Iudex dicit hereditatem sine bono tutore saepe in periculo esse.

Because Latin uses the accusative-and-infinitive construction after verbs like dicit (says).

So in:

• Iudex dicit = The judge says
• hereditatem ... esse = that the inheritance ... is

In this construction, the subject of the infinitive (esse) is put in the accusative, not the nominative. So hereditatem is the logical subject of esse, even though it looks like an object.

This is very common in Latin:

• Puella dicit se venire = The girl says that she is coming

Here se is accusative, but it is the subject of venire.

Because this is an indirect statement.

After dicit, Latin does not normally use a full finite clause with quod the way English uses that. Instead, it usually uses:

• accusative subject + infinitive

So:

• hereditatem ... esse = that the inheritance is ...

If Latin used est, that would make it a direct finite statement instead of the normal indirect-statement pattern.

The main verb is dicit.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Iudex = subject of the main clause
• dicit = main verb
• hereditatem sine bono tutore saepe in periculo esse = indirect statement depending on dicit

So the judge is the one doing the saying, and everything after dicit is what he says.

Tutore is ablative singular.

It is ablative because it follows sine, and sine always takes the ablative.

So:

• sine tutore = without a guardian
• sine bono tutore = without a good guardian

Because bonus has to agree with tutor in case, number, and gender.

Since tutore is:

• masculine
• singular
• ablative

the adjective must also be:

• masculine
• singular
• ablative

So:

• bono tutore = correct
• bonum tutorem would be accusative, so it would not agree with sine

Usually not.

In Latin, tutor most often means a guardian, protector, or someone with legal responsibility, especially for a child or an estate. In this sentence, tutore is best understood as guardian, not a private teacher.

This is a good example of a word that looks familiar to English speakers but has a somewhat different usual meaning in Latin.

It is a prepositional phrase:

• in
  • ablative = location or state
• periculo = ablative singular of periculum

So in periculo esse literally means to be in danger.

This is a very common Latin expression. Here in does not mean movement into something; it means being in a state or condition.

Compare:

• in urbe = in the city
• in periculo = in danger

Saepe is an adverb meaning often. Latin word order is much freer than English word order, so adverbs can often move around without changing the basic meaning.

Here:

• hereditatem sine bono tutore saepe in periculo esse

means the inheritance is often in danger.

You could see saepe in a different place in another sentence and it would still modify the statement naturally. Latin uses word order more for emphasis and style than English does.

Because Latin has no articles.

So a noun like iudex can mean:

• a judge
• the judge

and hereditatem can mean:

• an inheritance
• the inheritance

You decide from the context which English article fits best.

No. The grammar shows that bono goes with tutore.

Why?

• bono is masculine singular ablative
• tutore is masculine singular ablative

But hereditatem is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

So bono cannot agree with hereditatem. It must modify tutore.

Here are the main nouns in the sentence:

• iudex: 3rd declension
  
  • nominative singular: iudex
• hereditas: 3rd declension
  
  • accusative singular: hereditatem
• tutor: 3rd declension
  
  • ablative singular: tutore
• periculum: 2nd declension neuter
  
  • ablative singular: periculo

This sentence is useful because it shows several common declension patterns together.

The whole phrase hereditatem sine bono tutore saepe in periculo esse is the indirect statement.

In other words:

• hereditatem = subject of the infinitive
• esse = infinitive verb
• sine bono tutore = phrase modifying the statement
• saepe = adverb
• in periculo = predicate phrase with esse

So all of that together is what the judge says.