Sapiens neminem propter paupertatem contemnit.

Because sapiens can function as both:

• an adjective: wise
• a substantive adjective: a wise person / the wise person

Latin often uses an adjective by itself when the noun is understood. So sapiens here means a wise person or the wise man/woman/person, depending on context.

It is nominative singular, so it is the subject of the sentence.

Sapiens is the nominative singular form of the present participle of sapere, but in practice it is very commonly used like an adjective or noun meaning wise or wise person.

In this sentence, it is:

• nominative
• singular
• the subject

So it agrees with the verb contemnit, which is also singular.

Because neminem is the accusative form, and it is the direct object of contemnit.

A quick comparison:

• nemo = no one / nobody as a subject
• neminem = no one / nobody as a direct object

Since the sentence says that the wise person despises no one, Latin needs the object form, so neminem is correct.

Paupertatem is accusative singular.

It is accusative because it follows the preposition propter, and propter takes the accusative case.

So:

• propter = because of, on account of
• paupertatem = poverty in the accusative

Together, propter paupertatem means because of poverty.

Yes. Propter is a preposition that takes the accusative case.

So when you see propter, you should expect the following noun or pronoun to be accusative:

• propter paupertatem = because of poverty
• propter te = because of you
• propter bellum = because of the war

It explains the reason or grounds for the action contemnit.

So the idea is:

• the wise person does not despise anyone
• on account of poverty

In other words, poverty is the reason that is being rejected as a basis for contempt.

Contemnit is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

from the verb contemnere, meaning to despise, scorn, or look down on.

So contemnit means he/she/it despises or, with sapiens as the subject, the wise person despises.

The ending of the verb tells us.

The ending -t in contemnit shows that the verb is 3rd person singular: he/she/it despises.

Then sapiens gives the actual subject, so together they mean the wise person despises.

Latin often leaves subject pronouns unstated unless they are needed for emphasis.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because Latin uses case endings to show grammatical relationships.

Here:

• sapiens is nominative, so it is the subject
• neminem is accusative, so it is the object
• propter paupertatem is a prepositional phrase
• contemnit is the verb

Even if the order changes, the endings still show the roles. For example, Latin could rearrange the sentence for emphasis without changing the core meaning.

English depends much more on word order, but Latin depends much more on endings.

Yes. Latin does not have definite or indefinite articles, so sapiens can be understood as:

• a wise person
• the wise person
• sometimes even the wise man or the wise one

Which English version is best depends on context. Without more context, both a wise person and the wise person are possible.

Yes, in a way. Neminem is the straightforward negative pronoun meaning no one or nobody.

So:

• neminem contemnit = he despises no one

This is a compact and natural Latin way to express the idea. Latin often prefers a negative pronoun like nemo, nihil, nullus, numquam instead of building the idea with non plus an indefinite.

Yes. Depending on context, contemnere can mean:

• despise
• scorn
• look down on
• treat with contempt

So the sentence is not just about dislike. It is specifically about holding someone in low regard, especially in a contemptuous way.

Because dictionary forms are usually given in the nominative, but the sentence needs the accusative after propter.

So you might learn the noun as:

• paupertas = poverty

But in this sentence it appears as:

• paupertatem = poverty, in the accusative singular

This is a normal case change, just like Latin nouns regularly change form depending on their role in the sentence.

Yes. Sapiens can refer to a man, a woman, or a person in general, depending on context.

In many textbook translations, it is rendered as the wise man, but that can be misleading if taken too literally. In this sentence, wise person is often the safest English translation unless the wider context makes the gender clear.

Yes. This kind of sentence expresses a general truth or ethical principle in the present tense.

So the present tense contemnit does not just mean one specific moment of action. It can express a general statement:

• A wise person does not despise anyone because of poverty.

This is a very common use of the Latin present tense in maxims and general observations.