Propinquus meus ait se mane ante lucem surrexisse, quia iumenta et raedam parare debuit.

Because after a verb of saying like ait, Latin often uses indirect statement. In an indirect statement, the subject of the reported clause goes into the accusative, and the verb goes into the infinitive.

So in:

Propinquus meus ait se ... surrexisse

the word se means himself and refers back to propinquus meus.

So the structure is:

• ait = he says
• se surrexisse = that he got up / that he had gotten up

Latin uses se because the subject of the reported statement is the same as the subject of ait.

Because this is an indirect statement after ait.

English says:

• He says that he got up early.

Latin often expresses that as:

• He says himself to have gotten up early.

That sounds unnatural in English, but it is the normal Latin pattern:

• verb of saying/thinking/perceiving
• accusative subject
• infinitive verb

So:

• se = the subject of the reported clause, in the accusative
• surrexisse = perfect active infinitive of surgere

Together, se surrexisse means that he got up or that he had gotten up.

Surrexisse is the perfect active infinitive of surgere.

In indirect statement, the tense of the infinitive shows time relative to the main verb, not necessarily absolute time.

Here:

• ait = he says
• surrexisse = to have risen, meaning the rising happened before the saying

So the sense is:

• He says that he got up early before dawn
• or He says that he had gotten up early before dawn

The key point is that surrexisse shows an action earlier than ait.

Mane means in the morning or early in the morning.

It is commonly used as an adverb, so it does not need a preposition. Latin often uses simple adverbs where English uses a prepositional phrase.

So:

• mane = early in the morning / in the morning

In this sentence, since it is followed by ante lucem, the sense is especially early:

• mane ante lucem = early in the morning, before dawn

Because ante is a preposition that takes the accusative when it means before in time or space.

So:

• ante = before
• lux, lucis = light, daylight, dawn
• lucem = accusative singular

Thus:

• ante lucem = before light
• more naturally, before dawn or before daylight

This is a very common Latin expression.

Propinquus means a relative, kinsman, or close relation.

So:

• propinquus meus = my relative / my kinsman

It can sometimes also have the adjective sense near or nearby, but here it is clearly a noun meaning a family relation.

Because they are simply two different direct objects of parare:

• iumenta = beasts of burden, draft animals, pack animals; plural
• raedam = wagon/cart/carriage; singular

So the phrase means:

• to prepare the animals and the wagon

Grammatically:

• iumenta is neuter plural accusative
• raedam is feminine singular accusative

Both are objects of parare.

Not necessarily. Iumenta is broader than just horses.

It usually means beasts of burden or draft animals, such as:

• horses
• mules
• oxen
• other working animals used for pulling or carrying

So in this sentence it is better understood as something like:

• the draft animals
• the pack animals
• the animals for the wagon

The exact species is not specified.

Debuit parare means he had to prepare or he was obliged to prepare.

So the sentence gives a reason:

• he got up before dawn
• because he had to prepare the animals and the wagon

If Latin had used paravit, that would mean simply he prepared them. But debuit parare adds the idea of necessity or duty.

So:

• paravit = he prepared
• debuit parare = he had to prepare

Both could be possible in some contexts, but they give slightly different shades of meaning.

• debuit = he had to, often presenting the obligation as a whole fact
• debebat = he was having to / he used to have to / he ought to, often more ongoing or backgrounded

In this sentence, debuit works well because it gives a specific reason for one specific action:

• he got up before dawn because he had to prepare them

So the perfect makes the obligation sound like a concrete fact tied to that occasion.

Because these are two different constructions.

After ait, Latin normally uses indirect statement:

• ait se surrexisse = he says that he got up

But quia means because, and it introduces a subordinate clause with a normal conjugated verb:

• quia ... debuit = because he had to ...

So:

• after ait: accusative + infinitive
• after quia: ordinary clause with a finite verb

That is completely normal Latin syntax.

Latin word order is flexible, but the given order is natural and clear.

The sentence is:

Propinquus meus ait se mane ante lucem surrexisse, quia iumenta et raedam parare debuit.

A few things about the order:

• Propinquus meus comes first to introduce the speaker
• ait comes early, so we quickly know this is reported speech
• se ... surrexisse stays together as the indirect statement
• mane ante lucem places the time expression before the infinitive, which is very natural
• quia then gives the reason

Latin could rearrange parts for emphasis, but this order is straightforward prose.

A useful breakdown is:

Main clause

• Propinquus meus ait = my relative says

Indirect statement

• se ... surrexisse = that he got up / that he had gotten up
• mane ante lucem = early in the morning before dawn

Reason clause

• quia iumenta et raedam parare debuit = because he had to prepare the animals and the wagon

So the full structure is:

• My relative says
• that he got up early before dawn
• because he had to prepare the animals and the wagon

This is a very typical Latin sentence pattern: main verb of saying + indirect statement + reason clause.