Sponsus timere non videtur, sed sponsa matri confitetur se paulum anxiam esse.

Because videtur is being used with a complementary infinitive.

• videtur = he seems / he is seen
• timere = to fear, to be afraid

So sponsus timere non videtur literally means the bridegroom does not seem to fear, which in smoother English is the bridegroom does not seem to be afraid.

Latin often uses videor + infinitive where English uses seem to + verb.

Here videtur means seems.

It is the 3rd person singular present form of videor, which is related to video (I see), but in this passive form it often means I seem, he seems, she seems, and so on.

So:

• videtur = he/she/it seems

In this sentence it goes with sponsus, so it means the bridegroom seems.

Because non is negating videtur, not timere.

So the sense is:

• timere non videtur = he does not seem to be afraid

This is different from:

• non timere videtur = he seems not to be afraid

In many contexts the meaning is very close, but Latin word order can help show what is being negated more directly. Here the most natural reading is that it does not seem that he is afraid.

Because confitetur is a deponent verb.

A deponent verb:

• has passive forms
• but active meaning

So confitetur looks passive, but it means she confesses, not she is confessed.

Its dictionary form is confiteor, confiteri, confessus sum = to confess.

Here:

• sponsa matri confitetur... = the bride confesses to her mother...

Because it marks the person to whom the confession is made.

• mater = mother
• matri = to the mother

So:

• sponsa matri confitetur = the bride confesses to her mother

Many Latin verbs take a dative for the person affected or addressed, and confiteor can do that here.

Because Latin commonly uses an indirect statement after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, perceiving, and also confessing.

The normal pattern is:

• accusative subject + infinitive

So in:

• confitetur se paulum anxiam esse

the structure is:

• se = the subject of the indirect statement, in the accusative
• esse = infinitive to be
• anxiam = predicate adjective agreeing with se

Literally: she confesses herself to be a little anxious
Natural English: she confesses that she is a little anxious

Because se is the reflexive pronoun, and it refers back to the subject of the main clause, which is sponsa.

Main clause:

• sponsa ... confitetur = the bride confesses

Indirect statement:

• se ... esse = that she is

Since the person being talked about is the same as the subject of confitetur, Latin uses se.

If it were some other woman, not the bride herself, Latin would use something like eam instead.

Because it agrees with se, which refers to sponsa.

In an indirect statement:

• the subject is in the accusative
• any predicate adjective agreeing with it is also in the accusative

Since sponsa is feminine singular, se here means herself in the accusative, and the adjective must match:

• se ... anxiam esse = that she is anxious

If the subject were masculine, you would expect anxium instead.

Latin often does omit est in simple main clauses, but in an indirect statement the infinitive esse is commonly stated.

So:

• se paulum anxiam esse is the normal full construction

It clearly marks the indirect statement and ties anxiam to se.

Here paulum means a little, somewhat, slightly.

It is being used adverbially to modify anxiam:

• paulum anxiam = a little anxious

Latin often uses neuter accusative forms adverbially, and paulum can work that way.

So this is not agreeing with sponsa. It is not describing her as a noun or adjective in the ordinary sense. It is modifying the degree of anxiam.

Latin often can omit subjects when the verb ending makes the subject clear, but nouns are included when the writer wants clarity or contrast.

Here there is a clear contrast:

• Sponsus ... sed sponsa ...

That is:

• the bridegroom ... but the bride ...

So the repeated nouns help set up the contrast between the two people.

Yes. Latin word order is flexible, but it is still meaningful.

Here the sentence is arranged in a very natural contrastive way:

• Sponsus timere non videtur
• sed sponsa matri confitetur se paulum anxiam esse

This puts the two people side by side:

• the bridegroom does not seem afraid
• but the bride admits that she is a little anxious

The contrast is especially clear because of sed = but and the matching placement of sponsus and sponsa.

Yes. That is a very natural way to understand it in English.

Latin timeo, timere can mean:

• to fear
• to be afraid
• to feel fear

So sponsus timere non videtur can be understood as:

• the bridegroom does not seem to fear
• or more naturally, the bridegroom does not seem afraid

Both reflect the Latin well.

This sentence is a great example of two very common Latin patterns:

1. videor + infinitive

   • timere non videtur
   • he does not seem to be afraid

2. verb of saying/confessing + indirect statement

   • confitetur se paulum anxiam esse
   • she confesses that she is a little anxious

If you recognize those two patterns, the whole sentence becomes much easier to read.