Lucia novo calendario utitur, ut sciat quo mense dies festi futuri sint.

Because utor, uti, usus sum means to use and takes the ablative case instead of a direct object in the accusative.

So:

• novo calendario = with/by means of a new calendar
• but in idiomatic English we translate it simply as a new calendar

This is one of those Latin verbs that governs a case differently from what an English speaker would expect.

Common verbs like this include:

• utor
  • ablative = use
• fruor
  • ablative = enjoy
• fungor
  • ablative = perform
• potior
  • ablative/genitive = get possession of
• vescor
  • ablative = feed on

So Lucia novo calendario utitur literally feels like Lucia uses herself with a new calendar, but the natural translation is just Lucia uses a new calendar.

Because utor is a deponent verb.

A deponent verb:

• has passive forms
• but active meaning

So:

• utitur looks like a passive form
• but it means she uses, not she is used

This is very common in Latin and can be confusing at first.

For utor:

• utor = I use
• uteris = you use
• utitur = he/she uses
• utimur = we use

Even though these forms look passive, they are translated actively.

Here ut introduces a purpose clause.

The sentence is structured like this:

• Lucia novo calendario utitur = Lucia uses a new calendar
• ut sciat... = in order that she may know / so that she knows

So the ut clause explains why Lucia uses the new calendar.

This is one of the most common uses of ut:

• ut
  • subjunctive = so that / in order that

In this sentence, Lucia uses the calendar for the purpose of knowing in which month the holidays will be.

Because it is inside a purpose clause introduced by ut.

Latin normally uses:

• ut
  • subjunctive for purpose
• ne
  • subjunctive for negative purpose

So:

• ut sciat = so that she may know / in order to know

The verb is present subjunctive because the main verb utitur is present, and the purpose is viewed as contemporaneous with it.

This is an example of the sequence of tenses working normally:

• main verb in a primary tense (utitur, present)
• subordinate subjunctive in a primary tense (sciat, present subjunctive)

Because quo by itself can mean in which when it is in the ablative and used with expressions of time or place.

Here:

• quo = in which
• mense = month in the ablative

So quo mense literally means in which month.

Latin often omits a preposition when the ablative can express the idea clearly on its own, especially with time expressions.

A learner might expect in quo mense, and that would be understandable in sense, but quo mense is the more idiomatic compact Latin expression here.

Because it is part of the phrase quo mense, and both words are in the ablative.

The ablative is used here to express the time-frame in which month something happens.

So:

• quo = ablative singular
• mense = ablative singular of mensis

They agree because quo is modifying mense.

This is similar to other ablative time expressions in Latin, such as:

• ea die = on that day
• hoc anno = in this year / this year
• tertia hora = at the third hour

Dies festi is the subject of sint, so it must be in the nominative, not the accusative.

Here is the structure of the indirect question:

• quo mense dies festi futuri sint = in which month the holidays will be

Inside that clause:

• dies festi = the holidays
• futuri sint = will be / are going to be

So dies festi is not an object. It is the thing being talked about, the subject of the verb.

A useful point:

• dies is a 5th-declension noun
• festi is an adjective agreeing with it in case, number, and gender

Together they mean festival days, i.e. holidays.

Because Latin does not have a normal finite future subjunctive.

The clause quo mense dies festi futuri sint is an indirect question, and indirect questions require the subjunctive. But the meaning is future relative to Lucia’s knowing, so Latin uses the future active participle plus a form of sum in the subjunctive:

• futuri sint = they are going to be / they will be

This is a standard way to express future time inside a subjunctive clause.

Breakdown:

• futuri = future active participle of sum (going to be)
• sint = present subjunctive of sum

Together: futuri sint = will be

Because it is part of an indirect question.

After verbs of knowing, asking, telling, seeing, and similar ideas, Latin often uses an indirect question with:

• interrogative word such as quis, cur, ubi, quo
• followed by a subjunctive verb

Here the indirect question is:

• quo mense dies festi futuri sint
• in which month the holidays will be

The question word is quo, and the verb of the indirect question is sint, so it must be subjunctive.

This is why both subordinate verbs in the sentence are subjunctive, but for different reasons:

• sciat: subjunctive because it is in a purpose clause
• sint: subjunctive because it is in an indirect question

No. It is an indirect question, not a relative clause.

It may look slightly similar to English which month, but in Latin the clue is the interrogative word quo and the subjunctive verb sint.

So the structure is:

• ut sciat = so that she may know
• quo mense... sint = in which month ... will be

That second part is answering the question what does she want to know? The answer is: in which month the holidays will be.

A relative clause would describe a noun already mentioned, but here quo mense is asking an embedded question.

Utimur is present tense, and utitur specifically means she uses.

It is present because the sentence describes Lucia’s current or habitual action:

• Lucia novo calendario utitur = Lucia uses a new calendar

This can mean:

• she is using it now, or
• she uses it habitually

The exact nuance depends on context, just like the English simple present can sometimes describe either a general habit or a present action.

Not in the most natural reading of this sentence.

Here ut is best understood as introducing purpose:

• Lucia uses a new calendar so that she may know...

Latin ut can have several meanings depending on context, including:

• so that / in order that with the subjunctive
• that after certain verbs of happening or causing
• as in comparisons

But with a main verb like utitur and a clear idea of intention, purpose clause is the normal interpretation.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show each word’s function.

So this sentence could be rearranged in various ways and still mean basically the same thing, as long as the forms remain clear.

However, word order still affects emphasis and style.

Starting with Lucia is natural because:

• it tells us immediately who the sentence is about
• it gives the topic first

The sentence then moves from main statement to purpose:

1. Lucia novo calendario utitur
2. ut sciat quo mense dies festi futuri sint

That is a very natural Latin flow.

Yes:

• Lucia = Lucia
• novo calendario = with a new calendar / a new calendar
• utitur = uses
• ut = so that / in order that
• sciat = she may know
• quo mense = in which month
• dies festi = holidays / festival days
• futuri sint = will be

So the syntax is:

• main clause: Lucia novo calendario utitur
• purpose clause: ut sciat
• indirect question inside the purpose clause: quo mense dies festi futuri sint

That nested structure is very typical of Latin.