Plerique propinqui nuptiis adsunt.

Plerique means most or the majority of. It is stronger than multi, which just means many.

So:

• multi propinqui = many relatives
• plerique propinqui = most of the relatives

A learner should also notice that plerique is normally used in the plural, because it refers to most people/things in a group.

Because they go together as the subject of the sentence.

• propinqui = relatives
• plerique = most

Latin adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case, so both words are:

• masculine
• plural
• nominative

That matches the plural verb adsunt.

It is originally an adjective meaning near or related, but here it is being used as a noun: relatives.

This is very common in Latin. An adjective can stand by itself when the noun is understood.

So propinqui here means something like:

• the relatives
• the kinsmen
• family members

Because the verb adsum often takes the dative of the person or event someone is present for / at.

So:

• nuptiis adsum = I am present at the wedding
• nuptiis adsunt = they are present at the wedding

Even though English uses at, Latin does not need a preposition here. The dative case does that job.

Also, nuptiis could look like an ablative form in isolation, but in this sentence it is understood as a dative because of the verb adsunt.

Because nuptiae is one of those Latin nouns that is normally used in the plural even when English uses a singular word.

So:

• Latin: nuptiae
• English: wedding or marriage ceremony

This is just something to learn as part of the vocabulary. Latin often treats wedding rites as a plural idea.

Adsunt is:

• 3rd person plural
• present tense
• indicative mood
• from adsum, adesse = to be present, to be here, to attend

It matches the plural subject plerique propinqui.

So literally it means:

• they are present
• they are in attendance

Yes. Adsum is a compound of ad- + sum.

• sum = I am
• adsum = I am present / I am here

Some common present-tense forms are:

• adsum = I am present
• ades = you are present
• adest = he/she/it is present
• adsumus = we are present
• adestis = you all are present
• adsunt = they are present

So adsunt is not a completely separate pattern; it is built from sum.

Because Latin does not always use a preposition where English does.

In English we say:

• present at the wedding

In Latin, the verb adsum can take a dative object instead:

• nuptiis adsum

So the idea of at is built into the combination of:

• the verb adsum
• the dative case nuptiis

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

This sentence could be rearranged, for example:

• Propinqui plerique nuptiis adsunt
• Nuptiis plerique propinqui adsunt
• Adsunt plerique propinqui nuptiis

The basic meaning would stay the same, though the emphasis might shift slightly.

The given order is straightforward and natural:

• subject first
• then the dative phrase
• then the verb

Yes, in some contexts propinquus can mean near, neighboring, or related. As a noun in the plural, though, propinqui very commonly means relatives or kinsmen.

So in this sentence, especially with nuptiis, the family sense is the natural one.

Grammatically, plerique propinqui is masculine plural. In Latin, the masculine plural can sometimes be used for a mixed group.

So depending on context, it could mean:

• mostly male relatives, or
• relatives in general, if the group is mixed

If the writer wanted to make it specifically feminine, the wording would need to change.

Not entirely. It is a common word, but it is a bit unusual because it is mostly used in the plural and has its own set of forms, such as:

• plerique = masculine nominative plural
• pleraeque = feminine nominative plural
• pleraque = neuter nominative/accusative plural

So it is worth learning as its own vocabulary item rather than expecting it to behave exactly like a completely regular adjective.