Avia prudentissima puellam tristem consolatur.

Because avia is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject.

• avia = grandmother
• ending -a here shows a first-declension nominative singular

So avia is the one doing the action.

Because puellam is in the accusative singular, the case commonly used for the direct object.

• puella = girl
• puellam = girl as the object of the verb

So puellam is the person being comforted.

Because tristem has to agree with puellam.

Latin adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• puellam is feminine singular accusative
• so the adjective describing it must also be feminine singular accusative
• that gives tristem

So puellam tristem means the sad girl or a sad girl.

Prudentissima is the superlative form of prudens, meaning most prudent, very prudent, or wisest, depending on context.

It agrees with avia, so it is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

That is why the form is prudentissima.

So avia prudentissima means something like:

• the very wise grandmother
• the wisest grandmother

The exact shade depends on context.

It can mean either.

In Latin, the superlative often has two possible forces:

• a true superlative: wisest
• an intensive meaning: very wise

So prudentissima could mean:

• the wisest grandmother
• a very wise grandmother

Both are grammatically possible unless the wider context makes one more natural.

Because consolatur is a deponent verb.

A deponent verb:

• looks passive in form
• but has an active meaning

So:

• consolatur looks like is comforted
• but actually means comforts

More specifically, it is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• indicative
• from consolor, consolari

So consolatur means he/she comforts or is comforting.

Yes. Deponent verbs often behave like active verbs in meaning and syntax.

So even though consolatur has a passive-looking form, it can still take a direct object:

• puellam = the girl being comforted

That is completely normal.

Because Latin has no articles.

English distinguishes:

• the grandmother
• a grandmother

Latin usually does not. So avia can mean either:

• the grandmother
• a grandmother

The same is true for puellam tristem:

• the sad girl
• a sad girl

Context tells you which one is meant.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show each word’s function.

Putting the verb at the end is very common in Latin, especially in straightforward prose.

So this order:

• Avia prudentissima puellam tristem consolatur

is perfectly natural.

It presents the sentence in a neat pattern:

• subject
• description of subject
• object
• description of object
• verb

Yes, often it could.

Because the endings show the grammar, Latin can move words around for emphasis. For example, the sentence could be rearranged and still basically mean the same thing, as long as the forms stay the same.

However, changing the order can change:

• emphasis
• style
• what stands out most

So the endings carry the grammar, while the order often helps express emphasis.

No. Latin adjectives can come before or after the noun.

Both positions are common. In this sentence, both adjectives happen to follow their nouns:

• avia prudentissima
• puellam tristem

That is normal Latin. But Latin is flexible, and in other sentences you may see adjectives placed before the noun, especially for emphasis or style.

Here is a quick breakdown:

• avia: first-declension noun
• puellam: first-declension noun, accusative singular of puella
• prudentissima: adjective formed as a first/second-declension superlative
• tristem: third-declension adjective from tristis, triste

So even though both prudentissima and tristem are adjectives, they come from different adjective patterns.

The verb form alone tells you several things:

• person: 3rd
• number: singular
• tense: present
• mood: indicative
• voice/form: passive in form, but deponent in meaning

So consolatur means:

• she comforts
• she is comforting

Since avia is singular and feminine in meaning, we understand the subject as she.