Denique ad domum propinquae veniunt, quae hospitium parvum sed mundum paravit.

Denique means finally, at last, or in the end.

It is placed first for emphasis: Latin often puts an adverb like this near the beginning to set the scene for the whole sentence. So before we even get to the action, we already know this is the final stage of a sequence.

Domum is accusative singular of domus.

After ad, Latin normally uses the accusative to show motion toward something, so ad domum means to the house.

So:

• ad = to, toward
• domum = house, in the accusative because it is the destination

Propinquae is most naturally genitive singular feminine here, meaning of a female relative.

So ad domum propinquae means:

• to the house of a relative
• more literally, to the house of the female relative

The genitive is used to show possession or association, just as English uses of.

It can depend on context.

The word propinqua can mean:

• female relative
• sometimes female neighbor or someone nearby

In this sentence, the usual interpretation is female relative, especially because the relative clause that follows describes a person who prepared lodging.

The subject is not written as a separate word, because Latin often leaves subject pronouns unstated when the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

Veniunt means they come or they arrive.

The ending -unt tells you the subject is they.

Veniunt is present tense, third person plural.

It literally means they come. Depending on context, English may translate it as:

• they come
• they arrive
• sometimes they are coming

In narrative Latin, a present tense can sometimes feel more vivid, almost like English they arrive in a storytelling style.

Quae refers to propinquae — that is, to the female relative, not to the house.

So the sense is:

• they come to the house of a relative
• who prepared a small but clean lodging

Even though domum is also feminine, the meaning makes it clear that the one who prepared the lodging is the person, not the house.

This is a very common question.

A relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and number, but its case depends on its role inside its own clause.

Here:

• antecedent: propinquae = feminine singular
• therefore quae is also feminine singular
• but in its own clause, quae ... paravit, it is the subject of paravit
• so it must be nominative

That is why we get quae, not a genitive form.

Because the two verbs have different subjects.

• veniunt = they come
• paravit = she prepared

The subject of veniunt is an unstated they. The subject of paravit is quae, referring to the single female relative.

So the number changes because the subject changes.

Paravit is perfect tense, third person singular.

It means:

• she prepared
• or she has prepared

The perfect tense shows a completed action. Here it makes good sense because the lodging has already been prepared by the time they arrive.

So the timeline is:

1. she prepared the lodging
2. they arrived at her house

Hospitium is accusative singular neuter here, and it is the direct object of paravit.

So it is the thing she prepared.

Grammatically:

• paravit = she prepared
• hospitium = lodging / accommodation / hospitality

They are adjectives agreeing with hospitium.

Since hospitium is:

• neuter
• singular
• accusative

the adjectives must match it, so we get:

• parvum = small
• mundum = clean

This is standard Latin adjective agreement.

Sed means but.

It links the two adjectives and creates a contrast:

• small
• but clean

So the idea is that the lodging is modest, but still pleasant and respectable.

In form, it could seem possible at first, because domus is also feminine singular. But in meaning, that does not work well.

The clause says quae ... paravit — who/which prepared. A house does not normally prepare lodging; the female relative does.

So although a learner might briefly wonder about domum, the actual antecedent is clearly propinquae.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order.

English usually depends heavily on position:

• subject + verb + object

Latin relies more on endings to show grammatical function, so writers can move words around for emphasis, rhythm, or style.

In this sentence:

• Denique comes first to set the scene
• ad domum propinquae keeps the destination together
• the relative clause quae ... paravit comes after the main clause and adds extra information about the relative

So the word order is very normal for Latin, even if it feels less direct than English.