Rea iudicem precatur ut veniam det.

Because rea is the subject of the main verb precatur.

• rea = the female defendant / the accused woman
• The subject of a finite verb is normally in the nominative in Latin.
• So Rea precatur means the defendant begs/prays.

It is specifically the feminine form. The masculine equivalent would be reus.

Because iudicem is the direct object of precatur.

With precor/precari, Latin commonly uses:

• the person being begged in the accusative
• then ut
  • subjunctive for what is being requested

So:

• iudicem precatur = she begs the judge
• ut veniam det = that he give pardon

This matches English fairly well: to beg someone to do something.

precatur comes from precor, precari, precatus sum, meaning to beg, to pray, to entreat.

It looks passive because it is a deponent verb.

Deponent verbs:

• have passive forms
• but active meanings

So precatur is grammatically a passive-looking form, but it means:

• he/she begs
• not he/she is begged

Here it is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• indicative mood

So rea iudicem precatur = the defendant is begging / begs the judge.

Because Latin often uses ut + subjunctive after verbs of asking, urging, persuading, ordering, and begging to express what someone wants another person to do.

This is often called an indirect command or substantive clause of purpose.

So:

• iudicem precatur = she begs the judge
• ut veniam det = to give pardon / that he give pardon

In smoother English, we often translate the whole thing as:

• The defendant begs the judge to grant pardon.

But Latin expresses that to grant pardon idea with ut ... det.

Because it is inside the ut clause after precatur, and that type of clause normally takes the subjunctive.

So det is not just an ordinary statement like he gives. It expresses the action being requested:

• ut det = that he give / to give

This is a very common pattern in Latin:

• rogat ut veniat = he asks him to come
• monet ut maneat = he warns him to remain
• precatur ut det = she begs him to give

Because det is the present subjunctive of do, dare.

Compare:

• dat = he gives → indicative
• det = that he give / may give → subjunctive

Since the clause after ut requires the subjunctive, Latin uses det, not dat.

The understood subject of det is iudicem — the judge.

So the sentence means:

• The defendant begs the judge that he give pardon
• more natural English: The defendant begs the judge to grant pardon

Latin does not need to repeat the subject inside the subordinate clause if it is already clear from context.

If Latin wanted to make it explicit, it could add a pronoun, but usually that is unnecessary.

veniam is accusative singular.

It is the direct object of det:

• veniam det = he gives/grants pardon

So inside the ut clause:

• implied subject: the judge
• verb: det
• object: veniam

Literally, det means give, so veniam det is literally give pardon or grant forgiveness.

Depending on context, venia can mean:

• pardon
• forgiveness
• indulgence
• sometimes permission

In a legal context with rea and iudicem, pardon or mercy is the most natural sense.

English often says:

• She begs the judge to grant pardon.

Latin more often uses ut + subjunctive after verbs like ask, urge, persuade, beg, and command.

So where English uses an infinitive, Latin may prefer a full subordinate clause:

• English: to grant pardon
• Latin: ut veniam det

This is one of the normal differences between English and Latin syntax.

The word order is flexible, but it still helps show structure.

Here:

• Rea = subject first
• iudicem = object of precatur
• precatur = main verb
• ut veniam det = requested action

So the sentence is arranged very clearly:

1. the defendant
2. begs
3. the judge
4. to grant pardon

Latin could rearrange some of these words and still keep the same basic meaning because the case endings show the grammar. But this order is quite natural and readable.

Because iudex is the nominative form, while iudicem is the accusative form.

Here the judge is not the subject of the main verb. He is the person being begged, so he is the direct object of precatur.

So:

• iudex = judge as subject
• iudicem = judge as object

Since the subject of the main clause is rea, Latin needs iudicem, not iudex.

A useful way to see it is:

• Rea = subject
• iudicem = object of the main verb
• precatur = main verb
• ut veniam det = indirect command showing what she begs him to do

So the pattern is:

[subject] + [person asked, accusative] + [verb of asking] + ut + [subjunctive verb]

A model translation would be:

• The defendant begs the judge to grant pardon.

That pattern is very common in Latin, so this sentence is a good example to remember.