Pater quindecim libris utitur ad lectionem parandam, sed filia quindecim tantum chartas secum fert.

Because utor, uti, usus sum is a deponent verb. Deponent verbs have passive-looking forms but active meanings.

So:

• utitur is morphologically passive-looking
• but it means he uses, not he is used

This is something Latin learners have to get used to with a small group of verbs.

Because utor takes the ablative case for the thing used.

So:

• quindecim libris utitur = he uses fifteen books

Even though in English use takes a direct object, Latin utor does not. This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers.

Libris is ablative plural, because it depends on utitur.

Quindecim is an indeclinable numeral, so it does not change its form to match the noun. Many Latin numbers work this way.

So:

• quindecim libris = with / using fifteen books
• quindecim chartas = fifteen sheets/pages

The noun changes case as needed; quindecim stays the same.

Here it means books.

The noun libra can mean a unit of weight, and forms like libris could sometimes suggest pounds in another context. But here the context makes books much more natural:

• utitur ad lectionem parandam = he uses them for preparing a reading/lesson

So libris here is from liber, libri meaning book.

Because chartas is the direct object of fert.

• fert = carries / brings
• What does she carry? quindecim chartas

So chartas is in the accusative plural.

This contrasts nicely with libris, which is not a direct object because it goes with utitur.

Here tantum means only.

In quindecim tantum chartas, it limits the number:

• only fifteen sheets/pages

It is closely connected with quindecim, even though it stands between the numeral and the noun. Latin word order is more flexible than English word order, so this placement is perfectly normal.

Latin often expresses purpose differently from English.

Here ad lectionem parandam literally means something like:

• for preparing the reading/lesson
• for the purpose of preparing the reading/lesson

This is the construction:

• ad
  • accusative noun
• plus a gerundive agreeing with that noun

English often uses an infinitive, such as to prepare, but Latin commonly uses this kind of purpose phrase instead.

Parandam is the gerundive of paro, parare, meaning to prepare.

It agrees with lectionem:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

because lectionem is feminine singular accusative after ad.

So:

• lectionem parandam = the reading/lesson to be prepared
• in smoother English here: for preparing the reading/lesson

Latin often prefers a gerundive construction when the verbal idea has its own object.

Instead of something like ad parandam lectionem or a gerund standing more independently, Latin commonly uses:

• ad lectionem parandam

This is a standard and very common pattern. English speakers often need time to get used to the fact that Latin likes to turn preparing the lesson into something more like for the lesson to-be-prepared.

It can mean several related things depending on context, including:

• reading
• lesson
• lecture

In this sentence, the exact English choice depends on the translation already given, but grammatically it is the noun being modified by parandam. The important thing for the learner is that it is the thing being prepared.

Secum means with herself here.

It is made from:

• se = reflexive pronoun
• cum = with

With personal pronouns and the reflexive pronoun, cum is often attached to the end:

• mecum = with me
• tecum = with you
• secum = with himself/herself/themselves

So chartas secum fert means she carries the sheets with her.

It refers back to the subject of its own clause, which is filia.

So here:

• filia ... secum fert = the daughter carries ... with herself / with her

Because it is reflexive, it points back to filia, not to pater.

Yes, fert already means carries, but secum adds the sense of with her, emphasizing that she has the items on her person or brings them along.

So:

• chartas fert = she carries the sheets
• chartas secum fert = she carries the sheets with her

It adds a slight nuance rather than changing the basic action.

Latin word order is much more flexible because case endings show the grammatical relationships.

For example:

• Pater is clearly the subject
• libris is ablative with utitur
• chartas is the object of fert

So Latin can arrange words for emphasis or style. In this sentence, the order helps highlight the contrast:

• father uses fifteen books
• but the daughter carries only fifteen sheets/pages

The conjunction sed helps mark that contrast.

Sed means but and introduces a contrast between the two halves of the sentence.

The contrast is not just between father and daughter, but also between what each has:

• the father uses fifteen books
• the daughter carries only fifteen sheets/pages

So sed sets up a clear comparison.

Yes.

• Pater is the subject of utitur
• filia is the subject of fert

Both are in the nominative singular.

This is straightforward, but it is useful to notice because the sentence contains several other forms in different cases, especially libris, lectionem, and chartas.