Votum puellae est ut pater mox redeat.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Votum = wish, vow, or prayer
• puellae = of the girl
• est = is
• ut pater mox redeat = that the father may return soon

So the structure is:

• Votum puellae est = The girl's wish is
• ut pater mox redeat = that her father return soon

The ut clause gives the content of the wish.

Here puellae is most naturally genitive singular, meaning of the girl.

So:

• votum puellae = the girl's wish

A beginner may notice that puellae can also be dative singular in other sentences, but here genitive makes sense because it shows possession or relationship: the wish belongs to the girl.

Here ut introduces a clause that tells us what the wish is.

So in this sentence, ut is best understood as that, not as in order that.

• Votum puellae est ut pater mox redeat
• The girl's wish is that her father may return soon

This is a common Latin pattern after words expressing:

• a wish
• a request
• an effort
• a plan
• a command

So ut + subjunctive often gives the substance or content of that idea.

Because after ut in this kind of clause, Latin normally uses the subjunctive.

Redeat is:

• 3rd person singular
• present subjunctive active
• from redeo, redire = to return

It does not simply state a fact like redit would. Instead, it expresses something wished for, hoped for, or intended:

• redeat = may return, should return, or simply return in English

So the subjunctive fits the idea of a wish rather than a plain statement.

Because pater is the subject of redeat.

Inside the ut clause:

• pater = the one who returns
• redeat = may return

Since pater is the subject, it must be in the nominative case.

If it were patrem, that would make it accusative, which would not fit this sentence.

Latin often leaves out possessive words like his, her, or their when the meaning is already clear from context.

Here:

• puellae = of the girl
• so it is natural to understand pater as her father

Latin especially likes to omit possessives with family members when there is no real ambiguity.

So although English often says her father, Latin can simply say pater.

Mox is an adverb meaning soon.

It modifies redeat:

• pater mox redeat = the father may return soon

It tells us when the returning is hoped for.

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

This sentence is perfectly natural as written, but other orders are possible, for example:

• Puellae votum est ut pater mox redeat
• Votum est puellae ut pater mox redeat

The chosen order gives a smooth, clear presentation:

• Votum puellae first introduces the main idea
• ut pater mox redeat then explains the content of that wish

So the exact order is not as rigid as in English, though some arrangements sound more elegant or emphatic than others.

Yes, votum can mean more than one thing depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• vow
• wish
• prayer
• promise made to a god

In this sentence, because it is followed by ut pater mox redeat, the sense is something like:

• wish
• prayer
• earnest desire

So votum here is not just a random thought; it can carry a somewhat serious or heartfelt tone.

Redeat is present subjunctive.

The present subjunctive here does not mainly tell us the action is happening right now. Instead, it presents the action as something desired or hoped for:

• that he return
• that he may return
• that he should return

If Latin wanted to express a different time relationship, it could use a different subjunctive tense. But here the present subjunctive is the normal choice for a wish directed toward the future.

So redeat means something like return soon from the point of view of the wish.