In media via pater ait unum e iumentis iam non ambulare velle; altera mula enim aquam petit.

Because in with the ablative usually means in / on / at a place where something is happening.

So:

• in via = on the road
• media via = the middle of the road
• in media via = in the middle of the road

If macrons were written, it would be in mediā viā. Both media and via are ablative singular feminine, because the adjective has to agree with the noun.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order. An adjective can often go before or after its noun, and it can even be placed between a preposition and its noun.

So in media via is a perfectly normal Latin way to say in the middle of the road.

This does not mean that media belongs less closely to via. It still modifies via; Latin is just more flexible about placement than English.

After a verb of saying like ait, Latin often uses an indirect statement.

In English, we often say:

• The father says that one of the animals no longer wants to walk.

In Latin, instead of using that plus a finite verb, you usually get:

• an accusative subject
• plus an infinitive

So here:

• pater ait = the father says
• unum ... velle = that one ... wants
• ambulare depends on velle

So the structure is:

• pater = subject of ait
• unum = subject of the indirect statement
• velle = infinitive in indirect statement
• ambulare = infinitive depending on velle

Because unum is the accusative singular, and in an indirect statement the subject is put in the accusative.

So although one is logically the subject of velle, Latin makes it accusative because it is the subject inside the indirect statement after ait.

Also, unum is neuter, because it refers back to iumentum, which is a neuter noun.

So:

• unus = nominative masculine
• unum = accusative masculine or nominative/accusative neuter

Here it is understood as one animal, so the neuter makes sense: unum e iumentis = one of the pack animals.

E means out of / from among. After e (or ex), Latin uses the ablative.

So:

• e iumentis = from among the pack animals
• unum e iumentis = one of the pack animals

This is a very common Latin pattern:

• unus e pueris = one of the boys
• una ex feminis = one of the women
• unum e iumentis = one of the pack animals

So iumentis is ablative plural because it follows e.

Because velle means to want, and it normally takes another verb in the infinitive:

• ambulare vult = he wants to walk

But after ait, Latin changes the statement into indirect statement, so vult becomes velle:

• direct-style idea: unum ... ambulare vult
• indirect statement after ait: unum ... ambulare velle

So the two infinitives have different jobs:

• velle = the main verb of the indirect statement
• ambulare = the infinitive that goes with velle

In other words, velle means to want, and ambulare tells you what is wanted.

Here iam non means no longer.

So:

• iam non ambulare velle = to no longer want to walk

A learner may expect non iam, but iam non is the normal and very common way to say no longer.

So the sense is not just does not want to walk, but does not want to walk anymore.

Iumentum is a more general word. It means something like beast of burden, draught animal, or pack animal.

Mula is more specific: it means female mule.

So in this sentence:

• unum e iumentis = one of the pack animals
• altera mula = the other mule

That means the sentence first speaks generally about the group of working animals, and then specifically identifies the reason by mentioning the other mule.

Because alter, altera, alterum usually means the other one of two.

By contrast, alius, alia, aliud more often means another or a different one, not specifically one of a pair.

So altera mula suggests the other mule in a set of two mules.

It is feminine singular nominative because it agrees with mula:

• altera mula = the other mule

Because enim is a postpositive word. That means it normally comes second, not first.

So Latin likes:

• altera mula enim ...

rather than:

• enim altera mula ...

This is completely normal. Many common little Latin words behave this way, especially words like enim, autem, igitur, and vero.

Here enim means something like for or indeed, introducing the explanation of why the animal does not want to walk.

The basic meaning of petere is broad. It can mean:

• seek
• aim at
• go for
• ask for
• make for

So aquam petit could be understood as:

• she seeks water
• she heads for water
• she asks for water

In this context, the general idea is that the mule wants water, and that explains why one of the animals does not want to keep walking.

Grammatically, aquam is just the direct object of petit, so it is in the accusative singular.