Cum canis nocte latrat, infans matrem vocat.

Here cum means when.

In Latin, cum can have several meanings depending on context:

• when / while
• since
• although
• with — but only when it is a preposition followed by the ablative

In this sentence, cum canis nocte latrat means when the dog barks at night, so cum is a conjunction, not the preposition meaning with.

Because this sentence states a straightforward, ordinary situation: when the dog barks, the baby calls for its mother.

With cum, Latin can use:

• the indicative for a simple time clause: when, while
• the subjunctive for more nuanced meanings such as since, although, or certain background/narrative clauses

Here the clause is just a plain time statement, so latrat is in the present indicative.

Nocte is the ablative singular of nox, noctis and means at night.

Latin often uses the ablative of time when without a preposition to express when something happens:

• nocte = at night
• die = by day / in the day
• tertia hora = at the third hour

So canis nocte latrat literally means the dog barks at night.

English usually needs a preposition like at, but Latin often does not.

Because matrem is the direct object of vocat.

The verb vocare means to call. The person being called is put in the accusative:

• matrem vocat = the baby calls its mother / calls for its mother

So:

• infans = subject, nominative
• vocat = verb
• matrem = direct object, accusative

It can be understood either way in English, depending on context.

Literally, vocare means to call or to call to someone. In a sentence like this, natural English often says:

• the baby calls its mother
• the baby calls for its mother

Both capture the idea well. Latin simply uses matrem as the object of vocat.

Both are nominative singular, because both are the subjects of their verbs.

• canis = the dog → subject of latrat
• infans = the baby / infant → subject of vocat

So the sentence has two clauses:

1. cum canis nocte latrat = when the dog barks at night
2. infans matrem vocat = the baby calls its mother

Even though canis ends in -is, it is nominative singular here. Not every nominative singular noun ends in -us or -a.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because Latin shows grammatical relationships mainly through endings, not position.

English depends heavily on order:

• the baby calls the mother is different from
• the mother calls the baby

Latin can show the difference by case endings:

• infans matrem vocat = the baby calls the mother
• matrem infans vocat = same basic meaning, different emphasis

In your sentence, the order is very natural Latin:

• subordinate clause first: cum canis nocte latrat
• main clause after it: infans matrem vocat

Because Latin often uses the present tense for repeated, habitual, or general actions, just as English does.

So this can mean:

• When the dog barks at night, the baby calls its mother
• or more generally, Whenever the dog barks at night, the baby calls for its mother

The present tense here does not have to mean one single event happening right now. It can describe a normal pattern.

Not necessarily. Canis can refer to a dog in general, and it may be masculine or feminine depending on the sex of the animal or simply the way the speaker is using it.

In a sentence like this, it is best to understand canis as just dog.

Because Latin has no articles.

So a noun like canis can mean:

• a dog
• the dog

and infans can mean:

• a baby
• the baby

The context determines which English article is best. In this sentence, English naturally uses the dog and the baby, but Latin does not need separate words for that.