Nauta dicit Corinthum quoque urbem claram esse et multos mercatores ibi manere.

Latin often does not use a separate word for that after verbs like dicit.

Instead, it uses an accusative + infinitive construction, often called an indirect statement:

• Corinthum ... esse
• multos mercatores ... manere

So after Nauta dicit, Latin literally gives something like:

• the sailor says Corinth to be a famous city
• and many merchants to stay there

In natural English, we turn that into the sailor says that Corinth is also a famous city and that many merchants stay there.

Because Corinthum is the subject of an infinitive inside an indirect statement.

In English, the subject of is would be nominative: Corinth is famous.
But in Latin, after dicit, the subject of the reported statement goes into the accusative:

• direct idea: Corinthus est urbs clara
• reported after dicit: Corinthum urbem claram esse

So Corinthum is not the direct object in the ordinary English sense; it is the accusative subject of esse.

They are accusative because they go with Corinthum inside the indirect statement.

• urbem means city
• claram means famous or well-known

Here urbem claram tells us what Corinth is: a famous city. Because Corinthum is accusative, the noun and adjective that describe it are also put in the accusative:

• Corinthum = the accusative subject
• urbem = predicate noun in the accusative
• claram = adjective agreeing with urbem

So the whole phrase works as Corinth to be a famous city, which English naturally turns into that Corinth is a famous city.

Because after dicit, Latin uses infinitives in indirect statement.

So:

• esse = to be
• manere = to remain / stay / live

Latin says:

• Corinthum ... esse
• multos mercatores ibi manere

English usually changes those infinitives into normal finite verbs:

• that Corinth is ...
• that many merchants stay ...

So the infinitives are not strange extra verbs; they are the normal Latin way to report what someone says, thinks, hears, knows, and so on.

It is the subject of manere inside the second indirect statement.

That second part is:

• multos mercatores ibi manere

This means literally many merchants to stay there.

So:

• multos mercatores = accusative subject
• manere = infinitive verb
• ibi = there

A useful detail: mercatores by itself could be nominative plural or accusative plural, since third-declension masculine nouns have -es in both forms. But multos shows clearly that the whole phrase is accusative.

Quoque means also or too.

It usually comes after the word it emphasizes. So:

• Corinthum quoque = Corinth too / Corinth also

That placement suggests that Corinth is being added to something already mentioned. In other words, the sailor is saying that Corinth, along with some other place or places already under discussion, is a famous city.

Ibi means there.

In this sentence, it refers to Corinth. So multos mercatores ibi manere means that many merchants stay or live there, that is, in Corinth.

Latin often uses ibi instead of repeating the place name.

Because not all first-declension nouns are feminine.

Nauta is one of several first-declension nouns referring to people, especially occupations, that are masculine or common in gender. So even though it ends in -a, it can mean a male sailor.

This is something English speakers often notice early, because they learn that first declension is usually feminine, but not always.

Et connects two parts that both depend on dicit.

The structure is:

• Nauta dicit
  • Corinthum quoque urbem claram esse
  • et
  • multos mercatores ibi manere

So the sailor says two things:

1. that Corinth is also a famous city
2. that many merchants stay there

Both are indirect statements, and et joins them.

A good way is to separate the main clause from the reported statement.

Main clause:

• Nauta dicit = the sailor says

Then the reported content:

• Corinthum quoque urbem claram esse
• et multos mercatores ibi manere

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order, so you do not need to read it strictly left to right the way you would in English. The endings tell you how the words fit together:

• Corinthum / urbem / claram belong together
• multos mercatores belongs with manere
• ibi goes with manere
• quoque adds emphasis to Corinthum

So it helps to read by groups rather than by individual words.