defendunt = the soldiers defend it

It is feminine singular because it refers back to portam, and porta is a feminine singular noun.

By contrast:

• ea would usually be nominative singular feminine or nominative/accusative neuter plural
• that would not fit here as the direct object referring to portam

The natural antecedent is portam, the thing just mentioned and the thing that makes sense as being defended.

So the structure is:

• the enemies attack the gate
• but the soldiers defend it

Also, eam is feminine singular, which matches portam.

Technically, urbs is also feminine, but in this sentence the gate is the most immediate and logical thing being defended, especially since it was the direct object of the first clause.

Sometimes, yes. Latin often leaves out words that can be understood from context.

However, in this sentence eam is helpful because it clearly points back to portam. It makes the connection explicit:

• Hostes portam urbis oppugnant, sed milites eam defendunt.

Without eam, the sentence would still be understandable in some contexts, but the pronoun makes the meaning smoother and clearer.

Both are present tense, active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person plural.

So:

• oppugnant = they attack
• defendunt = they defend

The -nt ending is the key sign here for 3rd person plural in the present tense.

Because the subjects are plural:

• hostes = enemies
• milites = soldiers

the verbs are also plural.

Because both verbs are 3rd person plural present active indicative forms.

• oppugnant comes from oppugno, oppugnare
• defendunt comes from defendo, defendere

Their stems belong to different conjugation patterns, but in both cases the form means they ...

So:

• oppugnant = they attack
• defendunt = they defend

A learner should notice that Latin verb endings often tell you the subject even without a separate word like they.

Because Latin has no definite article and no indefinite article.

So Latin does not have separate words for:

• the
• a
• an

Instead, the reader understands from context whether a noun should be translated as:

• a gate
• the gate

In this sentence, English naturally uses the:

• the enemies attack the gate of the city, but the soldiers defend it

But Latin simply says:

• hostes portam urbis oppugnant, sed milites eam defendunt

Yes. Both hostes and milites can be either nominative plural or accusative plural in many contexts.

So how do we know they are nominative here?

Because of syntax and sense:

• hostes is the subject of oppugnant
• milites is the subject of defendunt

Meanwhile:

• portam and eam are clearly accusative singular direct objects

So even when a form could be ambiguous by itself, the whole sentence usually makes the function clear.

Yes. That is a very normal Latin way to express the idea.

Latin often uses the genitive where English might use either:

• of
• a possessive
• a compound noun

So all of these are reasonable ways to understand portam urbis:

• the gate of the city
• the city’s gate
• the city gate

The Latin construction itself is completely straightforward: noun + genitive.

They are from different declensions:

• hostis, hostes = 3rd declension
• porta, portam = 1st declension
• urbs, urbis = 3rd declension
• miles, milites = 3rd declension

This is useful because learners often expect every noun in a sentence to behave similarly, but Latin mixes declensions freely. The important thing is to watch the endings carefully.

Because the verb ending already includes that information.

In Latin, oppugnant already means they attack, and defendunt already means they defend.

That is why Latin can say:

• oppugnant instead of
• they attack

The subject noun can still be added, as here:

• hostes oppugnant
• milites defendunt

But the verb ending itself already tells you the person and number.