Pater in tablinō sedet et epistulās legit, dum fīlia in hortō lūdit.

Because pater is in the nominative singular, which is the normal case for the subject of a sentence.

Also, the verb endings help:

• sedet = he/she/it sits
• legit = he/she/it reads

Since pater is masculine singular and appears first, Latin readers naturally understand that pater is doing both actions: he sits and reads.

Because epistulās is the direct object of legit. It is the thing being read.

• pater = nominative singular, the subject
• epistulās = accusative plural, the direct object
• fīlia = nominative singular, another subject

So:

• pater legit = the father reads
• pater epistulās legit = the father reads letters

The ending -ās shows that epistulās is accusative plural.

They are both in the ablative singular because they follow in meaning in or inside a place where something is happening.

• in tablinō = in the study / office
• in hortō = in the garden

With in, Latin often uses:

• accusative for motion into a place
• ablative for location in a place

So:

• in hortō lūdit = she plays in the garden but
• in hortum currit would mean she runs into the garden

Tablinum was a room in a Roman house, often used as a kind of study, office, or reception room. In beginner Latin, it is often translated simply as study or office.

So in tablinō sedet means something like:

• he is sitting in the study
• he sits in the office

Because fīlia is the subject of the second clause:

• dum fīlia in hortō lūdit

Here, fīlia is the person doing the action lūdit. So it must be nominative, just like pater is nominative in the first clause.

Latin can have more than one nominative noun in a sentence if there is more than one clause and each clause has its own subject.

Here dum means while.

It introduces a clause that gives the background action happening at the same time:

• Pater ... legit, dum fīlia ... lūdit.
• The father reads letters while the daughter plays in the garden.

So dum connects two simultaneous actions.

Because the sentence describes actions happening now or as a general present scene.

• sedet = sits / is sitting
• legit = reads / is reading
• lūdit = plays / is playing

In Latin, the present tense can often be translated either as a simple present or a present progressive in English, depending on context.

So legit can mean:

• he reads
• he is reading

Both are possible here.

You know it from vocabulary and context.

The verb legō, legere has several meanings in Latin, including gather, choose, and read. In this sentence, the object is epistulās (letters), so read is clearly the natural meaning:

• epistulās legit = reads letters

Context is very important in Latin, just as it is in English.

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

So:

• pater can mean father or the father
• fīlia can mean daughter or the daughter
• epistulās can mean letters or the letters

English must choose an article, but Latin usually leaves that to context.

Yes. Latin word order is more flexible than English because the endings show each word’s role.

This sentence could be rearranged in various ways and still mean basically the same thing, for example:

• Pater epistulās legit et in tablinō sedet, dum fīlia in hortō lūdit.
• In tablinō pater sedet et epistulās legit, dum in hortō fīlia lūdit.

However, the original order is natural and clear. Latin word order often helps with emphasis or style, not just grammar.

Because the verb endings already tell you the subject is third person singular.

• sedet = he/she/it sits
• legit = he/she/it reads
• lūdit = he/she/it plays

Since Latin verbs include the person and number in the ending, separate subject pronouns are often unnecessary unless the writer wants extra emphasis.

Yes. Et is the ordinary Latin word for and.

Here it joins two actions done by the same subject:

• sedet et legit = sits and reads

So the first part means:

• The father sits in the study and reads letters

Lūdit comes from lūdō, lūdere, meaning to play.

Its form is:

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

So fīlia in hortō lūdit means:

• the daughter plays in the garden or
• the daughter is playing in the garden

Macrons show vowel length:

• tablinō
• fīlia
• hortō
• lūdit

They are very useful for learning pronunciation and sometimes for recognizing forms, but many printed Latin texts omit them. In beginner materials, they are often included to help students learn endings and vowel quantities.

For example, hortō with long -ō helps show that it is ablative singular.