Legatus mandatum populi senatui proponit.

The subject is legatus, because it is in the nominative singular form and it matches the verb proponit, which is third person singular: he/she/it puts forward.

So here:

• legatus = the envoy / ambassador / lieutenant → subject
• proponit = he puts forward / presents

That gives you the basic frame: The envoy presents ...

Mandatum is accusative singular, so it is the direct object of proponit.

In other words, it is the thing being presented or put forward.

Breakdown:

• mandatum = order, command, commission, instruction
• accusative = the thing directly affected by the verb

So the envoy is presenting the command/instruction.

Populi is genitive singular of populus, meaning of the people.

The genitive often shows possession or association, so mandatum populi means:

• the command of the people
• or more naturally in English, the people's command/instruction

So populi tells you whose command it is.

Senatui is dative singular of senatus, and here it marks the indirect object: the person or group to whom something is presented.

With proponere, Latin often uses:

• a direct object for the thing proposed
• a dative for the person/body before whom it is laid

So:

• mandatum = what is presented
• senatui = to the senate

This is similar to English give something to someone:

• thing = direct object
• person receiving it = indirect object

Proponit is from propono, proponere, proposui, propositum.

Its core meaning is to put forward, set forth, propose, or present.

In this sentence, likely meanings are:

• presents
• lays before
• puts before
• proposes

So the sense is that the envoy is formally placing the people's instruction before the senate.

Proponit is present tense, active voice, indicative mood, third person singular.

That means:

• present = happening now / stated as a fact
• active = the subject performs the action
• indicative = ordinary statement
• third person singular = he/she/it

So it means he presents, he is presenting, or sometimes in context the envoy presents.

Yes. Latin word order is much freer than English because the endings show each word’s role.

So all of these could express essentially the same basic meaning:

• Legatus mandatum populi senatui proponit.
• Mandatum populi legatus senatui proponit.
• Senatui legatus mandatum populi proponit.

The differences are mainly in emphasis, not basic grammar.

Still, the given order is quite natural:

• Legatus first: introduces the actor
• mandatum populi together: keeps the noun and its genitive linked
• senatui before the verb: marks the recipient
• proponit at the end: a very common Latin pattern

Because populi depends on mandatum.

Latin often places a genitive near the noun it modifies, especially when they form a clear phrase:

• mandatum populi = the command of the people

Keeping them together helps the reader understand them as one unit.

Yes. Legatus can mean different things depending on context, such as:

• envoy
• ambassador
• delegate
• legate
• in military contexts, lieutenant or a senior officer

In this sentence, because he is presenting something to the senate, envoy or delegate is often the most natural understanding.

The form senatui is dative singular.

It comes from the fourth-declension noun senatus, senatus. Its dative singular is often written:

• senatui or sometimes
• senatui

Both represent to/for the senate.

So this is not to the senators individually, but to the senate as a body.

Here are the usual dictionary forms:

• legatus, -i (masculine) = envoy, ambassador, legate
• mandatum, -i (neuter) = command, order, instruction
• populus, -i (masculine) = people, nation
• senatus, -us (masculine) = senate
• propono, proponere, proposui, propositum = put forward, present, propose

Knowing the dictionary form helps you identify the declension or conjugation and understand the case endings.

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

So:

• legatus can mean the envoy or an envoy
• mandatum can mean the command or a command

Which one is best depends on context. In many textbook translations, English uses the because it sounds more natural:

• The envoy presents the people’s command to the senate.

But Latin itself does not explicitly mark the.

Here it is best understood as genitive singular: of the people.

That is because the dictionary word is populus = the people / nation, and populi can be:

• genitive singular = of the people
• or nominative plural = the peoples

In this sentence, since it follows mandatum and clearly modifies it, it is functioning as a genitive singular.

So mandatum populi means the command of the people, not the peoples command.

A useful way to map it is:

• Legatus = subject
• mandatum populi = direct object + dependent genitive
• senatui = indirect object
• proponit = verb

So the sentence pattern is:

Subject + Direct Object + Indirect Object + Verb

Or more abstractly:

Someone presents something to someone

Here:

• someone = legatus
• something = mandatum populi
• to someone = senatui