Nocte in silva lupi ululare dicuntur, sed hodie nullus lupus prope villam visus est.

Nocte is the ablative singular of nox, noctis (night). Here it is an example of the ablative of time when, which often tells you when something happens.

So:

• nocte = at night
• die = by day / in the daytime
• aestate = in summer

Latin often does not use a preposition for this idea. English usually does: at night, in summer, on that day.

So Nocte is completely natural Latin for At night.

In silva means in the forest.

Here, in takes the ablative because it shows location:

• in silva = in the forest
• in villa = in the house

If in showed motion into something, it would usually take the accusative instead:

• in silvam = into the forest

So the difference is:

• in + ablative = in / on somewhere
• in + accusative = into / onto somewhere

This is a very common question, because English speakers often expect wolves to be the object of say. But in Latin, with dicuntur, the construction is different.

• lupi is nominative plural
• it is the grammatical subject of dicuntur

So:

• lupi ululare dicuntur = wolves are said to howl

Literally, the wolves are the ones who are said to do something.

You can compare:

• active-style idea: dicunt lupos ululare = they say that wolves howl
• passive-style idea: lupi ululare dicuntur = wolves are said to howl

Latin often prefers this passive personal construction with verbs like dico.

Ululare is the present active infinitive of ululo, meaning to howl.

So:

• ululo = I howl
• ululare = to howl

After dicuntur, the infinitive tells what the wolves are said to do:

• lupi ululare dicuntur = wolves are said to howl

This is a very common pattern in Latin:

• puer currere videtur = the boy seems to run
• milites venire dicuntur = the soldiers are said to be coming

Dicuntur is:

• 3rd person plural
• present tense
• passive voice
• from dico, dicere = to say

So dicuntur means they are said.

In this sentence:

• lupi ... dicuntur = wolves are said
• ululare completes the meaning: wolves are said to howl

A very natural English translation is:

• Wolves are said to howl in the forest at night

Another good way to understand it is:

• People say that wolves howl in the forest at night

Latin uses the passive here where English can use either passive or active.

Nullus lupus literally means no wolf or not a single wolf.

Latin often uses the singular in this kind of expression to mean not one. So:

• nullus lupus visus est = no wolf was seen
• more literally: not a single wolf was seen

A plural version is also possible in Latin:

• nulli lupi visi sunt = no wolves were seen

But the singular gives a slightly stronger sense of not even one.

Nullus is an adjective meaning no or not any. It agrees with lupus in:

• gender: masculine
• number: singular
• case: nominative

So:

• nullus lupus = no wolf

Even though English uses no as a determiner very naturally, in Latin it is behaving like an adjective modifying the noun.

A learner may also notice that nullus belongs to the group of adjectives with a special genitive singular in -ius and dative singular in -i, like unus and solus.

Visus est is the perfect passive of video.

From video, videre, vidi, visus:

• video = I see
• visus est = he was seen

In the sentence:

• nullus lupus ... visus est = no wolf was seen

It is passive because the wolf is not doing the seeing; the wolf is the one seen by someone.

Also notice the agreement:

• lupus is masculine singular nominative
• so the participle is visus (masculine singular)
• and the auxiliary is est

If the noun were plural, it would be:

• nulli lupi visi sunt = no wolves were seen

Prope is a preposition meaning near or close to, and it takes the accusative.

So:

• prope villam = near the farmhouse / house

That is why the noun is villam, not villa.

This is just something to memorize with the preposition:

• prope + accusative

For example:

• prope urbem = near the city
• prope flumen = near the river

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order, because the endings show the grammatical relationships.

The sentence is:

• Nocte in silva lupi ululare dicuntur, sed hodie nullus lupus prope villam visus est.

A more English-like order might be:

• Lupi nocte in silva ululare dicuntur, sed nullus lupus hodie prope villam visus est.

Or even:

• Lupi dicuntur nocte in silva ululare...

Latin can move words around for emphasis, rhythm, or style. Here the sentence begins with Nocte in silva, which sets the scene first:

• At night in the forest...

Then it gives the main idea:

• wolves are said to howl

In the second half, hodie is placed early for emphasis:

• but today no wolf was seen...

So the order is flexible, but not random.

The two parts are talking about different kinds of statements.

• lupi ululare dicuntur = a general claim or common report: wolves are said to howl
• nullus lupus ... visus est = a specific completed event: no wolf was seen

So the tenses make good sense:

• present for something generally said or believed
• perfect for what happened today

This contrast is very natural:

• People say wolves howl at night, but today no wolf was seen near the farmhouse.

Yes, to some extent. Dicuntur marks the statement as reported rather than directly asserted.

So lupi ululare dicuntur suggests:

• it is said that wolves howl
• people say wolves howl
• wolves are reportedly heard/howling — though this last version is looser

The speaker is presenting this as something commonly said or believed, not necessarily as a personally verified fact.

That nuance fits well with the contrast in the sentence:

• generally, wolves are said to howl at night in the forest
• but today, no wolf was seen near the farmhouse

A useful breakdown is:

• Nocte = at night
• in silva = in the forest
• lupi = wolves
• ululare = to howl
• dicuntur = are said
• sed = but
• hodie = today
• nullus lupus = no wolf / not a single wolf
• prope villam = near the farmhouse
• visus est = was seen

So the syntax is:

• At night in the forest, wolves are said to howl, but today no wolf was seen near the farmhouse.

This sentence is nice practice for several common Latin features at once:

• ablative of time: nocte
• in + ablative for location: in silva
• passive with infinitive: ululare dicuntur
• adjective agreement: nullus lupus
• perfect passive: visus est
• preposition with accusative: prope villam