Unusquisque veritatem dicere debet.

Unusquisque means each one, everyone, or every single person.

It is a compound form made from:

• unus = one
• quisque = each, each one

So the idea is each individual person.

In this sentence, unusquisque is the subject.

Because unusquisque is grammatically singular in Latin.

Even though it refers to many people in meaning, Latin treats it as each individual person, so the verb is singular:

• unusquisque ... debet = each person must

This is similar to formal English sentences like everyone is rather than everyone are.

It is nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can tell it is the subject because it is the person doing or being connected to the action of debet:

• unusquisque = each person
• debet = must

So: each person must...

Because veritatem is in the accusative case, which is used here for the direct object of dicere.

• veritas = truth, in the nominative form
• veritatem = truth, in the accusative form

Since the sentence says someone must say/tell the truth, truth is the thing being said, so Latin uses the accusative:

• veritatem dicere = to tell the truth

Because after debet, Latin commonly uses an infinitive to express what someone must do.

So the structure is:

• debet = must
• dicere = to say / to tell

Together:

• dicere debet = must say / must tell

This is very normal Latin syntax:

• laborare debet = he/she must work
• venire debet = he/she must come

Dicere basically means to say, to tell, or to speak.

In the expression veritatem dicere, it is best translated as:

• to tell the truth
• or to speak the truth

So although dicere often means say, in this phrase English usually prefers tell the truth.

Because Latin does not have articles like English a, an, and the.

So veritatem can mean:

• truth
• the truth

The context tells you which English translation sounds natural. In this sentence, English normally says tell the truth.

Yes. It is a very normal and straightforward Latin expression.

Literally it is:

• veritatem = truth
• dicere = to say

So, word-for-word, to say the truth, but idiomatic English is usually to tell the truth.

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

Placing debet at the end is very natural in Latin. It gives the sentence a neat structure:

• Unusquisque = subject
• veritatem dicere = the action that is required
• debet = must

Latin often places the main verb late in the sentence, especially in simple statements.

Yes, often they could.

For example, these would still mean essentially the same thing:

• Unusquisque debet veritatem dicere
• Veritatem unusquisque dicere debet
• Veritatem dicere unusquisque debet

The exact emphasis may shift a little, but the basic meaning stays the same because the forms show the grammar.

The given order is a very natural one.

Not always. The verb debeo, debere can mean:

• to owe
• to be obliged to
• must
• ought to

In this sentence, the meaning is clearly must or ought to.

So debet here expresses duty or obligation.

Because unusquisque emphasizes each individual person, while omnes means all as a group.

Compare:

• unusquisque = each one, everyone individually
• omnes = all people, everyone collectively

So Unusquisque veritatem dicere debet has the sense: Every individual person should tell the truth.

That is slightly different in tone from a sentence with omnes.

In form, this version is masculine, but it is often used in a general sense, like English everyone.

If Latin specifically wanted a feminine form, it could use unaquaeque for each woman or each female person.

But in many contexts, unusquisque can refer to people in general.

The dictionary forms are:

• unusquisque, unaquaeque, unumquidque = each one, each
• veritas, veritatis (f.) = truth
• dico, dicere, dixi, dictum = say, tell
• debeo, debere, debui, debitum = owe, ought, must

Knowing the dictionary forms helps explain the forms in the sentence:

• veritatem comes from veritas
• dicere is the infinitive of dico
• debet is from debeo

Yes. The use of debet shows obligation, so the sentence is not just describing what happens. It is saying what should happen.

So the sentence expresses a rule, principle, or moral duty: Each person ought to tell the truth.