Infans palmam matris tenet et ridet, quamquam genae adhuc rubrae sunt.

Because it is the direct object of tenet. The verb tenere means to hold, and the thing being held goes in the accusative.

• infans = the child / infant
• palmam = the palm
• tenet = holds

So palmam tenet means holds the palm.

The nominative form is palma, but here Latin changes it to palmam because it is receiving the action of the verb.

Matris is genitive because it shows possession or relationship: the mother’s.

• mater = mother
• matris = of the mother / the mother’s

So palmam matris means the mother’s palm or the palm of the mother.

A very common pattern in Latin is:

• noun + genitive
• palma matris = mother’s palm
• liber pueri = the boy’s book

Here palma means the palm of the hand, not a palm tree.

That is why palmam matris tenet means the child is holding the mother’s palm/hand. In natural English, we would often just say the child is holding the mother’s hand, but Latin is specifically using palmam.

Infans is already in the nominative singular form, and for this noun the nominative singular looks just like the dictionary form.

It is a third-declension noun:

• nominative singular: infans
• genitive singular: infantis

Since infans is the subject of both tenet and ridet, nominative is the correct case.

It can be either, depending on the actual child. The word infans can refer to a baby or young child of either sex.

In this sentence, nothing forces us to choose masculine or feminine for infans. The adjectives rubrae and the noun genae refer to cheeks, not to the child directly.

Because the same subject, infans, is understood with both verbs.

So the structure is:

• Infans palmam matris tenet
• et ridet

That means:

• The child holds the mother’s palm
• and laughs/smiles

Latin often uses one subject with multiple verbs without repeating it.

Because they have different subjects.

• ridet is singular because its subject is infans = the child
• sunt is plural because its subject is genae = the cheeks

So:

• infans ridet = the child laughs/smiles
• genae rubrae sunt = the cheeks are red

Latin verbs must agree with their subjects in number.

Because rubrae must agree with genae in gender, number, and case.

• genae is feminine plural nominative
• therefore the adjective must also be feminine plural nominative
• so we get rubrae

This is standard adjective agreement in Latin.

Quamquam means although or even though. It introduces a concessive clause: a clause that presents something true even though it contrasts with the main idea.

Here the contrast is:

• the child is holding the mother’s hand and laughing/smiling,
• although the cheeks are still red.

So quamquam genae adhuc rubrae sunt is the although clause.

Because quamquam commonly introduces a clause with the indicative, especially when the statement is presented as an actual fact.

So:

• quamquam ... sunt = although ... are

This is normal classical usage. A learner often expects a subjunctive after words like although, but with quamquam, the indicative is very common and often expected.

Adhuc means still, up to this point, or yet depending on context. Here it means still.

• genae adhuc rubrae sunt = the cheeks are still red

Its position is flexible, but placing it before rubrae is perfectly natural. Latin word order is not fixed the way English word order is, so adverbs like adhuc can move around for emphasis or rhythm.

Latin relies much more on endings than on word order to show grammatical relationships.

For example:

• palmam is accusative, so we know it is the object
• matris is genitive, so we know it depends on palmam
• genae is nominative plural, so we know it is the subject of sunt

Because the endings already tell us the grammar, Latin has more freedom in arranging words. The order here is natural and clear, but other arrangements could also be possible.

Yes. Ridet can cover both ideas depending on context.

In many beginner translations, ridet is given as laughs, but in a gentle scene like this, smiles may also fit the sense. Latin often has a slightly broader range than a single English word.

So a learner should remember that ridet does not always imply loud laughter.

Latin often speaks of cheeks in the plural, just as English does.

• gena = cheek
• genae = cheeks

So genae adhuc rubrae sunt means the cheeks are still red. This is completely natural Latin.

It is most naturally connected with palmam.

The phrase is:

• palmam matris = the mother’s palm

That is both grammatically and semantically the clearest reading. Although Latin word order can be flexible, the genitive matris here is understood directly with the nearby noun palmam.

They are all present tense:

• tenet = holds / is holding
• ridet = laughs, smiles / is laughing, is smiling
• sunt = are

Latin present tense often corresponds to either simple present or present progressive in English, depending on context. So tenet can mean either holds or is holding.

Here the present tense makes the scene feel immediate and vivid.