Canis sub lecto latet.

• Canis = the subject, in the nominative singular: dog
• sub lecto = a prepositional phrase: under the bed
• latet = the verb: hides / is hiding

So the sentence is built as:

subject + prepositional phrase + verb

This is a very common Latin pattern.

Because canis is the subject of the sentence—the dog is the one doing the action of hiding.

In Latin, subjects are normally put in the nominative case. So:

• canis = nominative singular = dog
• if it were an object, you would expect a different case

A learner should also know that canis is a third-declension noun.

Because after sub, Latin uses the ablative when the meaning is location rather than movement.

Here the dog is already under the bed, so sub means under in the sense of in a position beneath. That is why Latin uses:

• lecto = ablative singular of lectus = bed

So:

• sub lecto = under the bed (location)

Not:

• sub lectum, which would usually suggest motion toward a position under the bed

Yes. This is a very important point.

With sub:

• ablative = place where, no movement
• accusative = motion toward or to a place

So:

• sub lecto latet = he/she/it is hiding under the bed
• sub lectum currit = he/she/it runs under the bed / to a place under the bed

English often uses under for both ideas, but Latin shows the difference with the case.

Latet is:

• third person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from the verb lateo, latere, which means to lie hidden, to be hidden, or to hide oneself.

Because it is third person singular, it matches a singular subject like canis.

Because Latin often uses a simple present-tense verb where English uses either:

• a simple present: hides
• or a progressive form: is hiding

So latet by itself can naturally mean:

• hides
• is hiding
• sometimes even lies hidden

Latin does not need a separate helping verb here.

Classical Latin does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So canis can mean:

• a dog
• the dog

And lecto can mean:

• under a bed
• under the bed

The exact sense depends on context. In a short sentence like this, English translators choose whichever sounds most natural.

No. Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show the grammatical roles.

So all of these could be understood:

• Canis sub lecto latet
• Sub lecto canis latet
• Canis latet sub lecto

The version with the verb at the end, Canis sub lecto latet, is very normal Latin style.

English depends much more on word order, but Latin depends much more on case endings and verb forms.

Canis can be either masculine or feminine, depending on the sex of the dog.

So by itself, canis does not force us to think of a male dog. It can simply mean dog in a general sense.

In this sentence, nothing else tells us the sex, so English usually just says dog.

In a classical-style pronunciation, roughly:

• canis = KAH-nis
• sub = soob or short sub
• lecto = LEK-to
• latet = LAH-tet

A rough full reading is:

KAH-nis sub LEK-to LAH-tet

Some church-style pronunciations may sound a little different, but the grammar stays the same.