Māter in mortāriō allium et salem miscet, et pistillō parvō lente ūtur.

Māter is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative singular: māter = mother.

This noun is a third-declension noun, so its nominative singular does not look like a typical -a or -us noun. Its genitive is mātris, which helps identify its declension.

Because in can take two different cases depending on meaning:

• in + ablative = in/on a place, showing location
• in + accusative = into/onto a place, showing motion toward

Here, in mortāriō means in the mortar, so Latin uses the ablative: mortāriō.

If the meaning were into the mortar, then in mortārium would be possible.

Both are accusative singular, because they are the direct objects of miscet.

She mixes what?

• allium = garlic
• salem = salt

They look different because they come from different declensions:

• allium, alliī is a second-declension neuter noun, so nominative and accusative singular are both allium
• sal, salis is a third-declension masculine noun, so the accusative singular is salem

So they are in the same case, even though their endings are different.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because noun endings show grammatical function.

So Latin can say:

• Māter allium et salem miscet
• Allium et salem māter miscet
• Māter miscet allium et salem

All of these still mean basically the same thing.

Putting the verb later in the clause is very common in Latin. English depends much more on word order, but Latin depends more on case endings.

The first et joins allium and salem:

• allium et salem = garlic and salt

The second et joins two verb phrases / two actions:

• she mixes garlic and salt
• and she uses a small pestle slowly

So the sentence has:

1. one et connecting two nouns
2. one et connecting two parts of the sentence

Because ūtor is a special verb that takes the ablative, not the accusative.

So:

• pistillō = with a pestle / a pestle in the ablative
• parvō agrees with pistillō, so it is also ablative singular

This is one of the most important things to notice in the sentence.

With ūtor, Latin does not use a normal direct object. Instead, the thing used appears in the ablative.

Because ūtor is a deponent verb.

Deponent verbs:

• have passive forms
• but active meanings

So ūtur looks like a passive form, but it means:

• he/she uses

Its dictionary form is ūtor, ūtī, ūsus sum.

That is why:

• miscet = a normal active verb, she mixes
• ūtur = a deponent verb, still translated she uses

Lente is an adverb, meaning slowly.

It comes from the adjective lentus, -a, -um. In Latin, many adverbs are formed from adjectives, often with -ē in the first/second declension pattern.

So:

• lentus = slow
• lente = slowly

Here it modifies ūtur:

• lente ūtur = she uses ... slowly

In this sentence, it most naturally goes with ūtur, because it stands right next to that verb phrase:

• et pistillō parvō lente ūtur

So the most straightforward reading is:

• and she uses a small pestle slowly

But Latin word order can sometimes allow a little flexibility, and in a broader context it might color the whole action. Still, the nearest and clearest connection is with ūtur.

Because with ūtor, the ablative by itself is standard.

So Latin says:

• pistillō parvō ūtur = she uses a small pestle

You could think of the ablative here as something like making use of that object.

Latin often uses cum + ablative for with in the sense of accompaniment:

• cum amīcō = with a friend

But ūtor specifically takes the ablative without cum.

Latin adjectives can come before or after the nouns they describe.

So both of these would be understandable Latin:

• pistillō parvō
• parvō pistillō

The adjective parvō agrees with pistillō in:

• case: ablative
• number: singular
• gender: neuter

The placement here is normal and natural.

They are both ablative singular, but for different reasons.

• in mortāriō: ablative because it follows in meaning in a place
• pistillō: ablative because ūtor takes the ablative

So the case is the same, but the grammar behind it is different.

The sentence has two finite verbs:

• miscet = she mixes
• ūtur = she uses

Both are third person singular, matching the subject māter.

So one subject is doing two actions:

1. mixing garlic and salt
2. using a small pestle slowly