Puer non timet; contra, veritatem aperte dicit.

Latin has no definite or indefinite articles like English the or a/an. So puer can mean:

• the boy
• a boy

Which one is meant depends on context. In this sentence, English usually translates it as the boy or the child, but Latin simply says puer.

Puer is the nominative singular form, which is the case used for the subject of the sentence.

Here, puer is the one doing the actions:

• timet = fears
• dicit = says

So puer must be in the nominative case.

A learner may also notice that puer keeps the -er in the nominative. That is just part of the noun’s dictionary form.

Non is the ordinary Latin word for not. It negates the verb:

• timet = he fears
• non timet = he does not fear

Latin usually places non directly before the word it negates, very much like English.

Latin verbs usually include the subject pronoun inside the verb ending.

• timet means he/she/it fears
• dicit means he/she/it says

Because puer is already the subject, Latin does not need to add a separate word for he.
So:

• Puer non timet = The boy does not fear

This is very normal in Latin.

Both are in the present tense.

• timet = fears / is fearing / does fear
• dicit = says / is saying

In simple sentences like this, English often uses the simple present: does not fear and speaks/says.

Veritatem is in the accusative singular because it is the direct object of dicit.

The basic idea is:

• puer = subject, the one acting
• veritatem = object, the thing being spoken

The dictionary form is veritas meaning truth, but when it becomes a direct object, it changes to veritatem.

So:

• veritas = truth
• veritatem dicit = he speaks/says the truth

Yes, Latin could use a plural in some contexts, but here veritatem means truth as a general quality or truthful content, much like English the truth.

So singular is natural here:

• veritatem dicit = he tells the truth / speaks the truth

A plural such as veritates would mean truths, which would sound more specific or countable.

Aperte is an adverb. It describes how he speaks:

• dicit = he says
• aperte dicit = he says openly / plainly / frankly

Many Latin adverbs are formed with -e, especially from first-and-second-declension adjectives.
Here aperte is related to apertus, meaning open.

Latin word order is more flexible than English because case endings show grammatical roles.

So aperte can often be moved for style or emphasis. For example, Latin could also say:

• Puer non timet; contra, aperte veritatem dicit.

That would still mean essentially the same thing.

In the given sentence, veritatem aperte dicit puts the object first and then the adverb before the verb, which is perfectly normal Latin style.

Here contra means something like:

• on the contrary
• in contrast
• rather

It connects the second part of the sentence to the first:

• He is not afraid; on the contrary, he speaks the truth openly.

So it is not just adding another fact. It is showing a contrast: instead of fear, there is bold, open truth-speaking.

No, not in this sentence.

Contra can be a preposition meaning against, usually followed by the accusative:

• contra hostes = against the enemies

But here it stands alone, so it is being used more like an adverb or discourse marker:

• contra = on the contrary

That is why nothing follows it as its object.

The semicolon shows that the sentence has two closely related parts:

1. Puer non timet
2. contra, veritatem aperte dicit

They are strongly connected in meaning, but the second part is also a kind of contrast or development of the first. In English, punctuation could vary, but the semicolon is a neat way to show that relationship.

Yes, literally dicit most directly means says, but Latin and English do not always match word-for-word.

• veritatem dicere is a normal Latin way to express to tell the truth or to speak the truth

So even though the verb is say/speak, the full phrase naturally carries the meaning tell the truth in English.

Yes, sed would also make sense in a simple contrast:

• Puer non timet, sed veritatem aperte dicit.
• The boy is not afraid, but speaks the truth openly.

But contra is a bit stronger and more pointed here. It feels more like:

• far from being afraid, he actually speaks the truth openly
• on the contrary

So contra gives the contrast extra force.

It matters more for emphasis than for basic grammar.

Latin readers know the roles of the words mainly from their forms:

• puer = nominative subject
• veritatem = accusative object

Because of that, Latin can arrange words more freely. The current order gives a natural progression:

• first statement: Puer non timet
• then contrast: contra
• then what he does boldly: veritatem aperte dicit

So the order is stylistic and meaningful, but not rigid in the way English word order often is.

A useful parsing would be:

• timet

  • verb
  • 3rd person singular
  • present indicative active
  • from timeo, timere = to fear

• dicit

  • verb
  • 3rd person singular
  • present indicative active
  • from dico, dicere = to say, speak

Both agree with the singular subject puer.

It is basically:

• Subject + negated verb
• then a contrasting connector
• then object + adverb + verb

More specifically:

• Puer = subject
• non timet = first predicate
• contra = contrasting connector
• veritatem = direct object
• aperte dicit = second predicate

So the sentence says that the boy’s lack of fear is shown by his open truth-speaking.