Socrus rogat utrum socer iam libum gustaverit an adhuc exspectet.

Because this is an either/or indirect question: whether ... or ...

• utrum introduces the first possibility: whether
• an introduces the second possibility: or

So:

• utrum socer iam libum gustaverit = whether the father-in-law has already tasted the cake
• an adhuc exspectet = or is still waiting

In Latin, utrum ... an is a very common way to set up two alternatives.

They are subjunctive because they are inside an indirect question.

The main verb is rogat = she asks.
After verbs like ask, know, wonder, see, hear, when Latin reports a question indirectly, it normally uses the subjunctive.

So here:

• rogat utrum ... gustaverit
• an ... exspectet

Both clause verbs are subjunctive because they depend on rogat.

Gustaverit is perfect active subjunctive, third person singular, from gusto, gustare.

Breakdown:

• gustav- = perfect stem
• -erit = perfect subjunctive ending

So it means something like:

• has tasted
• tasted
• in this sentence, more precisely: whether he has already tasted

Because the tasting would happen before the asking, Latin uses the perfect subjunctive here.

Because the two actions relate differently to rogat:

• gustaverit = the tasting would already have happened before the asking
• exspectet = the waiting is happening at the time of the asking

This is a standard sequence in Latin indirect questions after a present-tense main verb:

• perfect subjunctive for action prior to the main verb
• present subjunctive for action simultaneous with or after the main verb

So the sentence distinguishes:

• Has he already tasted it?
• Or is he still waiting?

These are family words:

• socrus = mother-in-law
• socer = father-in-law

In this sentence:

• Socrus rogat = The mother-in-law asks
• utrum socer ... = whether the father-in-law ...

A learner may notice they look similar. They are related in meaning, but they are different nouns with different genders:

• socrus is feminine
• socer is masculine

• socrus is nominative singular: the subject of rogat
• socer is nominative singular: the subject of gustaverit and exspectet
• libum is accusative singular: the direct object of gustaverit

So:

• socrus = the person doing the asking
• socer = the person who may have tasted / may still be waiting
• libum = the thing being tasted

Because Latin often omits a repeated subject when it is clearly the same.

So:

• utrum socer iam libum gustaverit
• an adhuc exspectet

naturally means:

• whether the father-in-law has already tasted the cake
• or whether he is still waiting

Latin does not need to repeat socer in the second half, because the verb ending -et already shows a third person singular subject, and the context makes it clear that it is still socer.

Iam means already.

It helps show that the first alternative refers to something that may have happened by now:

• iam libum gustaverit = has already tasted the cake

Without iam, the sentence would still make sense, but iam sharpens the contrast with adhuc:

• already tasted
• still waiting

Adhuc means still, up to this point, or yet depending on context.

Here it goes with exspectet:

• adhuc exspectet = is still waiting

It contrasts very neatly with iam:

• iam = already
• adhuc = still

That pair helps make the two alternatives feel natural and opposed.

Not necessarily. Exspecto can take an object, but it can also be used more generally as wait.

Here the object is left unstated, because the idea is easy to understand from context. The sentence is asking whether the father-in-law:

• has already tasted the cake
• or is still waiting

The reader can infer that he is probably waiting to taste it, to be served, or something similar.

Latin often leaves such details unexpressed when they are obvious enough.

Latin word order is more flexible than English because the endings show the grammatical roles.

English depends heavily on word order:

• The mother-in-law asks whether the father-in-law...

Latin can move words around more freely:

• Socrus rogat utrum socer iam libum gustaverit an adhuc exspectet.

This order is perfectly normal. A few things to notice:

• Socrus comes first as the main subject
• rogat comes early, introducing the indirect question
• utrum ... an frames the two alternatives
• iam and adhuc are placed near the verbs they modify

So even if it looks less rigid than English, the sentence is well organized.

Yes, in form gustaverit can look like either:

• perfect subjunctive
• or future perfect indicative

But here it must be perfect subjunctive, because the clause is an indirect question after rogat.

So context tells you how to read it.

That is very common in Latin: some forms are identical, and you decide from syntax and meaning.

A direct version would normally use the indicative, not the subjunctive.

For example, something like:

• Num socer iam libum gustavit an adhuc exspectat? = Has the father-in-law already tasted the cake, or is he still waiting?

But once the question is reported after rogat, it becomes indirect:

• Socrus rogat utrum socer iam libum gustaverit an adhuc exspectet.

So one important difference is:

• direct question → usually indicative
• indirect question → subjunctive

Rogat is:

• present
• active
• indicative
• third person singular
• from rogo, rogare

So it means:

• he/she asks

Since the subject is socrus, it means:

• the mother-in-law asks

The present tense sets up the time reference for the subordinate verbs:

• gustaverit = prior to the asking
• exspectet = simultaneous with the asking

Yes. Libum is a kind of cake or sacrificial cake in Roman contexts.

In many beginner texts it is simply translated as cake, which is usually enough for understanding the sentence.

So libum gustaverit means:

• has tasted the cake
• or more literally, has tasted the libum

Depending on the context, a textbook may prefer the simpler English word cake.