Labrum pueri adhuc tumet, sed minus dolet.

Pueri is genitive singular of puer, meaning boy.

So:

• puer = boy
• pueri = of the boy / the boy’s

That makes labrum pueri mean the boy’s lip.

A beginner might notice that pueri can also be nominative plural (boys), but here that would not fit the sentence well. Labrum pueri is naturally understood as the lip of the boy, not the lip boys.

Because labrum is in the nominative singular, and the verbs tumet and dolet are both 3rd person singular, so they match it.

So the structure is:

• labrum = the lip
• tumet = is swollen / swells
• dolet = hurts

In other words, the lip is the thing that is swollen and hurts.

Labrum means lip. In this sentence it refers to a person’s lip, not the edge or rim of an object.

It is a 2nd-declension neuter noun:

• nominative singular: labrum
• genitive singular: labri

So here labrum pueri = the boy’s lip.

Latin often does not need an explicit word for it, because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• tumet = it is swollen / swells
• dolet = it hurts / aches

Since labrum has already been given as the subject, Latin does not need to repeat it or the lip in the second clause. English often prefers to repeat the subject with it, but Latin usually does not.

Tumet is:

• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood
• 3rd person singular

It comes from tumeo, tumere, meaning to be swollen, to swell, or to be puffed up.

So labrum ... tumet means the lip is swollen or the lip is still swelling, depending on context. In English, is swollen is usually the most natural translation here.

Dolet is also:

• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood
• 3rd person singular

It comes from doleo, dolere, meaning to hurt, to ache, or to feel pain.

Here labrum ... dolet means the lip hurts or the lip is painful.

Because doleo can refer to both physical pain and emotional pain, and the context tells you which one is meant.

Since the subject is labrum (lip), physical pain is clearly intended. A lip can be swollen and painful, so dolet here means hurts or aches.

Adhuc means still, up to this point, or yet.

So:

• labrum pueri adhuc tumet = the boy’s lip is still swollen

It tells you that the swelling has not gone away yet.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order. Adhuc is placed before tumet simply because it naturally modifies that verb: is still swollen.

So the sense is:

• labrum pueri adhuc tumet = the boy’s lip still swells / is still swollen

You should not assume that the most important grammatical relationships are shown by position alone; in Latin, endings are usually more important than word order.

Sed means but.

It connects the two ideas:

• the boy’s lip is still swollen
• but it hurts less

So it marks a contrast: the swelling remains, but the pain has decreased.

Minus is the comparative adverb, meaning less.

Here it modifies dolet:

• minus dolet = it hurts less

In English, we might mentally supply than before:

• it hurts less [than before]

Latin often leaves that comparison implicit when the context makes it obvious.

Because minus and minime mean different things.

• minus = less
• minime = least or sometimes not at all / by no means

So:

• minus dolet = it hurts less
• minime dolet would suggest it hurts very little, least, or in some contexts something more like not at all, which is a different idea

The sentence is comparing the current pain with an earlier, greater pain, so minus is exactly right.

Yes. Latin often leaves it unstated.

Minus dolet usually means:

• it hurts less than before
• it hurts less than it did

You do not need a separate quam phrase unless you want to state the comparison explicitly.

In form, yes: pueri can mean boys. But in this sentence, no.

Why not?

• labrum is singular
• tumet and dolet are singular
• labrum pueri makes very good sense as the boy’s lip

If pueri were nominative plural, the sentence would not fit naturally. The grammar and meaning both point to genitive singular.

Because possession in Latin is usually shown by case endings, not punctuation.

English:

• the boy’s lip

Latin:

• labrum pueri

The ending -i on pueri shows the possessive relationship.

Yes, but it would mean something slightly different in emphasis.

• labrum pueri = the boy’s lip
• labrum eius = his lip

Using pueri identifies the possessor as the boy directly. Using eius would refer back to someone already mentioned.

So pueri is very natural if the sentence is introducing or identifying whose lip it is.

Because the sentence is talking about one lip, not lips in general.

In context, this usually means a specific injured lip, often understood as the lip most obviously affected. Latin, like English, can use the singular when one particular body part is meant.

Yes. Latin uses the present tense (tumet, dolet) where English may use either a simple present or a form with is.

So:

• tumet literally corresponds to swells / is swollen
• dolet = hurts / is hurting

English chooses the most natural phrasing; Latin simply uses the present tense.

That order would also be possible. Latin word order is flexible.

The given order:

• Labrum pueri adhuc tumet, sed minus dolet

is a perfectly normal way to present the sentence. Putting labrum first brings the main topic, the lip, right to the front.

So the word order helps with emphasis and flow, but the case endings still do the main grammatical work.

Here is a full breakdown:

• Labrum — nominative singular neuter of labrum, lip; subject
• pueri — genitive singular of puer, of the boy / the boy’s
• adhuc — adverb, still
• tumet — 3rd person singular present active indicative of tumeo, is swollen / swells
• sed — conjunction, but
• minus — comparative adverb, less
• dolet — 3rd person singular present active indicative of doleo, hurts

So the sentence means:

• The boy’s lip is still swollen, but it hurts less.

It is basically:

• [subject + genitive possessor + adverb + verb], sed [comparative adverb + verb]

More concretely:

• labrum = subject
• pueri = possessor
• adhuc tumet = still is swollen
• sed minus dolet = but hurts less

The second clause keeps the same subject, labrum, without repeating it. That is a very common Latin pattern.