Mater simul loquitur et cenam parat.

Because Latin has no articles. There is no separate word for the or a/an.

So mater can mean:

• mother
• the mother
• a mother

You understand which one is meant from the context.

Mater is nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a sentence.

It is the one doing the actions:

• loquitur = speaks
• parat = prepares

So mater is the subject of both verbs.

Because cenam is accusative singular, the case used for a direct object.

Here, the dinner/meal is the thing being prepared, so it must be in the accusative:

• cena = dinner, meal, supper (nominative)
• cenam = dinner, meal, supper (accusative)

So:

• mater cenam parat = mother prepares dinner

Simul is an adverb. Here it means at the same time or simultaneously.

So the sentence says that the mother is:

• speaking
• and preparing dinner
• at the same time

In some contexts, simul can also suggest together, but here at the same time is the natural sense.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order. Simul is placed near the first verb, but it applies to the whole idea: the two actions are happening at once.

So Mater simul loquitur et cenam parat means the same basic thing as:

• Mater loquitur simul et cenam parat
• Mater loquitur et simul cenam parat

The original order is simply a natural Latin way of expressing it.

This is a very common question. Loquitur comes from loquor, loqui, a deponent verb.

A deponent verb:

• has passive-looking forms
• but an active meaning

So:

• loquitur looks like he/she is spoken
• but actually means he/she speaks or is speaking

That is why mater loquitur means mother speaks, not mother is spoken.

Loquitur is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• indicative mood
• from loquor, loqui
• a deponent verb

So it means:

• she speaks
• she is speaking

Since the subject is mater, we translate it as she speaks or the mother speaks.

Parat is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood
• from paro, parare

It means:

• she prepares
• she is preparing

So cenam parat = she prepares dinner / she is preparing dinner.

Because in Latin, just as in English, one subject can govern more than one verb.

Here mater is the subject of both:

• loquitur
• parat

So the sentence structure is basically:

• Mother speaks and prepares dinner

Latin does not need to repeat mater before the second verb.

Et means and. It simply joins the two verbs:

• loquitur
• parat

So:

• loquitur et parat = speaks and prepares

Latin also has other ways to say and, such as -que, but et is the straightforward coordinating conjunction here.

Yes. Latin allows a lot of variation in word order because the endings show the grammatical roles.

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

• Mater cenam parat et simul loquitur
• Cenam mater simul parat et loquitur
• Simul mater loquitur et cenam parat

The exact emphasis may change a little, but the basic meaning stays the same.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Latin present tense often covers both:

• simple present: she speaks, she prepares
• present progressive: she is speaking, she is preparing

In this sentence, English often prefers:

• Mother is speaking and preparing dinner at the same time

But Mother speaks and prepares dinner at the same time is also grammatically possible.

A simple Classical pronunciation would be roughly:

MAH-ter SEE-mool LOH-kwee-toor et KEH-nam PAH-rat

A few useful points:

• c in cenam is always hard, like k
• qu in loquitur sounds like kw
• u is pronounced like oo
• r is trilled or tapped

So loquitur is approximately LOH-kwee-toor, not like English low-kwi-ter.

Cena often means the main meal of the day, especially dinner or supper. In many beginner sentences, cenam parat is best translated as prepares dinner.

Depending on context, it can also be understood more generally as prepares a meal.