Patruus meus et amita mea mane ad villam veniunt, quia nuptiis sororis adesse volunt.

Because Latin adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

• patruus is a masculine singular noun, so it takes meus
• amita is a feminine singular noun, so it takes mea

So:

• patruus meus = my uncle
• amita mea = my aunt

The meaning of meus/mea/meum is the same, but the form changes to match the noun.

Latin often uses more specific family words than English.

• patruus = your father’s brother
• amita = your father’s sister

So these are not just any uncle and aunt. Classical Latin has different words for relatives on the mother’s side as well. English usually does not make that distinction, but Latin often does.

Mane means in the morning or simply early in the day.

It is one of those Latin adverbs/time expressions that can stand by itself without a preposition. English often says in the morning, but Latin can just say mane.

So:

• mane veniunt = they come in the morning

Ad with the accusative is used to show movement toward a place.

• ad = to, toward
• villam is accusative singular of villa

So ad villam veniunt means they come to the house / villa / country house.

This is different from location without movement. For example, if you wanted to say at the villa, you would not use ad in the same way.

Because the subject is plural:

• patruus meus et amita mea = my uncle and my aunt

Two people together make a plural subject, so the verb must also be plural.

• venit = he/she comes
• veniunt = they come

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order. The endings on the words show their grammatical function, so Latin does not depend as heavily on word order.

Here, volunt is placed at the end very naturally. Latin often puts an important verb, especially the main verb of a clause, near or at the end.

So quia nuptiis sororis adesse volunt literally looks like:

• because
• at the wedding(s) of the sister
• to be present
• they want

But in good English we say: because they want to be present at their sister’s wedding.

Adesse is a single Latin verb meaning to be present, to attend, or to be there for.

It is made from:

• ad- = to, toward
• esse = to be

But once combined, adesse functions as its own verb. Latin commonly uses compounds like this.

So:

• adesse volunt = they want to be present / they want to attend

You should learn adesse as a vocabulary item, not just as esse plus a separate preposition.

Because adesse takes the dative of the person or event one is present for.

So:

• nuptiis adesse = to be present at the wedding

The form nuptiis is dative plural here.

Also, nuptiae is a special noun: it is usually plural in form even when it refers to a single wedding.

So although English says wedding in the singular, Latin commonly says:

• nuptiae = wedding / wedding ceremonies
• nuptiis adesse = to attend the wedding

Some Latin nouns are regularly used in the plural even when English uses a singular word. Nuptiae is one of them.

This is similar to how some English expressions are plural in form but refer to one event or object in practice. In Latin, weddings are traditionally thought of as marriage rites or wedding ceremonies, so the plural became standard.

That is why you get forms like:

• nominative: nuptiae
• dative/ablative: nuptiis

Even though the English translation is usually just wedding.

Sororis is the genitive singular of soror, meaning of the sister or simply sister’s.

So:

• nuptiis sororis = at the sister’s wedding

The genitive is the normal Latin case for possession or close relationship.

Latin often leaves possessive words unstated when the meaning is obvious from the context.

Here, the people mentioned are my uncle and my aunt, and then we hear sororis. Naturally, that means their sister.

So Latin does not need to say their sister’s wedding explicitly unless it wants to emphasize it. The relationship is clear enough from context.

English usually prefers to add their, but Latin is often more economical.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The Latin present tense often covers both:

• they come
• they are coming

In a general statement like this, come is the most natural translation. But the exact nuance depends on the situation.

Quia means because and introduces a clause giving the reason.

So the sentence is structured like this:

• main clause: Patruus meus et amita mea mane ad villam veniunt
• reason clause: quia nuptiis sororis adesse volunt

In other words:

• My uncle and my aunt come to the villa in the morning
• because they want to attend their sister’s wedding

Not as much as it would be in English. Latin allows a lot of freedom because the endings show how words fit together.

Still, the order here is very natural:

• noun + possessive: patruus meus
• noun + possessive: amita mea

Latin can also place possessives in other positions for emphasis, but this straightforward order is common and easy for beginners to recognize.