Gloria sine dignitate brevis est.

Gloria is nominative singular. It is the subject of the sentence—the thing being described.

So the basic structure is:

• gloria = the subject
• brevis est = is brief/short

In other words, gloria is what brevis is referring to.

Because it follows the preposition sine, and sine takes the ablative.

So:

• sine = without
• dignitate = dignity in the ablative singular

Together, sine dignitate means without dignity.

This is something Latin learners simply need to memorize with prepositions: certain prepositions regularly govern certain cases, and sine is one of the common ones that governs the ablative.

Dignitate is the ablative singular of dignitas, dignitatis (feminine), meaning dignity, worth, or honor.

If you were looking it up in a dictionary, you would look for:

• dignitas = nominative singular
• dignitatis = genitive singular

That genitive form helps show that it is a third-declension noun.

Because brevis agrees with gloria.

Since gloria is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective must match it in:

• gender
• number
• case

The adjective brevis, breve is a third-declension adjective:

• masculine/feminine nominative singular: brevis
• neuter nominative singular: breve

Because gloria is feminine, Latin uses brevis, not breve.

Brevis is a predicate adjective. That means it is linked to the subject by est.

So the pattern is:

• gloria = subject
• est = linking verb, is
• brevis = adjective describing the subject

This is the same basic idea as in sentences like:

• Puella laeta est = The girl is happy
• Vita brevis est = Life is short

So brevis is not directly modifying a noun inside a noun phrase like brevis gloria would; instead, it is part of the predicate: glory is brief.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show how words function.

Putting est at the end is very normal in Latin. In fact, Latin often likes to place the verb near or at the end of the sentence.

So:

• Gloria sine dignitate brevis est

is perfectly natural Latin.

In English, we usually need a stricter order like Glory without dignity is brief, but Latin can move things around more freely without causing confusion.

Yes. Latin allows different word orders, though some are more natural or more emphatic than others.

For example, these would still be understandable:

• Brevis est gloria sine dignitate
• Sine dignitate gloria brevis est

The meaning stays basically the same because the endings still show the grammar.

However, sine dignitate usually stays together as a unit, because it is a prepositional phrase. Also, the original order sounds balanced and natural.

It most naturally goes with the whole statement about gloria: it means glory, when it is without dignity, is brief.

In practice, English speakers may feel that without dignity is modifying glory, and that is a good way to understand it.

So the sense is not really brief without dignity; rather, it is glory without dignity that is being described as brief.

It can suggest both, depending on context.

The basic meaning of brevis is short or brief. But when used with something abstract like gloria, English often expresses the idea more naturally as:

• brief
• short-lived
• lasting only a short time

So although the adjective itself simply means brief/short, the fuller sense in this sentence is that glory without dignity does not last.

Sometimes, yes. Latin can omit forms of esse (to be) when the meaning is clear, especially in sayings, poetry, or very compressed style.

So something like:

• Gloria sine dignitate brevis

could be understood as Glory without dignity is brief.

However, in straightforward prose and for learners, including est is completely normal and often clearer.

Yes: it is a very common and useful Latin pattern:

• subject
  • optional phrase + predicate adjective
    • est

Here that gives:

• gloria = subject
• sine dignitate = prepositional phrase
• brevis = predicate adjective
• est = linking verb

This is a simple but important pattern in Latin, and many beginner sentences use it. Once you recognize it, sentences like this become much easier to read quickly.